Brief Services Worker (Hybrid)

**Indigenous Women are encouraged to apply. First preference will be given to all qualified Indigenous applicants.**

Why make ONWA your career choice?

Make a difference in the lives of Indigenous peoples by supporting and advocating for positive change. ONWA prides itself on providing all employees with a total rewards package that is generous and supports our workforce and their family members:

• Competitive salaries
• Generous paid vacation time
• Paid time off at Christmas above paid vacation time
• Additional paid stat and civic holidays
• 35-hour work week
• Comprehensive benefits program including health, paramedical, dental, vision, and EAP. All premiums are covered by the employer.
• Healthcare Spending Account and Lifestyle Spending Account
• Competitive Retirement Savings Plan up to 16% with organization match the pending position
• Paid sick days
• Paid cultural/personal wellness days
• Flexible scheduling to support work-life balance
• Ongoing professional development.
• Possible reimbursement on a portion of cell phone and internet expenses
• Remote/hybrid work offered for various positions

VISION:

At the Ontario Native Women’s Association (ONWA), we celebrate and honor the safety and healing of Indigenous Women and Girls as they take up their leadership roles in the family, community, provincially, nationally, and internationally for generations to come.

SCOPE:

The Brief Services Worker will provide trauma-informed, culturally grounded, wholistic services that provide a safe space for Indigenous women to connect to services. The Brief Services Worker will provide short-term, focused supports for Indigenous women and their family to address specific emotional, social and/or behavioural, physical, and spiritual needs. The worker will provide brief assessment, recommendations, and coordinate with other services as needed. The position requires extensive knowledge of intake processes, screening, coordinating access and response for immediate needs, brief services, and internal/external referrals to specific services. The worker will provide assessment, liaison services with community resources, and linkages to supportive services within the province including a full range of cultural interventions, practices and ceremony that assist Indigenous women and their families with addressing recent and historical trauma, mental health, and healing and wellness needs.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Minimum degree, is preferred, and/or diploma in Social Work, Indigenous Studies, and/or Social Sciences
• Minimum 3 years’ experience working with Indigenous women delivering trauma, mental health, VAW, justice, addiction, and family-based services
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in supporting Indigenous women in advocacy, VAW, family-based care, justice, addiction, and crisis response
• Specialized knowledge, systems navigation, and training in trauma care, mental health and wellness, family-based care, VAW, child welfare, justice services, addiction, and traditional healing
• Proven work experience in brief services, crisis support, and ability to mediate conflict
• Experience providing brief services, case management, and supportive counselling techniques
• Strong ability to establish liaison with other social service providers and resources within the community
• In-depth awareness of anti-human trafficking, sexually trafficked women, systemic violence, racism, and oppression of Indigenous women
• Ability to work from a strength-based, trauma-informed, and community member centered approach
• Knowledge of gender-based analysis theory and methodology and a strong understanding of gender-based violence from an integrated feminist, anti-racist, anti-oppressive perspective is required
• Excellent oral and written communications
• Excellent knowledge in data tracking and statistical reporting
• Strong organizational, project management and time management skills
• Able to manage many conflicting priorities simultaneously, with the ability to prioritize
• Knowledge and working of not-for-profit Indigenous organizations
• Must be willing to work flexible hours as needed to provide services and/or crisis response to community members
• Experience working on a collaborative team and demonstrated ability to work independently with minimal supervision
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and other computer software
• A cellular phone and internet access is required for this position
• Must be willing and able to work a flexible working from home arrangement if required.  This may include a combination of virtual remote work in your home and in office arrangements.  This will be based on operational needs and will be determined by the ONWA.
• Valid G Class Driver’s License and access to a reliable vehicle with appropriate insurance
• Valid current vulnerable sector criminal records check, reliable cell phone and 1st Aid/CPR
• Ability/willingness to travel.
• ONWA is committed on implementing measures to protect its community members, staff, and other stakeholders from COVID-19. As a result, ONWA has implemented a mandatory vaccination policy. Exemptions will be made for those with a valid medical exemption; proof of the exemption will be required.

RESPONSIBILITIES – SPECIFIC:

1. Connecting with community members and/or referents to coordinate access and response to brief services, case management, assessments, system navigation, and ensure wrap around supports
2. Coordination with community members to ensure criteria is met to navigate local/provincial systems
3. Work in collaboration and network with other service providers to provide brief and immediate supports
4. Provide brief and case management services to community members which includes assessment, development of safety plans/plan of care, short- and long-term planning, supportive counselling and follow up services when required
5. Respond appropriately and in a timely manner to crisis situations
6. Ability to assess risk and behaviour and to manage situations where timely intervention is needed
7. Ability to identify uniqueness of each community member, identifying needs, assessments, and consultation specific needs identified by community member
8. Ability to respond to numerous phone calls from clients, referents and other service providers on a daily basis in a timely manner
9. Provide support services to Indigenous women that have been sexually trafficked and impacted by violence and trauma.
10. Ability to provide support, advocacy, referrals, connections, and community resources
11. Provide access to cultural interventions, traditional supports, and holistic services for women dealing with trauma, mental health, and wellness needs
12. Educate, guide and support women on the effects of trauma, effective coping mechanisms, and trauma recovery techniques
13. Referrals to organizations/agencies to meet community member’s identified needs and ensuring all documentation that is required is completed efficiently
14. Providing and/or coordinating treatment readiness services to clients where supports are not identified
15. Work collaboratively with internal supports/program of ONWA to establish plans of care, evaluation of progress/goal planning, and development of discharge plans/case file closures
16. Assess community member crisis needs and develop and implement a plan of stabilization
17. Carry out crisis stabilization, service delivery, and community member contact documentation in a timely and professional manner
18. Maintain a community member caseload of 10-15 active community members
19. Promote centralized intake and brief services using a variety of methods to bring awareness within the province
20. Collect community member data, and ability to provide funder reports and statistic accurately and on time
21. Provide community members transportation as needed
22. Provide training to employees, colleagues, community members, support services
23. Consistently evaluate the program to ensure service delivery
24. Work collaboratively with all team members, community services and supports
25. Other duties as assigned.

ACCOUNTABILITY:

The Brief Services Worker will be directly accountable to the assigned Branch Manager for the proper completion of the functions outlined in the job description.

We welcome applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.

As Indigenous leaders, ONWA is continuing full operations including hiring, while working from home, as supporting our community members is a priority.  ONWA is scheduling all interviews, and providing all training, onboarding, and orientation for new employees, through the use of virtual tools.  We will continue to accommodate remote and home-based work arrangements in an effort to keep our ONWA employees healthy and safe.