Interview By: Angela Shen, Communications and PR Assistant
Video By: Roberta Prattico (Former Communications and PR Associate), Angela Shen
Follow Jackie for a day in the life of a child safety social worker who addresses the long-term needs of families and children.
Jackie’s background and identity.
My name is Jackie. I’m a mother to two amazing girls and a wife to a loving husband.
I was born and raised in Zimbabwe; my Zulu name is Nomvuyo, which means A Mother of Love.
Time at VACFSS.
I have been working at VACFSS for over two years in the Child Safety department with Lauren, the team leader.
Key role and responsibilities.
My role as a Child Safety and Family Service Social Worker is to ensure the safety and well-being of the children that I work with through trauma-informed and restorative child welfare practice.
As a Social Worker, I collaborate with the child’s family, extended family, community, Band or Nation. The goal is to gather the community in the child’s circle and respect and listen to their voices regarding the decisions we make to support the child’s wellbeing.
To learn more about VACFSS’ social worker’s practice guide, click here: Policy & Research • VACFSS
Growing up, I was raised by a single mother who went above and beyond to see members of my family be successful in various areas of our lives despite having to endure a lot of challenges and trauma. She was a victim of domestic violence while caring for my sibling and myself, and this experience ignited my desire to work with and support other struggling families.
After taking Indigenous courses at Douglas College and learning about colonization’s effects and impact, I wanted to work for an organization that supports Indigenous families. After completing my fourth term of the practicum program at Fraser Valley Children and Family Services and working with VACFSS during many of our meetings, I applied to a posting I saw. After the recruitment process, I was placed on Lauren’s team.
Passion for working with families.
I love working with the families, especially mothers and their babies. As a mother, I can relate to their struggles. It gives me so much joy to be part of their healing journey and help them achieve their goals.
Most enjoyable aspect of your role.
Seeing families reach their potential and overcome some of their barriers through reunification and seeing children reunited with their families gives me so much joy.
I advocate for the families I work with, fighting for their voices to be heard by other professionals and across multi-disciplinary systems.
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
I love listening to music because it enriches my mental health and keeps me grounded.
Good job ‘Cheeksy’😊. You’re are made for this!
I like the passion!