NOTE: This program has shifted (and will remain shifted) to a Monday-Friday program from a weekend one. This posting has been updated with the new hours.
AVI Health & Community Services (AVI) is a multi-disciplinary community based organisation providing HIV, hepatitis C and harm reduction services out of 5 locations across Vancouver Island. AVI provides services to people living with HIV and hepatitis C and harm reduction clients. We take evidence-based action to prevent infection, provide support, and reduce stigma. We work within a social justice and health promotion framework to ensure equity and access to services for all.
At the core of what we do is our ability, and commitment to, creating meaningful connections. Every day, we strive to create meaningful connections between clients and staff, between peers, between staff members, between organizations, between communities, and between funders and impactful programs. For more info see www.avi.org
Join our supportive, dedicated and client-centred team in promoting the health, dignity and well-being of all people affected by HIV, HCV and substance use by delivering sex-positive and harm reduction-based education, prevention and/or support services.
AVI COMMUNITY-LED CRISIS RESPONSE TEAM (CLCR, FORMALLY KNOWN AS THE PEER ASSISTED CARE TEAM (PACT)):
The AVI Community-Led Crisis Response Team will provide immediate low-barrier, harm reduction, trauma- informed support services to community members experiencing mental health, substance use and related crises.
The team will be comprised of experiential responders and mental health professionals supported by a supervisory and management structure. All crisis calls will be attended by two team members who are trained in a range of trauma informed crisis management and de-escalation, suicide intervention and advanced first aid techniques. The team will also facilitate follow-up support to specialised services, case management, primary health care, housing support, mental health and substance use services.
Our CLCR team provides services on the territories of the Ləkʷəŋən peoples (Esquimalt and Songhees nations).
JOB SUMMARY:
This position is the manager of this team. The term “Coordinator” is the Union term for an included in the union manager.
The CLCR Coordinator will report to the Harm Reduction Management Team and will be responsible for the supervision and support of the Harm-Reduction informed Peer Assisted Care Team Staff, as well as the daily operations and systems of this service. The CLCR Team is a new program that the Coordinator will help to develop into a team that provides acute crisis support and de-escalation services for persons 13 years of age and older experiencing mental health and/or substance use crises.
The CLCR Coordinator will support a supervision model that helps to ensure program equity and staff wellness, including daily debriefing and staff check-ins.
The CLCR Coordinator has a strong relational practice of leadership in harm reduction to support and supervise staff in their roles providing psychosocial support. The Coordinator supports CLCR staff who hold multiple, intersecting identities including (but not limited to) people who use/d drugs, people with lived experience of HIV and hepatitis C, and LGBTQ2S+ people - from a sex positive and harm reduction-based approach.
KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Oversee daily operations, including the development and support of operations and team systems
- Provide daily support and supervision of staff members, including Community Crisis counsellor, Experiential Crisis responders and Harm Reduction Response team
- Supports staff through systems of debriefing, including daily check-ins, situational debriefing and 1:1 staff supervision
- Schedules staff to ensure appropriate staffing levels, and manages payroll approval (Inclusion) and leave management
- Develop and maintain effective working relationships with community care providers
- Develop and maintain effective communication with Emergency Services Personnel, where appropriate
- Develop and supervise confidential Case Management Systems, including the safe storage of confidential client files
- Develop and supervise resource and program materials systems, including but not limited to survival resources (food, tents, tarps, blankets, clothing, harm reduction and safe sex supplies, etc…)
- Provide ongoing team and individual staff training
- Participate in the hiring of new staff members
- First aid and overdose response including rescue breathing, oxygen and naloxone when necessary
- Ensure quality control and transparency of service; reporting to Management and CLCR Team Committee
- Engage in planning, evaluation, reporting, and program development as directed
- Performs other duties as assigned
QUALIFICATIONS:
University degree in Health or Social Services, (Public Health, Social Work etc) or equivalent combination of education and experience.
The CLCR Coordinator will have a minimum of 7 years relevant work experience, with a minimum of 2 of those years' providing supervision and project coordination.
This CLCR Coordinator will demonstrate the following minimum requirements:
- Extensive Management and/or Program Coordination experience in the fields of health and/or social care services.
- Experience in program development, including systems development and team building
- Experience providing supervision and staff support
- Extensive experience providing team and 1:1 debriefing support, especially regarding crisis, suicide, mental illness and grief/loss
- Demonstrated working relationships with local service care providers, including local non-profit and Health Authority Services
- Demonstrated capacity to effectively communicate with Emergency Services Personnel
- Adept with situational and mental health assessment, including safety and wellness assessment, de-escalation and crisis intervention skills
- Extensive experience providing supportive counselling in the field · Attended Suicide Intervention and Assessment Training
- Attended CBT and DBT Training
- Attended Mental Health First Aid Training
- Experience and capacity for incident debriefing, including with service users and teammates.
- Skills and capacity to assess and triage to emergency services, where appropriate
- Extensive experience with Clinical Case Management, including experience maintaining confidential client records
- 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 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.
- Valid Class 5 BC Driver’s License with “Normal” Drivers Status
- Driver’s Abstract (AVI will review the past year’s driving record. Drivers will need to have no suspensions or prohibitions or 1 passenger only restrictions or a high Driver's Factor)
POSITION DETAILS:
- Pay: $31.42/hour to start with stepped increases based on your seniority with AVI. (Pay for this role is based on the BCGEU pay grid 38 +10%)
- Hours and Schedule: 30 hours per week
- Monday to Friday 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm
- Hours of Work, Days Off and Work Area may be subject to change
- Term: Position runs to October 31, 2023.
- Location: AVI Victoria and in the community as needed.
- Union: AVI is a union environment under the Collective Agreement: HEABC & Health Services & Support Community Subsector Association 2019-2022 and this role is a BCGEU union position.
- Position Type: Regular, Full Time
- Benefits: This position will be eligible for extended health, life and AD&D coverage after 488 hours with AVI. AVI pays for the entire cost of the plan on behalf of its staff.
- Pension: If you are already a member of the Municipal Pension Plan (MPP), you can continue with them at AVI immediately. If not, after 488 hours, you will be eligible to join the Municipal Pension Plan. At this time, AVI contributes an additional 9.31% towards your pension account.
- Other Perks: This position gets 6% vacation (equivalent to 3 weeks), receives a paid day off for every Stat Holiday and Easter Monday and accrues a Sick Bank of 6.9%. Sick and Vacation Days are both available to be used after your first 488 hours at AVI.
TO APPLY:
To apply, please send your resume and cover letter to jobs@avi.org. This posting is open until filled.
AVI is committed to equity and diversity and we strongly encourage applications from, but not limited to, folks who identify as Indigenous Persons, persons of colour, racialized, persons living with a disability, persons who use/d drugs, persons with experience of sex work, persons who live with HIV and/or hepatitis C, and persons representing diverse genders and sexualities.
Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.
As AVI is a union environment, internal staff will be prioritized in the hiring process.
We would like to thank all those that apply but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.