Peer Support Worker, Heartwood Centre for Women – Vancouver, BC

Peer Support Worker
BC Mental Health & Substance Use Services
Vancouver, BC

What is Heartwood Centre for Women?

Heartwood Centre for Women (Heartwood) is a 30-inpatient bed, trauma informed, integrated treatment facility for women (19+), including members of Two-Spirit and gender-diverse communities, across B.C, who struggle with severe substance use and mental health challenges. We believe that people, when properly supported, have the strength and resiliency to manage their lives.

Learn what it means to be apart of the Heartwood team.

Watch this video to learn about working with BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services!

What you’ll do

Provide peer-based one-on-one support and guidance to clients throughout their stay at Heartwood, with the aim of supporting skills-building, empowerment, and community reintegration. This include brief support, active listening, client-centered and strengths-based approaches to client engagement.
Assist with facilitating group and one-to-one meetings. Provides health, social, and resource information to clients, such as harm reduction information to reduce risk of overdose. Consults with and brings concerns to the attention of the designated Supervisor. Attends and supports the facilitation of information sessions.
Develop respectful relationships with clients and their support networks (i.e. families, friends, and allies). Help clients and their support networks to make informed decisions. Create a non-judgmental environment by sharing own experiences and insights. Encourage and support clients to become active and involved in their own health.
Assist clients and their support networks with finding appropriate health, social services and other resources as required, such as physicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, housing, employment, financial assistance, advocacy, and support groups. Provide information on service providers; maintains up-to-date resource lists of community-based services providers; contacts relevant organizations/businesses/services; and provide information on how to attain services and assistance with accessing services.
Provide advocacy to clients in a variety of settings, providing information regarding rights to services to the client and their family members, partners, friends, and other loved ones; attending meetings and workshops to represent the designated Program; assisting clients in completing forms and letters concerning barriers to services; notifying designated Supervisor of systemic advocacy issues; and receiving/documenting complaints or ideas for improved service and ensuring action steps are taken with issues raised.

What you bring
Qualifications

A combination of education, training, and experience is required, such as completion of a recognized Social Services Worker certificate program, relevant professional experience, or lived experience. Lived experience may include incarceration, substance use challenges, mental health needs, and/or accessing support and treatment services.
Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of the historic and ongoing impacts of settler colonialism and systemic racism on Indigenous Peoples within social and health contexts. This includes understanding how these factors contribute to current health disparities and barriers to care. Show a clear commitment to identifying, challenging, and eradicating Indigenous-specific racism and all forms of discrimination impacting equity-deserving groups within healthcare settings. This involves recognizing personal biases, institutional barriers, engaging in anti-racism education and training and advocating for systemic change.
Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of legislative obligations and provincial commitments within BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services contexts found in the foundational documents including Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action (2015), In Plain Sight (2020), BC's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (2019), United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Reclaiming Power and Place Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls Calls for Justice (2019), the Declaration Act Action Plan and Remembering Keegan: A First Nations Case Study, BC Human Rights Code, Anti-racism Data Act and how they intersect across the health care system.

Core Competencies

Brings an understanding of the Indigenous specific racism and the broader systemic racism that exists in the colonial health care structure, and has demonstrated leadership in breaking down barriers and ensuring an environment of belonging. Embed Indigenous Cultural Safety and Humility into all aspects of work. This means creating an environment where Indigenous patients feel respected, valued, and understood. Foster trust through respectful communication, active listening, and honoring equity-deserving people's perspectives on health and wellness. Commit to ongoing education and training on Indigenous health issues, cultural safety, and DEI principles. Participate in workshops, cultural immersion experiences, and continuous professional development to stay informed and responsive to equity-deserving groups. Provide patient-centred care that respects Indigenous ways of knowing and healing, respects BIPOC experiences and world views ensuring that care plans are culturally relevant and holistic.
Knowledge of social, economic, political and historical realities of settler colonialism on Indigenous Peoples and familiarity with addressing Indigenous-specific anti-racism, anti-racism and Indigenous Cultural Safety and foundational documents and legislative commitments (The Declaration Act, the Declaration Action Plan, TRC, IPS, Remembering Keegan, etc.).

Skills & Knowledge

Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
Ability to deal with others effectively.
Physical ability to carry out the duties of the position.
Ability to organize work.
Ability to operate related equipment.
Knowledge of principles in mental illness.
Knowledge of Psychosocial Rehabilitation.
Knowledge of peer-run programs.
Skilled in conflict resolution, facilitation, and advocacy.
Demonstrates a commitment to beginning and continuing their personal learning journey related to Indigenous-specific racism and dismantling systems of oppression, as well as addressing racism more broadly. Shows willingness to articulate and share their learning experiences to contribute to a culture of motivation and inspiration among peers.
Demonstrates foundational knowledge of the social, economic, and political realities of settler-colonialism and its impacts on Indigenous peoples and equity-deserving groups within social and health contexts. Understands the impact of social determinants of health-on-health outcomes. Shows a commitment to learning about and upholding legislative obligations and provincial commitments outlined in foundational documents such as the Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action (2015), In Plain Sight (2020), BC's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (2019), United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Reclaiming Power and Place: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls Calls for Justice (2019), the Declaration Act Action Plan, Remembering Keegan: A First Nations Case Study, the BC Human Rights Code, Anti-Racism Data Act, and the Distinctions Based Approach.

What we bring

Every PHSA employee enables the best possible patient care for our patients and their families. Whether you are providing direct care, conducting research, or making it possible for others to do their work, you impact the lives of British Columbians today and in the future. That’s why we’re focused on your care too – offering health, wellness, development programs to support you – at work and at home.

Join one of BC’s largest employers with province-wide programs, services and operations – offering vast opportunities for growth, development, and recognition programs that honour the commitment and contribution of all employees.
Access to professional development opportunities through our 2,000+ in-house courses including a range of experience level, profession-specific, or other essential training on Indigenous Cultural Safety; Indigenous-specific anti-racism; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and accessibility, mental health and well-being, and more.
PHSA is a remote work friendly employer, welcoming flexible work options to support our people (eligibility may vary, depending on position).
Access to WorkPerks, a premium discount program offering a wide range of local and national discounts on electronics, entertainment, dining, travel, wellness, apparel, and more.

Job Type: Casual
Wage: $31.64 per hour Location: 4500 Oak Street, Vancouver BC, V6H 2N9 Hours of Work: 1200-2000 Requisition # 204791E

What we do

BC Mental Health & Substance Use Services (BCMHSUS) cares for people with complex mental health and substance use challenges.

BCMHSUS program is part of the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA).

PHSA plans, manages and evaluates specialized health services with the BC health authorities to provide equitable and cost-effective health care for people throughout the province. Our values reflect our commitment to excellence and include: Respect people – Be compassionate – Dare to innovate – Create equity – Be courageous.

Learn more about PHSA and our programs: jobs.phsa.ca/programs-and-services

PHSA and BCMHSUS committed to anti-racism and equity in our hiring and employment practices. With learning and compassion, we are addressing existing inequities and barriers throughout our systems. PHSA is seeking to create a diverse workforce and to establish an inclusive and culturally safe environment. We invite applications and enquiries from all people, particularly those belonging to the historically, systemically, and/or persistently excluded groups identified under the B.C. Human Rights Code.

One of PHSA’s North Star priorities is to eradicate Indigenous-specific racism, which includes ongoing commitments to Indigenous recruitment and employee experience as well as dismantling barriers to health care employment at every level. We welcome Indigenous individuals to apply and/or contact the Sanya’k̓ula Team (Indigenous Recruitment & Employee Experience) for support at [email protected].

Indigenous-specific anti-racism initiatives are rooted in addressing the unique forms of discrimination, historical and ongoing injustices, and exclusion faced by Indigenous peoples. These initiatives align with an Indigenous rights-based approach, recognizing the inherent rights and title of BC First Nations and self-determination of all First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities. PHSA is mandated to uphold legislative obligations and provincial commitments found in the foundational documents including the Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action (2015), In Plain Sight (2020), BC's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (2019), United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Reclaiming Power and Place Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls Calls for Justice (2019), the Declaration Act Action Plan and Remembering Keegan: A First Nations Case Study.