Summary of Position:
Grid: Grid 38, $28.56/hour
Work Locations: Mobile - outreach / in community and when determined the publicly-accessible location, Victoria, BC
Hours of Work: Varied hours/On Call Monday through Friday
Start Date: ASAP
To Apply: please send your cover letter and resume jobs@avi.org by 5:00pm on Sunday, July 25, 2021.
Job Summary:
The Casual Harm Response Team Systems Navigator will provide support to the Harm Reduction Response Team and work closely with the Team to identify and provide counselling, psychosocial and health-related supports and referral services to individuals struggling with substance use, mental health, and chronic health issues. The Casual Harm Reduction Response Team Systems Navigator will be responsible for ensuring supportive case management services are offered within a harm reduction and health promotion framework and works in consultation with Response Team clients to assess needs and develop client directed goals.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
- Identifies Response Team clients who are seeking access to support and referrals.
- Provides outreach and support in a variety of settings including parks, encampments, shelters, drop in centers, people’s homes, community services and to people living outside and/or in temporary and fixed Overdose Prevention sites and other areas of Victoria
- Actively engages Response Clients and other clients in care by providing basic harm reduction information and access to harm reduction supplies.
- Contributes to mentorship and modeling of practice for Response Team Support Workers that is in line with principles of social justice, trauma-informed care and cultural humility.
- Provides outreach-based supports in the community including accompaniment to appointments, home visits, and advocacy in accordance with the established care plans.
- Uses brief assessment, crisis response, and counselling skills to help meet immediate, basic needs and make appropriate referrals to other health and support services.
- Provides advocacy to clients by working with them on issues such as housing, medical, legal and other support agencies.
- Liaises between the Response Team Clients (or participants) and the Response team members to support participants and assist with collaborative and proactive problem-solving as needed.
- Conducts individual or group information sessions, and develops educational materials to meet clients’ needs, as required.
- Provides information related to harm reduction, HIV/AIDS, and hepatitis C to other service providers, such as government and community-based agencies, and within medical and educational settings.
- Provides program development and staffing support
- Maintains both paper and electronic confidential client files.
- Fosters safety by following protocols related to violence prevention and critical incidents such as overdose and other medical emergencies.
- Engages in planning, evaluation, reporting, and program development as directed.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
Education, Training, and Experience:
University degree in Health or Social Services, Counselling, Social Work, Psychology, etc.), or equivalent combination of education and experience.
A valid Class 5 BC Driver’s License and use of own vehicle for work purposes.
The Casual Harm Reduction Response Team Systems Navigator will have a minimum of four year’s relevant work experience and will demonstrate the following minimum requirements:
- Direct service delivery and advocacy experience with community-based and provincial support services and systems (financial aid, housing, healthcare, justice system, etc.).
- Demonstrated skills, experience, and commitment to harm reduction principles and practices.
- Demonstrated ability to establish respectful rapport, provide support and advocate for a diverse range of individuals who are actively using substances and living with significant barriers to their health and well-being.
- Demonstrated empathic observer invested in respectful relationship-building.
- Demonstrated experience in the delivery of relevant formal counselling and assessment techniques (for example, Motivational Interviewing, Harm Reduction Psychotherapy, Stages of Change, etc)
- Demonstrated skills, experience, and knowledge in the areas of harm reduction/health promotion practices, safer sex and safer drug use practices, addictions, safer sex, sex work, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, poverty, trauma and mental health.
- Demonstrated practice of social justice, cultural humility, trauma-informed and public health approaches and models of social support and health care.
- Experience managing hostile interactions, utilizing non-violent communication and diffusing techniques.
- Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills and demonstrated commitment to working within a collaborative team approach.
- Organized and able to triage crises, urgent demands and complex situations.
- Demonstrated knowledge of group process and facilitation techniques
- Understanding of health promotion and client-centered/harm reduction focused models of social support and health care
- Experience with overdose response, including administration of naloxone, is an asset.
Skills and Abilities:
- Commitment to honor local indigenous communities and to recognize the ongoing impacts of colonial violence.
- Committed to social justice, equity, anti-racism and decolonization.
- Practiced advocacy skills and ability to effectively navigate complex and convoluted systems access requirements of various health and social supports (eg. income assistance, housing, healthcare, addictions treatment options, etc).
- Physical ability to carry out the duties of the position and operate related equipment.
- Ability to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team and to carry out independent responsibilities without supervision.
- Demonstrated leadership skills
- Strong communication skills (verbally, written documentation, etc).
- Demonstrated time management and personal organization skills to effectively support a full caseload.
- Case management skills including advocacy and referral
- Ability to anticipate and identify challenges and proactively address through collaborative problem-solving.
- Crisis intervention skills with a diverse population facing significant structural barriers.
- Ability to problem solve with creativity, flexibility, assertiveness and a ‘cool head’ in dealing with complex issues.
- Ability to document and report
- Ability to work outdoors during all types weather in all seasons.
We encourage applications from, but not limited to, Indigenous persons, persons of colour, persons living with disabilities, persons who use/d illicit drugs, persons with experience of sex work, persons who live with HIV and/or hepatitis C and persons representing diverse genders and sexualities.