Navigator (Client Navigation Specialist)

About CASA

The Childhood Arrivals Support and Advocacy Centre of Canada (“CASA”) supports young people up to 25 years of age who were brought to Canada as children and are living in Ontario with precarious or no immigration status (sometimes referred to as “undocumented” or “non-status”). CASA supports clients in understanding and navigating the options available to them to regularize their immigration status, while connecting them with services to assist in pursuing their personal goals. At the same time, CASA engages in systemic advocacy to change attitudes, policies and laws that create barriers for young people with no or precarious immigration status.
From our home-base in Toronto, we provide legal services and navigation support to clients across Ontario, while our strategic initiatives raise awareness, build capacity, and advance progressive policies and practices in immigration, education and social service sectors on a national scale. Founded in 2016, CASA is supported by multi-year funding from the Law Foundation of Ontario. As a small team with big ambitions, at CASA we “roll-up our sleeves” and work together to advance our mission.

The Role

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Navigator is knowledgeable about the many challenges facing diverse young people, especially those with no or precarious immigration status. They accompany young people through the complex process of regularizing immigration status within Canada, recognizing that success requires walking with young people through to resolution, being robust point-persons, and supporting clients’ personal agency. The Navigator is skilled at building trusting relationships and rapport with a variety of stakeholders, developing systems and processes, and fostering community engagement.
An integral part of role is working collaboratively with other CASA staff, legal professionals, and community partners. The Navigator also contributes to the development and delivery of innovative legal service programs and helps build a responsive, rights-based, change-making organization that advances equity and creates meaningful change for young people.

Position Details

• 9 - 5 Monday to Friday with some evening and weekend work
• Primarily in-person at the CASA office with some travel
• Salary range: $68,000 - $72,000 per year + 5.5% RRSP contribution
• Anticipated start date: As soon as possible

Specific responsibilities include:

1. Leading client services, including:

• assessing client needs and developing individual client navigation plans;
• connecting clients to ongoing legal and community services;
• facilitating legal processes (including, as appropriate, liaising with lawyers, attending         lawyer meetings, helping gather evidence and documentation for immigration applications, and accompanying clients to appointments associated with or adjacent to their immigration applications);
• assisting clients with applications for Legal Aid certificates, identity documents, healthcare, and social services;
• maintaining careful records and confidentiality; and
• providing emotional support, coaching, and crisis recognition / safety planning for clients’ intersecting legal, social and personal needs.

2. Contributing to the design and delivery of access to justice legal service programs that mobilize lawyers to provide pro bono, accessible immigration legal services to low-income young people.

3. Supporting organizational development, such as contributing to strategic directions, collaboration opportunities, and other CASA initiatives; contributing to program monitoring, evaluation, and funding applications and reports; representing CASA at meetings and events.

Qualifications and Skills 

While we outline our ideal qualifications, we are always open to exceptional talent. If you possess most of the required skills and experience, please consider applying.

• Master of Social Work or other postsecondary education coupled with experience in social work, settlement, social services, education, or other “helping professions”;
• 5+ years of experience helping people navigate systems such as social assistance, immigration, education, shelters, health services, etc.;
• Demonstrated expertise providing trauma-informed and culturally appropriate services;
• Passionate about child rights, equality and social justice; committed to working with an anti-oppression, anti-racist, and intersectional approach;
• Demonstrated experience with case management and strong client advocacy skills;
• Comfort/experience working in multi-disciplinary teams and collaboratively with other service providers;
• Sound judgment, problem-solving skills, and the ability to proactively respond to difficult situations and resolve conflicts;
• Superior time management and administrative skills; able to independently organize and prioritize tasks to achieve program objectives;
• Genuinely friendly, compassionate, resilient, collaborative, adaptable, and curious;
• Excellent written and verbal English-language skills (the ability to work in additional language(s) is an asset);
• Experience delivering presentations, and workshops is an asset;
• Experience drafting proposals, developing and evaluating projects, and developing partnerships is an asset;
• Lived experience of migration is an asset; and
• Experience working with youth is an asset.

Please see the job posting pdf attached for qualifications and skills.