Position Title: Community Crisis Intervention Worker (CCIW)
9-8-8 Pilot Project
Full-time, fixed term
Reports to: Manager of Crisis Services
Salary: $63,609 per annum with comprehensive benefits package
Term: One year, with a possibility of renewal
Closing Date: Friday, May 3rd, 2024, 12:00 p.m.
Background: Gerstein Crisis Centre has partnered with the Public Health Agency of Canada and CAMH as a member of the 9-8-8 Network to provide telephone/text risk assessment, intervention and response to community members experiencing thoughts of suicide and mental health crises.
Gerstein Crisis Centre is encouraged to see Canada implement a national public health approach to suicide prevention. Creating access to supports that are timely, caring, and knowledgeable that connect people in crisis with the support and resources they need to be well is an essential component of any mental health response and can save lives.
Gerstein Crisis Centre (GCC) believes in community-based responses that create low barrier access to mental health services. Our experience over the past three decades has demonstrated that this early intervention can put needed support in place, connect people to the immediate and ongoing support they need, and often avoid involuntary interactions with emergency services such as hospitals and police.
Gerstein Crisis Centre welcomes this opportunity to build on our experience and are committed to continue to collaborate, partner, and ally with others across the city, province, and country to create a strength based, integrated, accessible, community based, anti-racist and socially-just crisis response system.
Job Summary: The Community Crisis Intervention Worker (CCIW) responds to telephone calls (and at a later date text messages) directly from individuals experiencing thoughts of suicide and mental health and/or substance use crises, providing suicide risk assessment and intervention, crisis intervention, needs assessment, crisis management and follow-up services. During the contact, the CIW endeavors to explore and appreciate the complexity of each service user’s immediate crisis needs and works collaboratively, with that person or their referral source to develop a crisis management and suicide safety plan that makes use of personal coping tools as well as community resources. The Crisis Worker will work collaboratively with community members to provide help and assistance that is adapted to diverse needs and include diversion away from unnecessary police or medical emergency response.
Successful applicants will have:
- At least three-five years of experience working in community mental health, crisis intervention, substance use specific services or experience in a related field;
- A broad understanding of all of the factors that impact an individual’s mental health and well- being including the social determinants of health, trauma, poverty and homelessness;
- A demonstrated capacity to provide suicide risk assessment and interventions, crisis intervention and utilize de-escalation strategies, work within a trauma informed framework;
- A demonstrated ability to provide suicide risk assessment and interventions using best practice models and tools including ASIST;
- A demonstrated ability to work with issues related to substance use and concurrent disorders within a harm reduction framework;
- A demonstrated understanding of issues related to involvement in the Mental Health and Justice System;
- A demonstrated ability to adapt interventions to ensure equity, access, and accommodation;
- A demonstrated commitment to working through an Anti-Racist, Anti-Oppression, Trauma informed lens
- A demonstrated capacity to provide/offer interventions that incorporate equity, cultural safety and inclusion practice and principles to a diverse service user group including Persons with Disabilities, Black, Indigenous, Racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+ and Neurodiverse communities;
- A demonstrated capacity to provide/offer interventions that promote equity regarding gender, sexuality and sexual identity.
- An extensive working knowledge of community supports available in the City of Toronto;
- A demonstrated capability to be flexible and to work under pressure;
- A demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively within a team;
- A demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with clients, community partners and service providers and make appropriate use of resources;
- A current and working knowledge of relevant legislation, including the Mental Health Act and P.H.I.P.A.;
- A valid Ontario ‘G’ Driver’s License is considered an asset.
Primary Duties and Responsibilities:
- Provide timely and appropriate onsite suicide risk assessment, suicide intervention, crisis intervention to individuals and families including assessment, de-escalation and conflict mediation when needed;
- Exercise sound judgement in crisis and/or emergency situations, requesting support of Emergency Services if required;
- Provide follow-up crisis management as required. This may include referral to substance use and wellness supports, housing support and referral, psychiatric assessment where indicated and wellness checks;
- Work collaboratively with clients to identify, develop and fulfill the goals they identify and meaningful and relevant;
- Work collaboratively with community partners including mental health, substance use, geriatric crisis and mental health and justice initiatives in order to maximize support of the client, ease movement through systems and help to create pathways to recovery goals;
- Arrange follow-up, linkages and referrals to appropriate resources;
- Support clients with system navigation;
- Actively participate in GCC’s data collection and analysis by documenting client interactions as per established policy and protocols;
- Participate in team meetings, reflective practice sessions, internal and external trainings, as required;
- Fulfill duties and responsibilities across organizational services as required.
Please note, this position will involve:
- Currently the schedule is anticipated to be three 12-hour shifts, 10am-10pm across 7 days plus added meeting time to 37.5 hours per week.
- Work at a designated office location that may be within a short-term residential setting;
- Potential remote work at a later date.
We are particularly interested in hearing from individuals who represent the cultural diversity of Toronto, Black and Indigenous, 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals and those with lived experience of the mental health system.
All GCC employees are required to provide proof of full vaccination for COVID-19
Gerstein Crisis Centre is committed to equity in employment and to upholding the Ontario Human Rights Code (OHRC) and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act 2005 (AODA) in all its practices and policies. We will provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities at all stages of the hiring process. If you are a person who requires accommodation under the OHRC or AODA during the hiring process, please request in writing to [email protected].
Job Types: Full-time, Fixed term contract
Contract length: 12 months
Pay: $63,609.00 per year
Schedule:
- 12 hour shift
- Day shift
- Evening shift
- Night shift
Application question(s):
- Do you have a current and working knowledge of relevant legislation, including the Mental Health Act and P.H.I.P.A.?
Experience:
- related: 3 years (required)
Work Location: In person
Application deadline: 2024-05-03
