Community Life Skills Support Worker

Canadian Mental Health Association Durham is an integrated community mental health and primary care hub that has been providing mental health services to Durham Region for over 60 years.

During that time, it has evolved to provide a broad range of services to individuals and their families experiencing mental health challenges, from information and education to case management, psychosocial rehabilitation, housing and primary healthcare. These services are provided through inter-professional teams focused on providing clinically based services that, in addition to dealing with client mental health issues, address social determinants of health using the recovery model.

The Collaborative Residents Enabling Assisted Transitional Engagement (CREATE) program is looking to hire a Community Life Skills Support Workers to join the team.

**Responsibilities**
- Participates as a member of a high performance, multi-service team providing support to mental health clients in group living and integration into the larger community
- Monitors, reviews and updates the client care plan (OCAN, GAIN, Life Skills Assessments, etc.) on a scheduled basis and revises the plan, as necessary, ensuring flexibility to meet client’s needs
- Provides one to one support, as well as group supports, with regards to individual goal setting related to life management skills, independent living skills, self-confidence, personal health and wellness, vocational, recreation, social, etc.
- Supports and assists clients with ADL tasks in order to maintain and enhance the client’s functional abilities
- Provides support services to clients assisting with scheduled appointments, arranging transportation to appointments and/or accompanying clients to appointments, as necessary
- Assists clients to maximize abilities, develop skills and promote community independence
- Establishes supportive therapeutic relationship with clients and advocates for, and with, clients
- Ensures the residential group living homes are in safe, working order; frequent and regular cleaning of the homes in collaboration with clients; general maintenance responsibilities within the homes (i.e., garbage collection, recycling, overall cleanliness of the homes, etc.)
- Ongoing and consistent communication with CMHA Durham’s CREATE Management for inside/outside concerns/issues, and communications with regards to pest control issues, snow removal, landscaping, etc.
- Reporting maintenance issues on a weekly basis or as necessary to CREATE Management
- Monitors medications, effectiveness, side effects, as well as delivering medications to clients as per their medication schedule
- Assists clients to maintain good personal hygiene
- Recognizes and reports changes in clients mental or physical condition
- Works with community resources involved in the care of the clients as directed
- Provides assistance to clients establishing peer and family support networks
- Performs routine housekeeping tasks for a safe and comfortable environment
- Receive monthly rent arrears reports from finance department, and works with clients and their income support to resolve rental arrears/defaults
- Facilitates and supports movement into and out of the residential group living homes, and assists clients with transition into independent living, or more supportive living arrangements (i.e., Long-term care facilities)
- Collaborates with all members of the client care team
- Documents client contacts, creates daily logs, summaries and other reports in a timely manner, as outlined in the CMHA Durham policies and procedures
- Other duties as assigned

**Requirements**:

- Post-secondary education in a related area of study (i.e., mental health) and a minimum of two years related experience or equivalent combination of education and experience
- Sound knowledge of the Mental Health Act, Health Care Consent Act, Personal Health Information and Protection Act, the Forensic Mental Health System, social service benefits, and related legislation in Ontario
- Sound knowledge of psychotropic medications as well as some knowledge of medical medications
- Ability to develop and maintain a positive therapeutic relationship with clients
- Ability to work with individuals of diverse backgrounds
- Ability to develop and maintain positive relationships with community partners and represent the agency in a professional manner at all times
- Ability to perform tasks that are necessary for the position (i.e., lifting/transferring clients)
- Excellent communication (written and verbal) skills
- Ability to organize and present information
- Flexibility to change
- Ability to work independently when necessary
- Ability to think critically and creatively
- Valid Ontario Driver’s license, access to a dependable vehicle in safe working order and appropriate insurance coverage
- Ability to work a variable work schedule, including days, afternoons, midnights and weekends
- Knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint,