Family Peer Support Worker - Cowichan Valley

FamilySmart; British Columbia; Hybrid; CAD 32,000 - 34,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits

Flexible schedule

Hybrid work model

Job summary

FamilySmart is seeking a Community Family Peer Support Worker for the Cowichan Valley. The role focuses on supporting families and caregivers whose children or youth face mental health or substance use challenges.

You bring personal parenting experience and a compassionate approach to connect families with resources and services. Work is hybrid, covering communities in Duncan, North Cowichan, and surrounding areas, with some travel weekly.

Qualifications

• Must be a parent/caregiver of a child or youth with mental health/substance use challenges.
• Personal parenting experience is the primary requirement for this role.
• No expert-level mental health training required; family experience is sufficient.

Responsibilities

• Provide emotional support to families and caregivers.
• Share information and resources with families and caregivers.
• Offer knowledge and education to families and caregivers.
• Help families navigate services and access supports.
• Meet with families in-person, by video chat, phone and email.

Skills

Relationship building

Caregiving experience

Verbal and written skills

Home-based work

Criminal records check

Tools

Google Workspace

Job description

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.

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.