JOB PROFILE

Position #(s): 133772 and 133773

TITLE: AUTISM SUPPORT AND RESOURCE SPECIALIST CLASSIFICATION: CLERK 15

JOB OVERVIEW

The role of the Autism Support and Resource Specialist is to provide direct support to parents, caregivers and
professionals with evidence-based, curated information and resources about autism and co-occurring
disorders in the area of assessment, diagnosis, and available services and supports in communities across B.C.
The Autism Support and Resource Specialist builds the capacity of parents, service providers, and MCFD-
related staff to manage and navigate the network of services and resources; this occurs by providing
information and direct coaching on how to access services, maximize financial resources and understand
available therapy options.

ACCOUNTABILITIES
Required:
 Supports families with a child eligible for MCFD Autism Funding Programs in the development of a
service plan based on a profile of the child’s unique strengths and needs.
 Supports families by assisting them to ensure their child’s behavioural plan of intervention aligns with
current research and best practice in autism intervention.
 Provides timely, relevant, and accurate information to parents and professionals in need of evidence-
based and curated information about ASD and other diagnoses.
 Assists families to understand their role in building, managing, and sustaining their child’s intervention
team and to provide information and direct coaching that can assist families to remedy any concerns
regarding inadequate service provision.
 Helps families to access, understand, and navigate community services and the network of cross-
ministry services and support as related to their unique child and family circumstances.
 Conducts follow-up calls with parents and service professionals including MCFD and MCFD-contracted
staff to ensure information and support needs for the child are being met.
 Establishes case files in the AIS BC database. Reviews supporting information with the parent or
service professional to ensure documentation on case file is complete and in compliance with AIS BC’s
Privacy Impact Assessment.
 Keeps up to date with current research on best practices and intervention trends. Tasks include
sourcing, evaluating content, and interpreting research/information and resources on ASD and related

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 treatments, and transferring this knowledge in plain language appropriate for families and service
professionals.
 Collaborates on the development of autism-related information resources available in print and/or on
the AIS BC website.
 Supports individuals/families who are struggling by ensuring that the right organizations are identified
and involved in addressing the immediate needs of the individual/family.
 Assists in assessing applications, on an as needed basis, for the Registry of Autism Service Providers, a
listing of professionals who are qualified to work with children under age 6 who qualify for the Autism
Funding: Under 6 Program.
 Seeks guidance from the manager or supervisor as needed and escalates when matters are outside
established criteria or when issues are contentious.
 Participates in the delivery of live presentations of autism services and support to parents,
professionals, Ministry staff, and other stakeholders across the province.
 Attends public events to promote autism services and resources available across BC.
 Provides feedback on corporate objectives and improvement initiatives aimed at ensuring a high
quality of service to families.
 If bilingual: provides the above described support in another language to families, liaises with the
related community.
 Assesses the need for language services with client families and arranges translation or interpretation
as needed or requested.

JOB REQUIREMENTS
 Completion of a:
o Bachelor’s Degree or higher in Special Education; Psychology; Child Development/Education;
Child and Youth Care; or in a related field;
 OR an equivalent post-secondary education and/or training may be considered;
 OR an equivalent combination of education, training and experience may be
considered.
 Minimum of 2 years of experience working with families and/or professionals who support children
and youth with support needs, including autism.
Preference may be given to applicants with the following:
 Experience working with sensitive and highly confidential documents.
 Experience delivering live and virtual presentations.
 Qualified applicants who self-identify as Indigenous (First Nations status or non-status, Inuit and/or
Métis), LGBTQ2S+, a Person with a Disability, and/or a Visible Minority, with the required combination
of education and experience.

Willingness Statements:

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  Occasional travel may be required.

Proviso:
Successful completion of security screening requirements of the BC Public Service, which may include a
criminal records check, and/or Criminal Records Review Act (CRRA) check, and/or enhanced security screening
checks as required by the ministry.

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES
 Knowledge of autism, best practice intervention approaches, services and resources available in the
community, both locally and provincially.
 Ability to exercise tact and diplomacy, flexibility and good judgment.
 Excellent inter-personal and written communication skills.
 Excellent organizational skills, strong ability to manage diverse workloads effectively, and
demonstrated capability to work independently.

BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES
 Information Seeking is driven by a desire to know more about things, people or issues. It implies going
beyond the questions that are routine or required in the job. It may include "digging" or pressing for
exact information; resolution of discrepancies by asking a series of questions; or less-focused
environmental "scanning" for potential opportunities or miscellaneous information that may be of
future use.
 Teamwork and Co-operation is the ability to work co-operatively within diverse teams, work groups
and across the organization to achieve group and organizational goals. It includes the desire and
ability to understand and respond effectively to other people from diverse backgrounds with diverse
views.
 Listening, Understanding and Responding is the desire and ability to understand and respond
effectively to other people from diverse backgrounds. It includes the ability to understand accurately
and respond effectively to spoken and unspoken or partly expressed thoughts, feelings and concerns
of others. People who demonstrate high levels of this competency show a deep and complex
understanding of others, including cross-cultural sensitivity.

 Problem Solving/Judgement is the ability to analyze problems systematically, organize information,

identify key factors, identify underlying causes and generate solutions.

INDIGENOUS RELATIONS BEVAIOURAL COMPETENCIES

 Cultural agility is the ability to work respectfully, knowledgeably and effectively with Indigenous
people. It is noticing and readily adapting to cultural uniqueness in order to create a sense of safety for
all. It is openness to unfamiliar experiences, transforming feelings of nervousness or anxiety into
curiosity and appreciation. It is examining one's own culture and worldview and the culture of the BC
Public Service, and to notice their commonalities and distinctions with Indigenous cultures and
worldviews. It is recognition of the ways that personal and professional values may conflict or align
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 with those of Indigenous people. It is the capacity to relate to or allow for differing cultural
perspectives and being willing to experience a personal shift in perspective.

 Empowering Others means making a systematic and sustained effort to provide Indigenous people
with information, knowledge, support and opportunities to be self-determined, based upon the
individual or community's level of acceptance towards moving forward. An important step is
acknowledging past mistakes and encouraging movement towards a positive future, at a pace and
degree determined by Indigenous people. It also means taking action with employees within the public
service so that they become empowered and engaged in respectful, effective Indigenous relations.

 Empathy is the ability to recognize, understand and directly experience the emotion of another. It
involves listening with heart, accepting their message and staying focused on their experience rather
than reacting. It means understanding that the behaviour may be connected to something outside of
the immediate situation. (Sympathy is not empathy. Sympathy means feeling pity and sorrow for
someone's misfortune, or the tendency to want to help them with what you see as something
negative. This can send a message that you believe that others cannot arrive at their own solutions.)

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