Peer Support Worker, Just Be You

**Peer Support Worker, Just Be You (Peer Youth Programming)**

Support House is directed by our core values. They guide our agency’s decisions and actions, unite our staff, define our brand, and inspire our culture. We put people first - our supports are person directed. We connect, engage and start conversations to build and maintain relationships. We focus on health and wellness practices to inspire our culture.

**Our Peer Support Services**
- A Peer Support Worker is someone who has a similar life experience to those our Agency supports (mental health and/or addiction concerns, justice involvement, homelessness).
- Peer Support Workers have engaged in special training and skill development to utilize the Peer Support values and their lived experience in a meaningful way to enhance their ability to support people in living the life they want to live.
- Peer Support offers goal-focused, strengths-based connections that provide supportive conversations around wellness tools & strategies, and connection to community resources.
- Peer Support Services can be offered one-to-one or group-based, within the community or virtually.

**The main purpose of this position**

The Peer Support Worker, Just Be You (Peer Youth Programming) will be responsible for facilitating and coordinating the Just Be You program in-person and virtually. Just Be You is a youth led group providing social recreation and peer-support for youth ages 15-25, who may be experiencing mental health and/or addiction concerns.

This position will also have opportunities to provide some one-to-one community-based peer support across the Halton region supporting people who currently receive services through other Support House programs. Areas of focus during Peer Support can include: community resource navigation, housing security, employment & education, self-advocacy, wellness tools & strategies, and activities of daily living.

**Responsibilities**

**Direct Service**
- Just Be Youth _
- Work alongside group participants to plan, coordinate and facilitate weekly groups
- Support group participants, facilitate referrals and connection to community resources
- One-to-One Peer Support _
- Connecting with people 16+ who identify wanting to participate in one-to-one Peer Support
- Supporting people with warm transfer to internal programs
- Support people to identify needs and connect people with other community services, as needed, via warm transfer
- Collaboration and coordinate with the Support House team to ensure seamless service delivery
- Act as a role model in self-care, self-awareness and wellness tools
- Share your common experiences with people as relevant
- Work collaboratively with people, co-workers and the community
- Facilitate peer-led group-based self-help/wellness programming and back-up as required
- Other duties as required
- Indirect Service/Administration _
- Maintain person directed records and files electronically in EMHware
- Responsible for collection and entry of statistical data into EMHware for all direct service interactions
- Collaborate with ongoing program planning, development, evaluation and quality improvement processes
- Participate in monthly internal and external community of practice sessions
- Participate in supervision
- Other duties as required

**Knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in this role**
- Personal lived experience navigating the mental health, addiction and youth services for themselves is required.
- Peer Support Training
- Experience providing peer-led services
- Post-secondary education in the social services field (CYW Degree/Diploma) coupled with relevant experience in community-based mental health services and/or case management working with youth.
- Knowledge and understanding of the mental health system, addiction and social service systems
- Demonstrated experience working with at-risk involved youth.
- Possess a thorough understanding of issues pertaining to youth.
- Empathy and commitment to youth experiencing mental health and addiction concerns.
- Understands harm reduction framework and demonstrated ability to support complex youth needs around this.
- Demonstrated group facilitation skills
- Knowledge of recovery-based program philosophy.
- Must possess a broad knowledge of youth community resources and the ability to strongly advocate for youth and make professional referrals.
- Demonstrated complex problem solving.
- Excellent verbal communication and comfort with one-to-one dialogue.
- Excellent written and documentation skills.
- Able to mediate and negotiate situations.
- Non-violent crisis/suicide intervention skills.
- Able to work independently and co-operatively in a busy multidisciplinary environment.
- Self-motivated, comfortable working with mínimal oversight.
- Proven computer proficiency to facilitate the use of automated assessment tools and Microsoft products.
- A valid driver's license and access to a vehicle.
- Current First Aid & CPR certification.