Laing House Looking for Community Support Worker (Youth Mental Health) at Halifax, NS Full Time

About Laing House:

Laing House is a non-profit organization with a focus on empowering young people aged 16-29 who have lived mental health experience.

For over twenty years, Laing House has been proudly creating communities centering on peer support, mutual encouragement, hope and recovery guidance.

With our flagship location in our heritage property in the heart of downtown Halifax, a satellite location in Yarmouth, and a wide range of services offered via our Laing Online platform, Laing House offers accessible mental health support for our members across the province.

Our Model: Come as You Are

We create inclusive social hubs where our members can access the resources they need for their mental health recovery and enjoy the benefits of participating in our powerful peer support network.

Our Laing House teams work with our youth members to design holistic plans for goal setting, mastery of life skills, and building resilience. We also strive create environments that foster curiosity, confidence and a sense of community.

Our service menu reflects best practice approaches linked to employment, education, community navigation, healthy living, recreation and creative arts. To respond to the evolving needs of the people we support, many of our programs are co-designed and co-led by our members. We also work closely with partners from the healthcare system, community-based organizations and local businesses to ensure a well-rounded approach to learning and engagement.

In addition to scheduled programming, we offer a drop-in model with flexible hours so we can be a reliable and consistent point of support for our members when they need us. Members can stop by one of our locations to speak to our staff, access information, enjoy a snack, or just relax in a safe and welcoming environment.

About the Role:

As a Laing House Community Support Worker (CSW), you will be responsible for providing tailored, individualized support often linked to goal setting, resilience and wellness. This will include providing resource support related to food security, poverty reduction, Legal Aid, housing, employment & education, health, and recreation.

Our CSWs are also responsible for helping to create a culture of community and participation and you will work closely with our team of Peer Support Specialists to ensure consistent and high quality experiences for our youth members during their visits.

Role Expectations Include:

• Managing up to 40 assigned members (this includes supporting the design of individualized plans, completing regular check-in meetings, and completing related documentation in our database)
• Assisting members in identifying and actualizing personal goals and priorities
• Engaging members in dialogue linked to promoting wellness
• Providing support for promoting self-advocacy, navigating formal systems and accessing community resources
• Designing programs, activities and services that are relevant, engaging, and reflect member input

• Ensuring that program elements reflect Laing’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion
• Contributing to the development of our Laing Online service menu
• Creating resources/tools to support the cross-training of colleagues
• Developing and maintaining partnership networks within the community

Required Skills, Knowledge and Experience:

• Undergraduate degree in a relevant field (Social Work, Child & Youth Care, Recreation Therapy, Occupational Therapy); experience working in the field of youth mental health or mental health recovery may be substituted as an education equivalent
• A high degree of self-awareness and capacity to apply appropriate boundaries
• Minimum two years of experience working with youth (aged 16-29); this includes experience acquired as part of volunteer work or student placements
• Knowledge of issues facing youth with lived mental health experience
• Experience supporting wellness and resiliency goals
• Familiarity with community-based and formal mental health services available for youth
• Demonstrated skills in meaningful youth engagement
• Experience with group facilitation and program planning
• Strong advocacy and referral skills
• Knowledge of effective self-care techniques
• Demonstrated ability to contribute to a safe, respectful, and stigma-free environment
• Firm understanding of expectations for privacy and confidentiality
• Analytical and problem-solving skills
• Effective verbal, listening and written communication skills
• Recent First Aid and CPR training
• Computer skills (and the willingness to learn/update tech-based skills)

Hours: 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday with rotating evening and Saturday shifts required.

Nature of position: This is a full-time, permanent position. Where this role is a NSGEU bargaining unit position, preference will be given to bargaining unit employees.

Position Location: This role is based out of our heritage property on Barrington Street in Halifax (with some some options for offsite programming and remote work).

Thank you for your interest in this position. Only those applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.

Application Instructions:

• We will only accept applications submitted online via Indeed
• Cover letters should be addressed to the attention of our Hiring Committee
• Important: Please submit your resume and cover letter combined as a single PDF document (applications received in other formats will be excluded from review)

• We recognize and value people’s lived experience as a legitimate attestation of skills and abilities. Applicants are encouraged to describe their relevant experience and interest in working with our Laing House team in their cover letter

Laing House is committed to employment equity and fostering a collegial culture grounded in diversity and inclusiveness. We acknowledge that members from equity-deserving groups face systemic barriers due to race, gender identity, religion, ability, or sexual orientation and we encourage applications from individuals who represent the full diversity of our communities. Applicants are welcome to self-identify in their cover letter or application.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Salary: $21.77 per hour

Benefits:

• Casual dress
• Dental care
• Disability insurance
• Extended health care
• Life insurance
• RRSP match
• Vision care
• Work from home

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday
• Weekend availability

COVID-19 considerations:
Note: As of March 21, 2022 Laing House has opted to continue with our vaccination and indoor masking requirements until further notice.

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Halifax, NS: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Application question(s):

• We currently offer programming on Saturdays between 10am and 6pm. CSWs will be expected to work rotating/occasional Saturday shifts. Are you available to work occasional Saturdays (~one Saturday per month)?
• We currently offer regular rotating ‘early’ and ‘late’ shifts. Are you available to work regular weekday shifts scheduled for 10am-6pm and 12pm-8pm?

Experience:

• youth/youth mental health: 2 years (required)

Licence/Certification:

• First Aid Certification (preferred)

Application deadline: 2022-04-08