Job
Summary
Working as part of the interdisciplinary VNFC Wellness and Health Team and reporting directly to Wellness and Health Team Manager, the Mental Health and Substance Use Support Worker walks alongside community in their overall wellness and health journey by supporting individuals in addressing mental health and substance use problems. The Support Worker provides services to Indigenous peoples in the Victoria area including Métis, Inuit, Status and non-Status First Nations.
Roles and Responsibilities
As a Mental Health and Substance Use Support, job duties include the following:
- Work from a trauma
informed lens with community members
and their interdisciplinary care team, to provide
one to one support for mental health and substance use issues and ongoing
support in all stages of change.
- Work with community members
to provide screening
and assessment to determine their needs,
readiness for treatment, and an individualized care plan developed in
partnership with the person.
- Coordinate and facilitate Wellness
and Recovery Support
groups.
- Work independently with individuals and families or other groups,
providing them with education,
support, assistance, referrals to access appropriate health and wellness
services such as treatment centres (as appropriate), and provide follow-up
support.
- Utilize and facilitate access
to traditional Indigenous helping and healing
practices where appropriate.
- Provide education about substance
use and mental health issues to community members and their
families, as appropriate.
- Connect and collaborate with appropriate referral
sources, professionals, and identified support systems.
- Develop and carry out appropriate service
plans, monitoring progress
and adapting service
plans as needed, from a trauma informed and person-centred approach.
- Maintain confidentiality.
As a member of the VNFC Team, job duties include the following:
- Document and report activity
in alignment with VNFC practices
and support internal
and external reporting as
required including maintaining accurate case management, file recording and
monthly reporting systems.
- Attend relevant professional training
and meetings when directed.
- Participate in staff development, staff meetings and department meetings
as required.
- Participate in data collection and evaluation tasks as requested.
Knowledge and Skills
- Familiarity and experience in Indigenous Communities
- In depth knowledge of the
experience of Indigenous peoples in Canada including the ongoing processes of colonization, discrimination, and structural violence, and the effects
on the health and wellbeing of Indigenous communities.
- Some knowledge of Indigenous
cultures and practices including from the territory in which the work of VNFC takes
place. Ability to speak about one’s own Indigenous culture,
if applicable, and any communities the (prospective)
employee has previously lived in or held jobs within.
- Knowledge and practice of providing community-based services to Indigenous peoples using
philosophies of cultural humility and cultural safety.
- Communication Skills and Abilities
- Excellent interpersonal communication skills with the ability
to successfully develop
and maintain relationships
with diverse internal and external stakeholders.
- Excellent written communication
skills with the ability to independently write reports, presentations, electronic correspondence, and other
forms of professional communication.
- Ability to effectively present
information and respond
to questions from clients and the general public.
- Ability to read, process
and integrate findings
into practice from a range of resources
including peer-reviewed literature, governmental reports, case notes,
letters, memos etc..
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office 365 including
Word, Excel, and Outlook a requirement.
Leadership Skills and Abilities
- Ability to work independently and be part of an integrated community team and in partnership
with a variety of agencies.
- Ability to multi-task while
remaining composed and maintaining a professional attitude
in high stress situations.
- Proven ability to work independently and be part of an integrated community team and in partnership with a variety of
organizations.
- Program Knowledge
and Abilities
- Familiar with program planning, development and evaluation.
- Awareness of the dynamics
of active and ongoing substance
use, sexual abuse,
family violence, child abuse
and neglect, grief, suicide, depression, healing and recovery.
- Ability to practice using philosophies of cultural safety
and humility, harm reduction, and trauma
informed care.
- Knowledge and ability to work ethically and maintain professional boundaries when working
with vulnerable clients.
- A sound knowledge of the local Indigenous and mainstream community
and services/resources.
- Proven capacity to work effectively with people from diverse backgrounds with a range
of complex mental health and substance use issues.
- Demonstrated success
in interventions, crises,
and service outcomes.
- Knowledge of ethics and boundaries.
- Due to physical requirements of the work, the incumbent must spend a major portion
of the workday standing,
walking, and/or sitting as well as possible bending and stretching.
Qualifications
Education
- Minimum bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university in Social Work, Counselling, or Addictions Worker; and/or two
to four years related experience and/or training; or equivalent
combination of education and work experience
- Recognized course(s) in cultural safety and humility
or equivalent life and/or professional experience
Work Experience
- Relevant experience working within
Indigenous communities and/or
non-profit organizations
Licenses and/or Certificates
- Valid BC Driver’s license
- Clean Driver’s record and recent driver’s
abstract
- Clear vulnerable sector criminal
record check within
past six months.