[ Browse by Service Category : Occupations : Sub-Topics of Community/Social Services Occupations (11) ]

Child Care Workers

Individuals who nurture and teach children of all ages in child care centres, nursery schools, preschools, public schools, family child care homes and before and after school programs. They play an important role in a child's development by caring for the child when parents are at work or away for other reasons. Some parents enroll their children in nursery schools or child care centres primarily to provide them with the opportunity to interact with other children. In addition to attending to children's basic needs, these workers organize activities that stimulate the children's physical, emotional, intellectual and social growth. They help children explore their interests, develop their talents and independence, build self-esteem and learn how to get along with others.

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Child Welfare/Family Services Personnel

Individuals who work in organizations that are concerned with adoption, children's protective services, foster care, parenting support and other services that ensure the welfare of children and their families. They may investigate home conditions to protect children from harmful environments; evaluate foster and home environmental factors and the personal characteristics of potential adoptive or foster parents to determine their suitability for that role; place and take responsibility for children and their well-being in foster or adoptive homes, institutions and medical treatment centres; counsel children and parents, guardians, foster parents or institution staff concerning a child's adjustment to the foster home situation; and/or counsel adoptive parents pending legal adoption. They may also aid parents with child rearing problems, counsel children and youth who have difficulty adjusting socially; advise parents on how to care for children with disabilities, arrange for homemaker services during a parent's illness and provide service to unmarried parents including care during pregnancy and planning for the child. If children have serious problems in school, child welfare workers may consult with parents, teachers and counsellors to identify underlying causes and develop plans for treatment.

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Clergy/Faith Community Personnel

Individuals who are religious and spiritual leaders, and teachers and interpreters of their traditions and faith. Most members of the clergy serve in a pulpit. They organize and lead regular religious services and officiate at special ceremonies including confirmations, weddings and funerals. They may lead worshipers in prayer, administer the sacraments, deliver sermons and read from sacred texts such as the Torah, Koran or Bible. When not conducting worship services, clergy organize, supervise and lead religious education programs for their congregations. Clergy visit the sick or bereaved to provide comfort and they counsel persons who are seeking religious or moral guidance or who are troubled by family or personal problems. They also may work to expand the membership of their congregations and solicit donations to support their activities and facilities.

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Interpreters/Translators

Individuals who convert written language text or oral language statements into another language or facilitate communication between people who are deaf or hard of hearing and people who can hear by converting between spoken communication and sign language. Included are translators who translate written material from one language to another; interpreters who translate oral communications from one language to another during speeches, meetings, conferences, debates and conversations or in court; terminologists who conduct research to itemize terms connected with a certain field, define them and find equivalents in another language; and sign language interpreters who use sign language to translate spoken language and vice versa during meetings, conversations, television programs or in other instances. Specializations include conference interpreters who work at events with non-English or non-French speaking attendees; guide or escort interpreters who accompany Canadian visitors abroad or foreign visitors in Canada to ensure that they are able to communicate during their stay; judiciary interpreters and translators who help people appearing in court who are unable or unwilling to communicate in English/French; literary translators who adapt written literature from one language into another; and localization translators who provide for the complete adaptation of a product for use in a different language and culture.

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Professional Fiduciaries

Public and/or private organizations that are responsible for managing the personal affairs, property or assets of their clients as well as helping to ensure the wellbeing of those clients who are mentally or physically incapacitated. Fiduciaries serve by court appointment as guardians, conservators or personal representatives of estates and are expected to meet licensing and other requirements of the jurisdictions in which they are located. They can also serve by agreement as trustees, representative payees for Social Security income or other income benefit plans or as agents under powers of attorney, they can carry out authorized medical directives, make financial decisions or take other actions to benefit their client. A fiduciary's role is not merely that of business manager, decision-maker, or guardian. It is also a nurturing bond of trust, concern, and attentive care-giving. A fiduciary seeks to support mental and emotional well-being; reduce the stress of changing circumstances or unexpected events; and, most importantly, to help each client and their families enjoy a fulfilling life.

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The above terms and definitions are part of the Taxonomy of Human Services, used here by permission of INFO LINE of Los Angeles.


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