Indigenous Wellness Provider - Primary Care Network

Victoria Native Friendship Centre; Victoria; On-site; CAD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Victoria Native Friendship Centre (VNFC) seeks an Indigenous Wellness Provider to support clients across the Victoria PCNs by coordinating access to Indigenous practitioners, primary health care, and social services in a culturally safe framework.

The role engages with Métis, Inuit, status and non-status First Nations, focusing on reducing barriers to health care and promoting community empowerment within an interdisciplinary team.

Qualifications

• Familiarity with Indigenous communities and cultures across Canada.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and with diverse teams to support clients.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate access to Indigenous practitioners, health care, and social services.
• Develop client-centred, holistic, culturally safe care plans.
• Provide transportation support and accompany clients to appointments as needed.

Skills

Indigenous knowledge

Communication

Leadership

Cultural safety

Education

Degree in Social Work

Cultural safety training

Tools

Microsoft Office 365

Job description

Job Summary

Working as part of the interdisciplinary VNFC Wellness Teamand reporting directly to the Indigenous Lead (PCN) , the IndigenousWellness Provider (IWP) supports VNFC and Primary Care Network (PCN) clients tocoordinate and access Indigenous practitioners, primary health care, socialservices, and specialized medical care. IWP provide support to Indigenouspeoples in the Victoria and Western PCNs including Métis, Inuit, status andnon-status First Nations. The IWP will work with people experiencing a range ofbarriers to health care.

Roles and Responsibilities

As an Indigenous Wellness Provider, job duties include the following but are not limited to:

• Works from a trauma informed lenswith clients and their interdisciplinary careteam to coordinate access to services in a range of community and specializedcare settings.
• Works withclients and the interdisciplinary care team to develop and implement, clientcentred, holistic and culturally safe health and wellness care plans.
• For clientswith mobility issues and/or advocacy needs, provide transportation to medicalappointments, including accompanying clients into appointments as requested,and supporting communication back to the interdisciplinary team.
• Worksindependently with individual clients and families or other groups, providingthem with education, support, assistance, and encouragement to accessappropriate health interventions.
• Works with local First Nations communities withinthe PCN boundaries, and helps to coordinate access to health care resources onand off-reserve including limited outreach to communities on a one-on-onebasis.
• Organizescommunity health activities and events.
• As part of support provided to communitymembers, provides education and training around patient empowerment andcultural safety and humility to health care providers.
• Works withcommunity agencies to promote utilization of their services by Indigenousclients.
• Works withlocal First Nations communities and helps to coordinate health care resourceson and off reserve including limited outreach to communities on a one-on-onebasis.
• Role-modelshealthy living and wellness and implements into client service delivery.
• Maintainsclient confidentiality.

As a member of the VNFC Team, job duties include thefollowing:

• Document andreport activity in alignment with VNFC practices and support internal andexternal reporting as required.
• Attend relevantprofessional training and external meetings when directed.
• Participate instaff development, staff meetings and department meetings as required.
• Participate indata collection and evaluation tasks as requested.

Knowledge and Skills

Familiarityand experience in Indigenous Communities

• Someknowledge of Indigenous cultures and practices including from the territory inwhich the work of VNFC takes place.Ability to speak about one’s own Indigenous culture, if applicable, andany communities the (prospective) employee has previously lived in or held jobswithin.
• In-depthknowledge of the experience of indigenous peoples in Canada including theongoing processes of colonization, discrimination, and structural violence, andthe effects on the health and wellbeing of Indigenous communities.
• Knowledgeand practice of providing community-based services to Indigenous peoples usingphilosophies of cultural humility and cultural safety.

Communication Skills and Abilities

• Ability to readand write various correspondences such as but not limited to case notes,letters, memos.
• Excellentinterpersonal communication skills, both written and oral.
• Ability to share information across multiple settings and with diverse audiences.
• 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 composedand maintaining a professional attitude in high stress situations.

Program Abilities and Knowledge

• 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 soundknowledge of the local Indigenous and mainstream community and services/resources.
• Proven capacityto work effectively with people from diverse backgrounds with a range of complex mental and physical health issues.
• Due to physicalrequirements 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

Lived Experience

We believe that systemic change requires listening to andcentering the voices of those most impacted by the issues we address. We arededicated to building a team that reflects the diverse communities we serve. Werecognize that traditional credentials and formal education are only one way togain expertise; we deeply value the invaluable knowledge born from navigatingcomplex systems firsthand.

Rather than focusing solely on degrees or traditionalcolonial backgrounds, we are looking for the following core competencies:

• DeepEmpathy and Active Listening: A demonstrated ability to connect withindividuals in distress or transition with compassion, patience, andnon-judgment.
• CommunityInsight: A strong understanding of the systemic barriers, culturalnuances, and community resources relevant to our community.
• Resilienceand Boundaries: The ability to draw constructively on your ownexperiences while maintaining healthy professional boundaries andpracticing self-care.
• CommunicationSkills: Strong interpersonal communication skills, whether writingreports, facilitating a group, or speaking one-on-one.

Work Experience

• Directexperience supporting community in social services sector with ademonstrated working knowledge of community, regional and provinciallybased programs,

Education

• Recognizedcourse(s) in cultural safety and humility or equivalent life and/orprofessional experience.
• Degreeor diploma in Social Work, Human Services or related field, or equivalentcombination of education and work experience.