The Spiral Garden is an integrated outdoor art, gardening and play day program integral to Holland Bloorview since 1984. The program brings together inpatients as well as children with and without disabilities from the community. Participants interact and play through music, visual arts, movement, drama, gardening and play.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide 1:1 assistance for assigned client (assist with toileting, feeding, focus, behaviour, activity tasks etc.)
• Facilitate assigned client?s fullest possible participation in the program
• Assist Care Team Coordinator/Personal Support Worker with other clients? needs as necessary
• Assist safe participation of clients
• Provide support at lunch/break times
• Contribute to daily debriefing meetings
• Collaborate with program staff, volunteers and families
• Work as a team member with the larger Team, including participation in group activities such as arts activities, music circle etc.
• Participates in quality improvement initiatives, supports the maintenance of a safe and healthy work environment and advances a culture of client/patient safety through work and daily practices
• Encourage and support participants in oral communication, working with others, problem solving, decision making, task planning and organizing, and peer socialization.
• Applies crisis intervention strategies calmly and effectively and is able to respond quickly to situations.
• Ability to work in a busy, outdoor environment and physically demanding (lifts and transfers)
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Enrolment in a post-secondary program in Developmental Service Work, Child/Youth Worker, Child Development, Rehabilitation Therapy Assistant, Nursing, etc. preferred
• Basic CPR certification ? Basic Rescuer (C) certificate
• Non-Violent Crisis Intervention (NVCI) Certificate
• Experience working with children or youth with physical disabilities and/or developmental delays
• Demonstrated understanding and training in supporting individuals with ASD
• Experience with creative arts (music, art, drama) facilitation and participation preferred
• Demonstrates ability to be flexible, to assess the needs of individuals and to respond quickly to needs
• Demonstrates initiative and self-direction to work independently at times
• Demonstrates ability to organize time and manage working hours
• Demonstrates ability to work in collaboration with staff/clients/families
• Demonstrates sound judgment and excellent communication skills
• Ability to perform lifts, transfer or position participants independently, as needed
• Ability and experience in feeding and toileting participants independently, as needed

Additional Qualifications

This position is funded through a government program which creates summer job opportunities for youth; therefore, eligible candidates must be:

• Youth between the ages of 15 and 30 (at the start of the employment)
• Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or have official refugee protection status under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act; and
• Legally entitled to work in Canada
• Please note: only applicants that meet the above mentioned criteria will be considered for this position.

Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital is a fully affiliated teaching hospital of the University of Toronto and is committed to fostering a climate of equity and diversity and welcomes and respects the diversity of our clients, families, staff, trainees, volunteers, trustees and partners. As part of our commitment to fair and equitable recruitment and selection practices, we encourage applications from racialized persons, women, Indigenous/Aboriginal People of North America, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ persons, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas within our community.

Given Holland Bloorview?s strategic commitment to be a model employer of people with a wide range of disabilities, we will consider personal lived experience of childhood disability as an asset. We encourage interested candidates to self-identify when applying to our job openings.