We're Hiring: Casual SAFER Systems Navigator

Summary of the Position:

Grid Level:  Grid 38, $28.56/hour

Work Locations: Outreach in community; SAFER Program Site and 713 Johnson Street, Victoria BC

Hours: Varied Hours on Monday - Sunday, 8:30 am-5:30 pm.

Schedules: Days of work flexible and includes either Saturday or Sunday between the hours of 8:30am-5:30pm. May be subject to change.

Start Date: ASAP

End Date: March 31, 2022

To Apply: Please send your resume to jobs@avi.org  This position posting is open until filled.

Job Summary:

SAFER is a flexible, community-based, safe supply model with health care provider oversight. Its goal is to affirm the lives of people who use drugs by providing safer, pharmaceutical alternatives to the currently toxic supply.

Under the direct supervision of the Clinical Nurse Lead, or designate, the SAFER Systems Navigator will work on a multidisciplinary team to provide a range of psychosocial and health-related supports to SAFER participants. They will practice harm reduction in their relationships to build trust and assist participants with their engagement with SAFER and connect them to other health and social supports. 

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

  1. Work both independently (under the Working Alone Policy, when appropriate) and collaboratively with the SAFER team to provide psychosocial supports for participants in the community, as well as at the program site as appropriate/if required for minimum staffing.
  2. Provide information regarding access to pharmaceutical alternatives to street drugs, conduct assessments and intakes, and develop care plans.
  3. Provide outreach-based supports in the community including accompaniment to appointments, home visits, and advocacy in accordance with the established care plans.
  4. Use brief assessment, crisis response, and counselling skills to help meet immediate, basic needs (eg. applications and follow-up regarding housing, income, identification, etc) and make appropriate referrals to other health and support services.
  5. Distribute safer drug use supplies, safer sex supplies and naloxone kits, and provide information on harm reduction practices, overdose prevention and overdose response.
  6. Work with SAFER participants and team to navigate administrative and financial requirements for access to pharmaceuticals according to care plan.
  7. Liaise between SAFER participants and SAFER team members to support participants and assist with collaborative and proactive problem-solving as needed.
  8. Maintain confidential records in accordance with privacy requirements.
  9. Engage in planning, evaluation, reporting, and program development as directed.
  10. Foster safety by following protocols related to violence prevention and critical incidents.
  11. Assist with overdose response other medical emergencies as required.
  12. Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

  • University degree in health or social services, Counselling, Social Work, Psychology, etc or equivalent combination of education and experience.
  • Minimum of four years of demonstrated experience in the direct delivery of social services, ideally in harm reduction services including case management and safe supply programs.
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills required to work effectively with co-workers, program participants, community, and other service providers.
  • Direct service delivery and advocacy experience with community-based and provincial support services and systems (income, housing, healthcare, legal systems, etc.).
  • Demonstrated practice of social justice, anti-racism, decolonization and trauma-informed
  • Demonstrated understanding of public health and equity-oriented models of social support and health care.  
  • Commitment to harm reduction principles and practice, with experience working alongside coworkers, and with program participants, who experience intersecting systemic oppression.
  • Commitment to honor local indigenous communities and to recognize the ongoing impacts of colonial violence.
  • Demonstrated ability to 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 skills, experience, and knowledge in the areas of harm reduction/health promotion practices, safer sex and safer drug use practices, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, poverty, trauma and mental health.
  • Experience managing hostile interactions, utilizing non-violent communication and diffusing techniques.
  • Ability to problem solve with creativity, flexibility, assertiveness and a ‘cool head’ in dealing with complex issues.
  • Experience with data collection and reporting tasks.
  • First Aid certification and experience responding to critical incidents and overdose, including administration of naloxone.
  • Valid Class 5 BC Driver’s License and use of own vehicle for work purposes.

Skills and Abilities:

  • Physical ability to carry out the duties of the position and operate related equipment.
  • Practiced advocacy skills and ability to effectively navigate complex and convoluted systems access requirements of various health and social supports (eg. income, housing, healthcare, treatment options, etc).
  • Excellent prioritization and time management skills, including ability to triage crises, urgent demands and complex situations within assigned working hours.
  • Ability to work with diverse groups of stakeholders including people impacted by poverty, substance use, criminalization, people who use drugs, service providers, funders and other community members.
  • Case Management skills including advocacy and referral
  • Demonstrated ability to be flexible and versatile in a changing work environment while maintaining effectiveness and efficiency.
  • Ability to establish and maintain respectful rapport with individuals who have experienced trauma and abuse due to structural violence, stigma and discrimination.
  • 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 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 currently illegal drugs, persons with experience of sex work, and persons representing diverse genders and sexualities.