FAMILY PEER SUPPORTER

WHO IS A FAMILY PEER SUPPORTER?

The family peer supporter is an integral member of the Foundry Kelowna care team and utilizes their own living/lived experience of supporting a youth or young adult who has experienced mental health or substance use challenges. The family peer supporter assists in the delivery of Foundry Kelowna operations and offers family and caregivers assistance with connection to services, education and resource information, while providing individualized peer-based practical, emotional and social supports. Delivering services in alignment with Foundry’s Service Model, the family peer supporter promotes holistic family health and well-being by fostering the development of respectful, collaborative relationships with family members/caregivers, youth and service providers.

This position offers 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday.

WHAT DOES A FAMILY PEER SUPPORTER DO?

• Provides a safe, welcoming and supportive culture for families and caregivers receiving services at Foundry Kelowna;
• Provides direct on-site services to families and caregivers by providing support, guidance and mentorship, in the areas of information, navigation, education, resources and skill development, to support and engage families as expert partners in their co-developed wellness goals;
• Models hope and shares living/lived experiences and lessons learned to support families and caregivers in achieving individual and family health and wellness goals;
• Facilitates meaningful engagement (defined in Foundry’s youth and family engagement guide) and participation of families in focus groups, surveys, research, evaluation and other opportunities related to peer support to further build capacity and leadership
• Works collaboratively as an advocate and liaison between caregiver/family member, youth, Foundry Kelowna staff and community partners;
• Supports parents and caregivers completion of questionnaires, applications, referral forms and other administrative tasks as necessary;
• Collaborates with youth peer support workers at Foundry Kelowna to optimize the youth, young adult and caregiver/family experience as it relates to the delivery of services;
• Facilitates peer support and educational groups to promote skill development and engagement, as well as foster peer-peer connection and networking opportunities;
• Works collaboratively with Foundry Kelowna staff and community partners to optimize relationships between families, caregivers, and service providers;
• Supports the development of the Foundry peer support network on a provincial level including but not limited to, research, evaluation and quality improvement activities and participation on select provincial working groups;
• Participates as a team member, attending team meetings, case conferences, conference calls and other organizational activities;
• Completes and maintains related records and documentation including: statistics, progress reports, care plans, and referrals;
• Other duties as assigned.

YOUR STRENGTHS & EXPERIENCE:

• Direct experience as a parent or caregiver supporting a youth or young adult with mental health and/or substance use challenges and service navigation in local community;
• Completion or eligible for completion of Foundry family peer support training. Previous peer support experience and training an asset.
• Deliver services with high degree of self-awareness, demonstrated ability to maintain confidentiality, and work within personal and role specific limits and boundaries;
• Capacity to use one’s living/lived experience to promote positive connections with families and caregivers at differing levels of engagement;
• Strong relationship and rapport building skills;
• Assertive communication skills with ability to respect others’ perspective;
• Empathic, caring approach, with strong active listening skills;
• Ability to understand and follow a strength-based approach for sharing challenges and co-creating solutions;
• Ability to facilitate meetings and comfortable with public speaking;
• Broad knowledge of community resources and supports;
• Knowledge and respect of the diversity of the BC population;
• Demonstrated time management skills, accountability and reliability;
• Excellent planning, organizational and coordination skills with ability to multi-task;
• Strong written and verbal communication;
• Self-starter with a positive attitude and willingness to work flexible hours;
• Ability to work independently and as part of an inter-disciplinary team;
• Basic computer skills; experience with Microsoft office, Excel, PowerPoint;
• Proof of Vaccination from COVID-19

WHO IS CMHA…?

At CMHA Kelowna, we are dedicated to Mental Health in our community. No matter how old or how young, we provide support for families and individuals through programs that promote positive mental health and support recovery, while championing the elimination of barriers that can prevent people from thriving. We are a dynamic, innovative and visionary organization. We are looking for someone who shares our vision of a mentally healthy Kelowna and are passionate about making a difference in our community by bringing their particular expertise to our organization. Like what you hear…fantastic, check us out: www.cmhakelowna.org

CMHA KELOWNA OFFERS YOU…

• A competitive wage
• All of the other Dental, Health & EAP Benefits
• RRSP matching program
• 3 weeks vacation
• 12 sick days per year
• A work life balance that actually works with you
• A culture that embodies ‘walk the talk’ form our Leadership Team
• As a non-profit, we definitely do NOT have foosball and free snacks, but what we DO have, is the ability to empower our teams, be a part of something bigger…and learning and growing in an organization that fosters transparency and trust.

To apply for this opportunity, please forward a cover letter and resume to John West, HR Coordinator @ [email protected].ca or through Indeed here, by December 3, 2021.

As an employer, CMHA Kelowna strives to create a workplace that respects and values all individuals, minimizes bias, and promotes the equity, diversity, and inclusion of different perspectives and ideas. At CMHA Kelowna, that means welcoming diversity in mental health, race, ethnicity, and culture. It also means diverse abilities, age, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, gender identities, education, marital status, language, and physical appearance. These values are embedded in the work CMHA Kelowna does every day. 

We appreciate and thank all applicants for their interest, however only short-listed candidates and those legally eligible to work in Canada will be contacted.