Position Summary

Reporting to the Director of Ganawendan Services, the Manager of Ganawendan is responsible for the operational leadership, supervision, quality assurance, risk management, and accountability of Ganawendan Services delivered under Zaag'idiwin.

The Manager ensures that all services, investigations, safety planning, family support services, Ganawendan placements, and service decisions are delivered in accordance with the Zaag'idiwin Law, the Service Delivery Model, organizational policies, and Saugeen First Nation values.

The Manager collaborates with the Director of Family Decision-Making and Elders Tribunal Services to support the implementation of Family Circle, Healing Circle, and Elders Tribunal outcomes affecting children, youth, and families receiving services.

The Manager provides leadership, supervision, and operational oversight to supervisory staff within Ganawendan and Intake Services, including the Ganawendan Supervisor and Intake Supervisor, ensuring culturally grounded, trauma-informed, strengths-based, and family-centered services are consistently delivered to children, youth, and families.

The Manager is accountable for ensuring staff receive regular and documented supervision, file management and documentation standards are maintained, service risks are identified and addressed, and all active files are managed in compliance with legislative, regulatory, policy, and organizational requirements.

This position plays a critical role in supporting the safety, well-being, permanency, cultural identity, and belonging of Saugeen children, youth, and families.

Key Responsibilities

1. Leadership and Team Management

- Provide leadership, direction, supervision, coaching, and support to supervisory personnel, including the Ganawendan Supervisor, Intake Supervisor, and any designated staff within Ganawendan Services.
- Establish clear performance expectations and ensure staff understand their roles, responsibilities, and obligations under Zaag'idiwin.
- Foster a positive, respectful, and culturally safe workplace.
- Promote a culture of accountability, continuous learning, collaboration, and excellence in service delivery.
- Participate in recruitment, interviewing, onboarding, orientation, and retention activities.
- Develop staff training plans and support professional development.
- Conduct probationary reviews, annual performance evaluations, and performance improvement processes.
- Address employee performance concerns, attendance issues, workplace conflict, and conduct matters in consultation with the Director and Human Resources.
- Monitor employee wellbeing and ensure staff have access to appropriate supports to prevent burnout and compassion fatigue.
- Initiate and document coaching, corrective action, and progressive discipline processes in consultation with Human Resources and the Director, in accordance with organizational policies.
- Monitor and ensure completion of all mandatory training requirements and professional development obligations for staff.

2. Service Delivery Oversight

- Ensure all services are delivered in accordance with the Zaag'idiwin Law, Service Delivery Model, organizational policies, and practice standards.
- Ensure Ganawendan Services are effectively integrated with Intake Services, Minogi'aawaso Services, Family Circle processes, Healing Circle processes, Elders Tribunal Services, and other community-based support pathways established under Zaag'idiwin.
- Provide operational oversight of Intake Services to ensure timely response to referrals, appropriate screening and triage, documentation compliance, risk assessment, and alignment with service pathways established under Zaag'idiwin.
- Provide consultation and guidance to staff regarding service planning, investigations, risk assessment, intervention strategies, and case decision-making.
- Oversee service delivery to ensure children, youth, and families receive timely and effective supports.
- Support culturally grounded practice that prioritizes prevention, healing, family preservation, reunification, and community connection.
- Ensure family-led decision-making principles are incorporated into service planning, interventions, and case decision-making wherever consistent with child safety, wellbeing, and the principles of Zaag'idiwin.
- Promote the active engagement of families, Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and community supports in service planning.
- Monitor the effectiveness of referral pathways, service transitions, and coordination between Intake, Ganawendan, Minogi'aawaso, Family Circles, Healing Circles, and Elders Tribunal Services.

3. Supervision and File Management The Manager shall maintain sufficient oversight and awareness of all active files within their area of responsibility and provide ongoing oversight to ensure service quality, compliance, and risk mitigation. The Manager is expected to maintain sufficient awareness of all active files to effectively assess risk, support staff decision-making, respond to critical incidents, and provide informed updates to the Director and senior leadership.

Responsibilities include

- Conducting regular documented supervision with the Ganawendan Supervisor, Intake Supervisor, and other direct reports.
- Maintaining written supervision records and ensuring they are available for quality assurance reviews, audits, and administrative oversight.
- Conducting case consultations and file reviews on an ongoing basis.
- Reviewing all high-risk, high-complexity, and critical incident files.
- Monitoring staff caseloads and workload distribution.
- Reviewing service plans, safety plans, Plans of Care, investigation outcomes, and closure recommendations.
- Ensuring case decisions are clearly documented and supported by appropriate rationale.
- Providing guidance and approval on significant case decisions.
- Ensuring continuity of service and effective case management practices.

· Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of supervisory practices within Ganawendan Services, including ensuring the Ganawendan Supervisor conducts regular documented supervision, case consultations, file reviews, and workload-monitoring activities with Child Well-Being Workers. · Ensure case-management conferences, file reviews, service-plan reviews, and supervisory oversight processes occur in accordance with organizational standards, the Service Delivery Model, and Zaag'idiwin.

· Review supervision records, file-review outcomes, and service-performance indicators to ensure active files are progressing in a timely manner and that identified risks, service gaps,



and documentation deficiencies are addressed promptly.

4. Minimum Supervision Expectations

- Bi-weekly documented supervision meetings with each direct report.
- Monthly case review discussions for all active caseloads.
- Monthly review of high-risk files.
- Immediate consultation regarding urgent safety concerns, critical incidents, and placement disruptions.
- Monthly operational and quality assurance review with the Intake Supervisor.

5. Documentation and Quality Assurance The Manager is accountable for ensuring all files are maintained in accordance with organizational standards and are sufficiently documented to support service delivery, decision-making, audits, quality assurance reviews, legal proceedings, and organizational accountability.

Responsibilities include

- Ensuring documentation is accurate, timely, complete, and compliant.
- Monitoring adherence to documentation standards and service timelines.
- Conducting routine file audits and quality assurance reviews.
- Identifying documentation deficiencies and implementing corrective action plans.
- Supporting staff in maintaining organized and audit-ready case files.
- Reviewing reports, assessments, case notes, service plans, and related records for quality and compliance.
- Ensuring confidentiality and records-management requirements are consistently followed.

6. Investigation and Child Safety Oversight

- Provide oversight of all investigations involving child safety concerns.
- Review and approve investigation plans, findings, recommendations, and outcomes.
- Ensure all child safety concerns receive timely and appropriate responses.
- Support staff with complex assessments, critical decision-making, and crisis situations.
- Ensure interventions are proportionate, necessary, and consistent with the principles of Zaag’idiwin.
- Oversee the development and implementation of safety plans.
- Ensure decision-making reflects the best interests, safety, well-being, and cultural identity of children.

7. Ganawendan and Placement Oversight

- Oversee the implementation and administration of Ganawendan services.
- Review and approve recommendations regarding placements and caregiver arrangements.
- Ensure placement decisions align with placement priorities established under Zaag’idiwin.
- Support efforts to maintain family, cultural, and community connections.
- Monitor placement stability and permanency planning.
- Ensure reunification planning occurs whenever safe and appropriate.
- Support staff and caregivers in addressing placement concerns and service needs.

8. Family Decision-Making and Tribunal Collaboration

- Ensure children, youth, families, caregivers, and staff are informed of available Family Circle, Healing Circle, and Elders Tribunal pathways under Zaag’idiwin.
- Identify matters that may benefit from Family Circle, Healing Circle, or Elders Tribunal processes and support referrals to the Department of Family Decision-Making and Elders Tribunal Services.
- Collaborate with the Director of Family Decision-Making and Elders Tribunal Services to support coordinated service delivery.
- Ensure recommendations, agreements, decisions, Dibakonnigewin, and Orders arising from Family Circles, Healing Circles, and Elders Tribunal proceedings are incorporated into service plans and implemented as required.
- Monitor compliance with Tribunal Orders and Circle outcomes.
- Support staff in implementing decisions arising from family-led decision-making processes.
- Provide relevant case information and operational support required for Family Circle, Healing Circle, and Tribunal proceedings.
- Monitor implementation of Family Circle agreements, Healing Circle agreements, Elders Tribunal Orders, and Dibakonnigewin affecting children, youth, families, caregivers, and staff within Ganawendan Services.

9. Risk Management The Manager serves as the primary operational risk-management lead for Ganawendan Services and Intake Services.

Responsibilities include

- Identifying, assessing, monitoring, and mitigating risks affecting children, youth, families, caregivers, staff, and the organization.
- Monitoring emerging service risks and escalating concerns to senior leadership when required.
- Reviewing critical incidents and supporting appropriate response plans.
- Ensuring all critical incidents are documented, reviewed, reported, and addressed in accordance with organizational policies and required timelines.
- Leading operational debriefings and corrective-action planning following critical incidents.
- Ensuring staff comply with organizational risk-management practices.
- Supporting child safety, service quality, legal compliance, and organizational accountability.
- Implementing corrective actions where risks or service deficiencies are identified.
- Ensure compliance with workplace health and safety requirements, participate in incident investigations, and implement corrective actions arising from health and safety reviews.
- Identify systemic service-delivery risks, emerging service trends, and operational pressures and communicate recommendations to the Director to support continuous improvement and strategic planning.

10. Community and Interagency Collaboration

- Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with community partners, service providers, schools, health services, First Nations organizations, and government agencies.
- Represent Ganawendan Services at meetings, committees, case conferences, and community events.
- Support integrated service planning and coordinated responses for children and families.
- Promote positive relationships that strengthen community-based service delivery.

11. Reporting and Operational Planning

- Prepare reports, statistics, and program information for senior leadership.
- Monitor service outcomes and departmental performance indicators.
- Participate in strategic planning, policy development, program development, and continuous quality-improvement initiatives, and provide recommendations to the Director regarding service needs, emerging trends, resource requirements, operational risks, and program-development opportunities.
- Support budget planning and resource-allocation activities.




- Identify service gaps and make recommendations to improve service delivery.

12. Legislative, Regulatory and Policy Compliance

- Ensure compliance with Zaag’idiwin, applicable regulations, organizational policies, procedures, standards, directives, and practice guidelines.
- Monitor service delivery for compliance risks and implement corrective action when non-compliance is identified.
- Participate in audits, reviews, investigations, accreditation activities, and quality-improvement initiatives.
- Ensure staff understand and comply with all legislative, regulatory, procedural, privacy, confidentiality, and records-management requirements.
- Support the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of policies, procedures, operational standards, and practice guidelines.
- Promote and enforce compliance with organizational standards relating to ethics, conflict of interest, workplace conduct, confidentiality, and professional boundaries.

13. Accountability and Decision-Making Authority The Manager is accountable for ensuring:

- Intake Services and Ganawendan Services operate as integrated service functions with effective communication, referral pathways, service coordination, and continuity of care.
- Services are delivered in compliance with Zaag’idiwin, the Service Delivery Model, organizational policies, and practice standards.
- The Ganawendan Supervisor, Intake Supervisor, and designated staff receive regular, documented, and effective supervision.
- Active files are current, accurate, complete, and audit-ready.
- Appropriate management review, consultation, approval, and documentation are applied to all significant case decisions, placement decisions, high-risk investigations, safety interventions, and critical incidents.
- Risks to children, families, caregivers, staff, and the organization are identified and addressed.
- Staff performance is monitored and managed appropriately.
- Quality assurance processes are implemented and maintained.
- Children, youth, and families receive safe, effective, timely, and culturally grounded services.

The Manager is responsible for maintaining sufficient oversight and awareness of all active files, investigations, critical incidents, high-risk matters, safety concerns, and service trends within their area of responsibility to support decision-making, quality assurance, risk management, supervision, and organizational accountability.

Qualifications

Education

- Social Service Worker Diploma and/or Bachelor's Degree in Social Work (BSW).
- Eligibility and Registration with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers preferred.
- Valid Ontario Driver's Licence and reliable vehicle.
- Satisfactory Criminal Record Check and Vulnerable Sector Check.
- Ability to maintain a satisfactory Driver's Abstract.

Experience

- Minimum three to five (3 to 5) years of progressive experience working within child welfare, child and family well-being, Indigenous family services, or related human services.
- Supervisory or management experience.
- Demonstrated experience supervising staff responsible for investigations, case management, child protection, family well-being, or related statutory services.
- Experience providing supervision, coaching, performance management, and practice leadership.
- Experience in risk assessment, investigations, case management, and child safety planning.
- Experience working within Indigenous communities and supporting culturally grounded service delivery.
- Proficiency using Microsoft 365 applications, electronic case-management systems, virtual meeting platforms, and data reporting tools.

Knowledge

- Knowledge of Zaag'idiwin (the Law), organizational policy and procedures, and the Service Delivery Model.
- Knowledge of Indigenous approaches to child well-being, healing, family preservation, and community care.
- Strong understanding of child welfare legislation, practice standards, case management, documentation standards, and risk assessment.
- Knowledge of trauma-informed, strengths-based, family-centered, and culturally safe practice models.

Success in This Role Success in this role is demonstrated through:

- Strong staff supervision and support.
- Consistent compliance with Zaag'idiwin and organizational policies, and standards.
- Audit-ready files and quality documentation.
- Timely and effective responses to child safety concerns.
- Reduced service risk and strong operational oversight.
- Positive outcomes for children, youth, families, and caregivers.
- A culture of accountability, collaboration, learning, and continuous improvement.

This role exists to ensure there are no surprises, that practice remains compliant, staff are supported, risks are mitigated, and Saugeen First Nation children and families receive the highest quality of care and protection under Zaag'idiwin.

Terms of Employment

This is a full time position with an annual salary of $102,280. The role is based on a flexible work schedule and may require after-hours work, including evenings, weekends, statutory holidays, and participation in an on-call rotation, as necessary to meet operational needs and respond to urgent child safety matters.

The position normally works thirty-five (35) hours per week and requires participation in scheduled on-call responsibilities, as well as the ability to respond to critical incidents, urgent matters, and organizational priorities outside of regular business hours when required.

The successful candidate will receive two (2) weeks of annual vacation. In recognition of participation in on-call responsibilities, an additional one (1) week of vacation will be provided, for a total of three (3) weeks of annual vacation. Vacation entitlement may increase based on years of service and applicable employment policies.

Working Conditions

This position works in a fast-paced environment involving complex child and family wellbeing matters, crisis response, competing priorities, and emotionally demanding situations. The successful candidate must be able to make sound decisions under pressure, respond to urgent matters, and support staff involved in critical incidents and high-risk situations.

Equal Opportunity & Preference

Zaag’idiwin Naaknigewin is committed to providing equal employment opportunities. Preference will be given to candidates who identify as Indigenous, particularly members of Saugeen First Nation, in recognition of the communities we serve and in alignment with organizational priorities.

Pay: $102,280.00 per year

Benefits

- Company pension
- Dental care
- On-site parking

Work Location: In person

📌 Manager of Ganawendan (Protection) Services (Southampton)
🏢 Zaag'idiwin Ngodoodegizwin Dibendaagizwin Naaknigewin
📍 Southampton