Family & Natural Supports Coordinator – Foundry Kelowna

WHO IS A FAMILY & NATURAL SUPPORTS COORDINATOR?

The Family and Natural Support Program strongly believes in the Family and Natural Support (FNS) core principles of ‘connection first’ and supporting the physical, social and emotional needs of youth and their chosen support persons in our unbiased focus on fostering belonging and inclusion through our existing continuum of youth and adult services. The FNS program believes that natural and community-based supports are the best resources to ensure that the youth experience of homelessness and dislocation from supportive connections are brief and non-recurring. The Family & Natural Supports Coordinator assists young people who identify as having little or no natural support structures in their lives to create and strengthen a network of natural, non-paid, supports who will help them in times of need, be it due to health, mental health, substance use and/or housing instability. Our services are community-based and developed to support the unique needs of each individual versus a one-size-fits-all approach, with focus on youth development, improving health and housing outcomes, as well as strengthening attachment and relationships with non-paid supports.

This is a full-time position offering 37.5 hours per week.

WHAT DOES A FAMILY & NATURAL SUPPORTS COORDINATOR DO?

• Empower youth to take autonomy of their own care and decisions that will positively affect their life trajectory;
• Help youth to identify people who could be a natural support in their life, to offer care when they are in need of assistance and guidance, reducing reliance on professional supports;
• Assess youth to determine when they were last safely housed and identify the supportive pieces of this arrangement, including adult supports;
• Provide training and skills to youth for systems navigation, including information and referral to community resources based on their individual needs;
• Mediation and reconciliation services for youth and natural supports when a relationship needs to be repaired or strengthened;
• Provide education in areas identified by the youth and/or supports including Harm Reduction, and Trauma Informed, Solution Focused Practices;
• Participates in case planning with participant and their supports to ensure they are set up for success;
• Observes participants, identifies and assesses potential emergency situations, and develops short-term strategies to deal with challenging situations youth may encounter.
• Reports medical, behavioural, and other problems as required or governed by law. Provides feedback and input regarding participants’ needs, performance, and progress;
• Provides supportive brief counselling where appropriate or referral to internal or external counselling clinicians;
• Demonstrates and models behaviour management to participants, families, and chosen networks to assist with the development of physical, social, emotional, and life skills, such as maintaining personal hygiene, housekeeping, meal planning and preparation, meeting financial obligations, making and keeping appointments, and interpersonal skills;
• Identifies available social, economic, recreational, and educational services and resources in the community that meet participants’ needs. Provide participants with related information.
• Carries out administrative transactions such as petty cash, participant accounts, and rent supplements. Completes and maintains related records and documentation such as case files, progress reports, statistics, and daily logs;
• Receives participant feedback, and inquiries and complaints, and responds as required;
• Performs other duties as required.

 

STRENGTHS & EXPERIENCE:

• Degree in Social Work, Human Services, and/or an applicable discipline ;
• A minimum of two years of recent, related experience or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience working with youth and families;
• Other qualifications determined to be reasonable and relevant to the level of work;
• Class V BC Driver’s License;
• COVID-19 Vaccination required
• Certification in First Aid (w/ CPR) preferred;
• Ability to work independently and in cooperation with others;
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing;
• Ability to organize and prioritize;
• Ability to observe and recognize changes in participants;
• Ability to establish and maintain rapport with participants;
• Ability to instruct;
• Ability to analyze and resolve problems;
• Conflict resolution.

WHO IS CMHA Kelowna…?

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: https://cmhakelowna.org/

CMHA KELOWNA OFFERS YOU…

• A competitive hourly wage of $28.38-$32.64
• All of the other Dental, Health & EAP Benefits
• RRSP matching program
• 3 weeks vacation
• 12 personal health days per year
• A work life balance that actually works with you
• A culture that embodies ‘walk the talk’ form our Leadership Team
• CMHA Kelowna empowers 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: Hayley Romanchuk, HR Coordinator; [email protected]

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 self-expression. 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.