Outreach Support Worker, Integrated Homelessness Action Response Team

Salary range: The salary range for this position is CAD $31.56 - $33.28 / hour Why Fraser Health?:
We are hiring a **Casual**Outreach Support Worker, Integrated Homelessness Action Response Team (IHART)** to join our team in **Abbotsford, B.C.**

A career with Fraser Health will offer you the opportunity to be a part of a dedicated team of professionals in a dynamic and rewarding health care environment. We offer a competitive compensation and benefit package, including comprehensive health benefits coverage.

**Important to know**

Before we can finalize any offer of employment, you must:

- Confirm you are legally entitled to work in Canada

Detailed Overview:
Reporting to the Coordinator or designate, as a member of the IHART Team, the Outreach Support Worker provides outreach community-based support services, assists in mental health and substance use intervention, provides life skills training, coaching, advocacy and support to clients experiencing mental health, substance use, behavioural, and developmental issues, in accordance with an established team-based plan of treatment/care. Motivates, assists, and collaborates with clients with the activities of daily living, reports clients’ progress and condition.

**Responsibilities**:

- Through a community outreach approach, provides active engagement to build relational rapport with clients.
- Interacts and observes the client to identify care needs, solicits client feedback, inquiries, and quality improvement opportunities; responds to client needs as appropriate.
- Participates in a collaborative approach to input information into the Team-Based Care Assessment.
- Encourages and promotes independence and self-sufficiency for clients and develops short-term strategies to deal with various situations.
- Provides feedback and suggested recommendations to the treatment plans within established guidelines.
- Documents all interactions with clients on the care requested and progress made in the designated documentation system; maintains client records.
- Reports regularly to the multidisciplinary team on the condition, behaviour, performance, progress, and care needs of clients.
- Through a client-centred approach to optimize the social determinates of health, provides support services, coaching and behaviour modeling for the client to assist with the development of physical, social, emotion and life-skills, including all activities of sustainable healthy daily living, systems navigation, and interpersonal skills.
- Focuses on bridging clients to long-term sustainable programming in the community.
- Liaises and advocates between client’s clinical team and community organizations.
- Observes and monitors clients in accordance with plan of treatment/care, assesses and responds in potential emergency or crisis situations in accordance with established procedures i.e. call 911.
- Provides feedback and recommendations to the treatment/care plan, including strategies to resolve situations, and referring for professional intervention, as required.
- In collaboration and partnership with the team, responds and intervenes to client toxic drug poisoning events.
- Organizes and assembles harm reduction supplies and kits as part of the harm reduction toxic drug response approach.
- Performs quality improvement tasks as directed, inclusive but not limited to client response surveys and municipal homelessness counts.
- Performs other duties as required.

Qualifications:
**Education and Experience**

Diploma in Community Social Services, e.g. Mental Health Worker, Community Health Worker, or Social Services Worker including post-secondary education in community intervention and skills training.
Two (2) years recent related experience working with individuals with mental illness/ substance use issues including teaching life skills, or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
Current CPR certificate. Valid Class 5 BC Drivers Licence and access to personal vehicle with appropriate business insurance coverage.

**Skills and Abilities**
- Knowledge and ability to perform from a harm reduction and client-centred approach.
- Knowledge of available programs, their interrelationships, and their function in delivering care in the community.
- Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
- Ability to deal with others effectively.
- Ability to prioritize and organize client care needs.
- Ability to problem solve.
- Ability to teach life skills.
- Sound judgment and good observation skills.
- Ability to demonstrate an appropriate level of initiative and independence.
- Ability to work cooperatively as part of a multidisciplinary team.
- Ability to promote positive change and independence.
- Physical and ability to carry out the duties of the position.
- Ability to operate related equipment.
- Advocacy and collaboration skills.