Classification: Union

Status: Temporary Full Time until January 15, 2027, with possibility of extension

Shift: Milton A2 (Monday to Friday, 3:30 pm to 11:30 pm)

Location: Milton (may be required to work from Burlington shelter as needed)

Department: Programs & Services

Reports to: Manager, Safe Shelter Services

Anticipated start date: As soon as possible

Deadline to express interest: Open until filled

Agency Overview:

Halton Women’s Place is the only Safe Shelter program in the Halton Region. We provide a safe haven, information, education, and counselling, to support women and children to live a life free from violence. We operate two emergency safe shelters, as well as community outreach and public education program. Our safe shelter facilities operate on a 24/7 basis.

Position Summary

Full-time Crisis Intervention Counsellors provide immediate crisis counselling, emotional and practical support, and information to empower women at risk of harm from, or escaping, domestic violence. Full-time Crisis Intervention Counsellors are the case managers for in-shelter clients, providing referrals and advocacy in accordance with the woman’s identified needs and service goals. Full-time Crisis Intervention Counsellors demonstrate our agency values of hope, choice, collaboration, and excellence in everything they do.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Client Services

- Provide a welcoming and caring first point-of-contact to in-shelter clients and to clients calling Halton Women’s Place’s crisis and support telephone line and webchat service;
- Provide crisis intervention, safety planning, emotional support, and practical assistance to women in shelter and over the crisis and support telephone line and webchat;
- Conduct client intake interviews to determine eligibility for admission to a safe shelter site, conduct ongoing danger, risk, and needs assessments and provide referrals to other community services as current needs are identified;
- Assess safety concerns on a regular and ongoing basis, develop and update individualized safety plans in collaboration with the client;
- Stay apprised of changing statistics and trends with regards to risk factors uniquely facing survivors of sex trafficking;
- Meet with assigned clients for weekly 1:1 meetings to check in on wellbeing while in shelter, discuss any new risk and safety issues, update safety plan, identify and discuss emerging service needs, assist with form completion, and plan for shelter departure;
- Advocate and liaise with other community agencies to provide wraparound support and avoid duplication of services;
- Support clients to complete and submit application packages for subsidized and market rent housing, social assistance, government benefits, the Victim Quick Response Program Plus (VQRP+), and other programs as indicated by the client’s identified needs;
- Follow the procedures outlined in interagency partnership agreements to ensure effective collaboration with HWP’s closest agency partners (Children’s Aid Society, SAVIS, Victim Services, Hub 360, Thrive Counselling, and others);
- Work at all times from a feminist, trauma-informed, and anti – oppressive framework, demonstrating a belief at all times that a woman’s story is her truth and that an essential part of supporting her is believing her;
- Operate from a non-judgmental, client-centered, harm reduction approach; incorporate harm reduction principles into client safety plan and offer support and intervention based on the client’s goals for herself;
- Utilize interpretation and translation services as needed to ensure client-centered, accessible provision of service
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date client records, contemporaneously documenting all client contacts (including group programming) in our Client Information System while adhering to agency protocols related to client privacy and confidentiality;
- Ensure the protection and security of clients’ personal and sensitive information by following all agency protocols related to the maintenance, storage, and transportation of client files, and immediately report any breaches in protocol that may have compromised the client’s privacy and confidentiality;
- Complete and keep updated all required safe shelter documents including shift checklists, client welcome handbooks, forms,



and documents needed to collect research and/or program evaluation data on behalf of the agency, and any other form or document that is managed and updated.
- Assist with meal preparation and service, supporting nutritional needs as needed, especially in the absence of the site’s Food & Nutrition Worker.

Reporting and Escalation of Safety Concerns

- Quickly identify and respond to situations of increased risk while adhering to all agency protocols and procedures;
- Notify Manager, Safe Shelter Services (or On Call Supervisor if after hours) of safety concerns or situations of increased risk and provide timely updates as the safety or risk situation changes;
- Contact Emergency Services as required to attend immediately to urgent or crisis situations;
- Make child protection reports to the Children’s Aid Society, in consultation with the Safe Shelter Manager or On Call Supervisor
- Complete documentation (case notes, Incident Reports) as directed by Shelter Manager or On Call Supervisor

Mentorship, Coaching and Training

- Assist in the training of staff, students, and volunteers by actively participating in the onboarding and on-shift training process;
- Full-time Crisis Intervention Counsellors with more than one year of internal tenure will provide field supervision to placement students;
- Full-time Crisis Intervention Counsellors are encouraged to attend internal and external training and professional development opportunities that align with their professional goals as identified in their annual performance evaluation

Agency and Community Engagement

- Attend staff meetings as required for this position, including staff meetings, department meetings, and team meetings which may occur outside the full-time Crisis Intervention Counsellor’s shelter shift

- Participate on agency committees, attend staff engagement events, participate in agency initiatives when invited and eligible to do so;
- Represent Halton Women’s Place in a positive and professional manner at all times, and especially when attending community events;
- Attend Halton Women’s Place community engagement and fundraising events in adherence with shelter scheduling and coverage protocol.
- Any other task or duty as assigned by the Safe Shelter Manager or On Call Supervisor to maintain excellent client service and safe, secure shelter operations.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Full time Crisis Intervention Counsellors staff our shelter on a rotation of 8-hour and 12-hour shifts and meet immediate client needs, including clients contacting the crisis, information, and support line, while balancing case management responsibilities for a small caseload of clients for which our full time Crisis Intervention Counsellors are primary workers. The ability to stay focused and multitask amid numerous distractions in a busy shelter environment is essential to the success of this role. Our full-time Crisis Intervention Counsellors experience significant and chronic exposure to traumatic narratives and events as well as trauma-rooted behaviour in clients and their children.

Personal resiliency and well-developed self-care strategies in combination with using employer-provided mental health supports is essential to being successful in this role.

Full-time Crisis Intervention Counsellors work onsite full-time at their designated shelter location. In extenuating circumstances, full-time Crisis Intervention Counsellors may be relocated to work at the other safe shelter site to maintain minimum staffing requirements.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education

- Bachelor of Social Work or Social Service Worker Diploma or equivalent academic credential is required.
- A comprehensive combination of education in a related field, combined with significant relatable experience, may be considered.
- BSW or SSW students working towards their degree/diploma, may be considered for relief positions until the completion of their degree/diploma.

Experience and Knowledge





- Professional and respectful communication and conflict resolution skills with clients and colleagues;
- A consistently caring, patient, empathetic approach towards women, children, and colleagues that translates both in person and over telephone and email communication;
- Demonstrated track record of effective advocacy and collaboration with community partners;
- A solid understanding of trauma-informed care principles and how to implement them;
- An understanding of the systemic oppression uniquely experienced by Black, Indigenous, and otherwise racialized women, immigrant and refugee women, and 2SLBTQ+ women, and consistently practice from a self-reflective, anti-oppressive framework;
- Subscribe to feminist theory and demonstrate an understanding of the history of Violence Against Women sector work as well as current trends and statistics impacting the sector
- Ability to communicate in a language other than English is an asset;

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS:

- Clear Police Record Check, including Vulnerable Sector, is required to secure and maintain employment.
- A clear reading on a Step one and/or two TB test is required to secure and maintain employment.

As part of the recruitment and selection function, HWP will collect voluntary self-identification data from applicants in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code, HWP Hiring Practices Administrative Procedure, HWP’s Employment Equity Policy and Ontario’s Anti Racism Data Standards:

Personal information is collected under the authority of the Anti-Racism Act, 2017, S.O. 2017, c. 15, in compliance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.56. In accordance with HWP’s Employment Equity Policy, personal information collected on this form will aim to achieve an inclusive, diverse and representative workforce.

It works to intentionally identify and remove barriers for equity-deserving communities at each stage of the hiring process. Encouraging diversity of the workforce is vital because the workforce should be reflective and representative of the community.

Although hiring policies must adhere to the qualification requirements set out in applicable Regulations and any applicable collective agreement provisions, HWP recognizes the importance of the following when developing its selection and evaluation criteria: valuing applicants’ additional experience, lived experience, skills, backgrounds and perspectives; and granting first consideration, where the skills, ability, and qualifications of the applicants are relatively equal, to applicants who self-identify as members of historically under-represented communities.

We encourage you to respond to our voluntary applicant self-identification questions. This data will inform our understanding of the diversity of our applicant pool as well as the progress of applicants throughout the hiring process. This data will inform our goals, strategies and actions and our progress towards creating and sustaining an inclusive and equitable workforce.

The section includes questions from Ontario’s Anti-Racism Data Standards (Standards, 2017). The Standards were established to help identify and monitor systemic racism and racial disparities within the public sector. The Standards establish consistent, effective practices for producing reliable information to support evidence-based decision-making and public accountability to help eliminate systemic racism and promote racial equity (adapted from Ontario’s Anti-Racism Data Standards, 2017).

Accommodation: Upon request, we will provide reasonable accommodations for candidates who have temporary or permanent disability, or who otherwise require accommodations based on the protected grounds highlighted in the Ontario Human Rights Code in respect to the recruitment and selection process.

Wellness: The HWP is committed to providing a respectful and healthy work environment.

Use of Artificial Intelligence in Recruitment

Halton Womens Place does not use artificial intelligence (AI) to screen, assess, or select applicants at any stage of this recruitment process. All applications submitted for this position are reviewed and evaluated by human members of our recruitment/hiring team.

This disclosure is provided in accordance with Ontario's Employment Standards Act, 2000, as amended by the Working for Workers Four Act, 2024.

📌 Crisis Intervention Counsellor (Milton)
🏢 Halton Women's Place
📍 Milton