Family Peer Support Worker - Cowichan Valley

Community Family Peer Support Position - Cowichan Valley

• 21 Hours Per Week 
• $23.69/Hour + Benefits
• Flexible work schedule (occasional evening and weekends)
• Hybrid Role: This position operates within the communities of the Cowichan Valley including: Duncan, North Cowichan, Chemainus, Lake Cowichan, Cowichan Bay, Mill Bay, Shawnigan Lake, Malahat.  There is no dedicated office.  Employees work from home for some tasks and travel weekly within the local community.

For more than 25 years, FamilySmart has been working in B.C. to help children and young people by helping their family and other caring adults. We know children and young people do better when the adults who care about them are supported.  

Position Summary

Family Peer Support Workers are parents and caregivers of children or youth with mental health and/or substance use challenges. Your personal parenting experience is the primary requirement for this role. Your experiences will help other families find help, comfort, hope, and feel less alone.

As a Family Peer Support Worker, you will provide peer support in the Cowichan Valley to families and caregivers whose children and youth are experiencing difficulty with their mental health and/or with substance use.

The Family Peer Support Worker provides peer support to families and caregivers by:

• Providing emotional support to families to caregivers
• Sharing information and resources with families and caregivers
• Offering knowledge/education to families and caregivers
• Helping families and caregivers navigate (find their way to) services
• Building on parents and caregivers strengths and offering hope
• Meeting with families and caregivers in-person, by video chat, phone and email

You do not need to be an expert in mental health, your family's experience is enough.

You:

• Are good at building relationships
• Make connections easily
• Demonstrate compassion and care to others
• Are able to work well with Service Providers in the community
• Are comfortable promoting and presenting on FamilySmart’s Family Peer Support services at events within the Cowichan Valley.
• Have strong verbal and written skills
• Have the ability to work from a home office & be available to meet in person with families and service providers within the Cowichan Valley. 
• Demonstrate an understanding and knowledge of the Coast Salish culture, traditions and languages. 
• Good working knowledge of Google Workspace, including gmail, calendar and docs
• Can pass a criminal records check

FamilySmart provides excellent support, supervision and training and will help you learn and develop the skills that we have discovered to help families and service providers work well together.

To apply

Resumes & cover letters can be submitted via  familysmart.ca/careers 

At FamilySmart, experience with the child and youth mental health and/or substance use system is very important to us. Please consider including in your cover letter a little information about why this is important to you as well.

Please note that the assessment of applicants will be made on an ongoing basis and continue until a hire is made.

We thank all applicants, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. FamilySmart is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Personnel are chosen on the basis of ability without regard to age, ancestry, colour, family status, marital status, physical or mental disability, place of origin, political belief, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation and criminal conviction unrelated to employment.