Peer Support Worker, Indigenous, Integrated Homeless Action Response Team (iHART) - Chilliwack

Fraser Health; Chilliwack; On-site; CAD 30,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

An established health care provider is seeking a Peer Support Worker to empower individuals facing challenges in their recovery journey. This role is vital in connecting clients with Indigenous cultural services and providing emotional and social support. The ideal candidate will have lived experience with substance use and a deep understanding of Indigenous practices. Join a team dedicated to making a significant difference in the lives of individuals and families, fostering a culturally safe environment. If you are passionate about community service and have the skills to support others in their recovery, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Qualifications

• Two years of lived experience in recovery from substance use or co-occurring mental health challenges.
• Training in Peer Support and a related certificate required.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate connections to Indigenous cultural services and support clients in recovery.
• Assist clients with community integration activities and provide emotional support.

Skills

Lived experience of substance use

Knowledge of Indigenous communities

Client engagement

Harm reduction principles

Communication skills

Problem-solving

Crisis intervention

Life skills instruction

Education

Training in Peer Support

Substance Use Counselling or Social Services certificate

Two years lived experience in recovery

Job description

Salary

The salary range for this position is CAD $27.92 - $29.60 / hour.
Job Summary

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We invite you to apply today and find out why employees recommend Fraser Health to their friends as an exceptional place to work. We are committed to planetary health, we value diversity in the workforce and seek to maintain an environment of Respect, Caring and Trust.

For this position, we also want to highlight that First Nations, Inuit, Métis ancestry is regarded as directly relevant to the skills and knowledge for excellence in this position, as the position influences decisions that directly impact the Indigenous community.

If you're ready to join a team dedicated to providing care and support, apply now! Together, we can make a significant difference in the lives of individuals and families, empowering them on their journey to recovery.

For more information, please visit Indigenous Talent - Careers at Fraser Health.

Take the next step and apply so we can continue the conversation with you.

Detailed Overview

In accordance with the Mission, Vision and Values of Fraser Health, the Peer Support Worker (PSW) - Indigenous shares their own consumer knowledge and lived experience of homelessness with medical or substance use and mental health concerns, and also within the context of their shared peer experience of Indigenous culture, to assist clients of the assigned Integrated Response Team (IRT) in their identified goals. The PSW identifies themselves as a peer and collaborates with the client and SUSAT to meet individual needs and situational requirements by providing information from a lived experience perspective in order to assist clients to obtain services from other Fraser Health staff, First Nations Health Authority, Métis Nation BC, Indigenous Friendship Centres and other external service providers and community resources more effectively. Provides clients living with substance use/mental illness/chronic medical concerns with emotional and social support, life skills assistance, information, and resources. The PSW works collaboratively with the assigned team to ensure the client's self-identified goals for recovery and community connection are supported by appropriate services and practices, and are consistent with the values of self-determination/choice and harm reduction. Provides culturally-safe services in a variety of environments dependent on the needs of the client.
Responsibilities

1. Facilitate connections that increase accessibility to Indigenous (First Nation, Métis and Inuit) cultural services.
2. Establish a dignifying and purposeful relationship with the client, contacting and getting to know the client as a unique individual, and clarifying the role of the Peer Support Worker in relation to the client.
3. In accordance with a client's co-created care plans, provide information to clients regarding empowerment, self-help education, practical information, resources, life skills, and demonstrations.
4. Assist clients with community integration activities, and accompany clients to a range of community services and appointments.
5. Support an effective connection between community service providers and IRT clients, family members, and significant or concerned others involved in the client's recovery plan.
6. Share information with IRT staff regarding the experience of individuals with mental health conditions and/or substance use experiences and/or medical concerns.
7. Support the client to meet individual needs, goals, and situational requirements by assisting in the client's navigation through systems such as health care, government and/or housing services, and supporting their continued progress.
8. Assist the client towards self-managing all aspects of their life, including their mental wellness, substance use, and other health conditions by sharing information and lived experience perspective, practical problem-solving, and linkages with peer supports and consumer advocacy groups.
9. Provide supports related to housing including assisting in packing and transporting belongings and furniture and helping the client to set up their household, supporting the client in cleaning, and orienting to and connecting with the local community.
10. Participate in program planning, development, evaluation and quality improvement activities that facilitate team goal setting, by attending meetings and providing input.
11. Prepare and maintain written and computerized records and complete other program documentation, including writing progress notes, completing incident reports, and ensuring referral forms are completed and sent to appropriate referral programs.
12. In accordance with a client's co-created care plan, assist clients with the development of life skills such as maintaining personal hygiene, housekeeping, meal planning and preparation, meeting financial obligations, making and keeping appointments, and interpersonal skills by methods such as demonstrating and modeling appropriate actions.
13. Distribute medication to clients as per established policy and procedure as assigned.
14. Maintain an awareness of current community resources including health care services, social, economic, recreational, employment, educational services and resources, First Nations Health Authority services, Métis Nation BC, Indigenous Friendship Centres, and other agencies. Utilize the information to assist clients to access services and problem solve with the client as required.
15. Ensure a safe and healthy working environment by observing universal precautions and infection control procedures; removing obvious hazards; reporting faulty equipment, accidents, injuries, and near misses; and adhering to and enforcing rules, and reporting requirement in accordance with Fraser Health safety policies and procedures.
16. Participate by providing input in staff meetings, quality improvement initiatives, committees and in-services.
17. Perform other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Education and Experience

Two years of lived experience in recovery from substance use or co-occurring substance use and mental health challenges. Lived experience of Indigenous culture and practices.

Training in Peer Support, completion of a Substance Use Counselling or Social Services certificate, and one year of recent related work/peer support experience in substance use, mental health, homelessness or health services navigation, cultural safety and practices in Indigenous community services, or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.

Current valid Class Five BC Driver's License and access to personal vehicle for business related purposes, as required.

Skills and Abilities

• Ability and willingness to share lived experience of substance use or co-occurring substance use and mental illness.
• Knowledge of diverse Indigenous communities' social, historical, jurisdictional, and cultural context, and Indigenous views on approaches to health and wellness.
• Ability to engage clients with a focus on client service and client comforts.
• Ability to establish and maintain rapport with clients and their families.
• Knowledge of harm reduction principles and activities.
• Ability to work with a culturally diverse population.
• Knowledge of available programs.
• Knowledge of substance use/mental illness recovery approaches.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to organize and prioritize.
• Ability to analyze and problem solve.
• Ability to model, instruct and teach life skills.
• Ability to observe and recognize changes in clients.
• Ability to work independently.
• Ability to use effective interpersonal skills to establish/maintain effective working relationships with coworkers, the public and other agencies.
• Ability to promote positive change and independence.
• Conflict resolution and crisis intervention skills.
• Physical and mental ability to carry out the duties of the position.
• Ability to operate related equipment.

About Fraser Health

Fraser Health is the heart of health care for over two million people in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley in British Columbia, Canada, on the traditional, ancestral and unceded lands of the Coast Salish and Nlaka’pamux Nations and is home to 32 First Nations within the Fraser Salish region.

People - those we care for and those who care for them - are at the heart of everything we do. Our hospital and community-based services are delivered by a team of 48,000+ staff, medical staff and volunteers.

We are committed to planetary health and value diversity in the workforce. We strive to maintain an environment of respect, caring and trust. Fraser Health’s hiring practices aspire to ensure all individuals are treated in an inclusive, equitable and culturally safe manner.

Together, we are the heart of health care.

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