POSITION SUMMARY:
Reporting to the Program Manager the Peer Support Worker will be part of a team that provides peer support services to individuals experiencing mental health and addictions issues. The position will provide peer support and connection to community services for individuals being discharged from hospital, jail and involved with other community organizations as appropriate. The incumbent will be responsible for promoting and educating individuals and members of the community about the value of peer support. Other services provided will include facilitating groups, special events and individual peer support as required. The incumbent is responsible for program development and ensuring appropriate referrals to community resources.
The location for the provision of these services will vary throughout Huron and/or Perth counties and surrounding areas. Services are delivered in-person, by phone, and virtually based on client need.
This position is 20 hours per week.
ORGANIZATIONAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
In addition to specific key job responsibilities identified in this position description, the incumbent is also responsible to contribute and support the overall culture and working environment of the organization by:
- Demonstrating and exemplifying the organization’s mission and values in day to day work
- Acting with the highest standard of professionalism with clients, family members, community partners, the general public and colleagues.
- Working in a manner that preserves and respects the privacy and confidentiality of personal health information.
- Working in a manner that is fiscally responsible.
- Working in a manner that promotes and maintains the reputation of the organization and minimizes risk of harm and/or liability to the organization.
- Working in a manner that complies with the organization’s policies and procedures.
- Working in a manner that meets all Health and Safety requirements to ensure a healthy and safe workplace.
- Acknowledging, respecting and affirming the diverse needs of our community, clients and the organization’s employees with the goal of reducing disparities in health outcomes
- Contributing to the organization activities to collect, analyze and report data.
- Maintaining competence, demonstrating a commitment to ongoing professional development and where applicable, a professional license to practice.
- Contributing to the organization’s work by promoting awareness, participating in committees and agency event.
KEY POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES:
Peer Support Worker
- Support and supervise participants accessing peer support services in Huron and/or Perth counties.
- Provide education, consultation, screening, crisis management, treatment planning, referral, and advocacy to participants who are at risk of developing or have developed substance use/abuse issues and/or mental health concerns.
- Manage crisis situations and be flexible in activities within the day.
- Build and support sustainable and productive relationships with all individuals including staff, leadership, client advisory, program participants, hospitals, jails, and the community to ensure effective and efficient client-centred services and referrals.
- Advocate on behalf of participants and work in collaboration with service providers.
- Assist in the development and evaluation of the Peer Outreach Program in Perth and/or Huron counties, adhering to the directives of the funder by initiating new groups around an identified mental health and/or addiction need in the community.
- Engage in community awareness, education and outreach as designated and appropriate, representing the agency in a professional manner.
- Participate in quality improvement and program development projects and activities alongside staff, leadership and the client advisory.
- Participate in training to further develop skills required to perform the duties of the position.
- Remain current in knowledge with developments in the mental health and addictions fields with a focus on peer support.
- Self-directed, motivated team player with a commitment to ongoing professional development.
- Be flexible in work environment while maintaining personal safety and the safety of the participants at all times.
Administrative
- Maintain a complete, accurate and comprehensive clinical record of each client contact.
- Report statistics about clinical activities using designated agency format as required.
- Complete monthly, annual and other reported documentation as required in a punctual and comprehensive manner.
- Maintain administrative and clinical records, including client files and data entry, as per Policy and Procedure Manual.
General
- Participate on internal agency committees and/or outside community committees as appropriate.
- Adhere to policies and protocols as outlined in the Human Resource and Procedure Manual.
- Attend and actively participate in any team and staff meetings, the Annual General Meeting, and periodically scheduled strategic planning, team building and agency events
- Assist with the orientation and training of new agency staff, volunteers and interns/students as designated and need.
- Provide coverage of CMHAHP AMHS services for other team members as needed.
- Help ensure the organization and program objectives are met.
- Work harmoniously with colleagues, including not behaving in ways that are likely to be offensive in any manner to others and confronting such behaviours by others.
- Conduct self in a responsible, professional manner.
- Perform other duties that may be assigned from time to time.
QUALIFICATIONS:
EDUCATION: Completion of a secondary high school diploma or equivalency certificate. A diploma from a recognized college, with specific focus on mental health and/or addictions is an asset. Completion of applicable peer support training or certification program, e.g., Peer Works or Peer Support Canada.
EXPERIENCE: Lived experience with either your own or a family member’s mental illness and/or addiction issues. An understanding of issues facing individuals with substance abuse and mental health concerns is required.
KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS: Must have appropriate combination of lived experience, training and academic qualifications. An understanding of professional ethics and the importance of confidentiality is required. Knowledge of current community mental health and addiction resources is an asset.
ABILITIES: Communication-written and oral, planning, leadership, interpersonal, negotiating, directing/motivating, organizing, and decision making.
COPING: Able to maintain a mature problem-solving attitude while dealing with interpersonal conflicts, hazardous conditions, personal rejection, hostility or time demands.
DECISIVENESS: Able to make decisions quickly on available information and take action, make commitments and not change decisions when challenged, deal with emergencies as necessary.
DECISION-MAKING and PROBLEM-SOLVING: Able to take action in solving problems while exhibiting judgement and a realistic understanding of issues, able to use reason, even when dealing with emotional topics.
CREATIVITY: Able to develop unique and novel solutions to problems; use intuition and a new way of thinking to give birth to new ideas; present information in an attention-getting and interesting manner.
