Community Group Care - Indigenous Wellness Navigator/ FSC

Wood's Homes is looking for one (1) full-time Indigenous Wellness Navigator to join our Community Group Care.

Job Summary:

Informed by the Indigenous worldview in which ‘culture as treatment’ and ‘culture as intervention’ are provided, the Indigenous Wellness Navigator (IWN) will mentor and guide staff and clients in a culturally responsive direction. The IWN enhances cultural engagement by building capacity for safety, connection, and coping through an Indigenous world view supported by the four quadrants of the medicine wheel: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. The IWN establishes meaningful access to culture and land for all Indigenous clients seeking health and wellness at Wood’s Homes. The IWN will demonstrate due diligence in being exceptional in the delivery of high-quality services and in meeting the requirements of the Health and Safety Management System at Wood’s Homes.

Accountabilities and Competencies:

• Indigenous cultural knowledge in educating and supporting clients, staff members, and programs
• Strong relationship building skills; high EQ
• Articulate storyteller and presenter
• Critical thinker and the capacity to support the integration of Indigenous and Western healing practices
• Openness and willingness to learn and support other cultural practices
• Liaison – Family & Community
• Proficiency in finding and sharing resources
• Professionalism inherent within written and communication
• Direct service outcomes
• Strong organizational, documentation, data entry, and electronic record keeping skills
• Due diligence in meeting all Health and Safety Management System requirements

Key Responsibilities:

Cultural, Clinical & Milieu Support

• Ensures the facilitation of quality cultural practices that are safe, developmentally appropriate, clinically relevant, and culturally sensitive. 
• Exercises sound judgement when sharing cultural practices and ensures they are relevant to the therapeutic goals of the client/family/community that are co-created with the clinical team.
• Works collectively with existing program partnerships.
• Completes program related assessment process and jointly establishes goals and areas of focus.
• Supports the development of a network of resources with the family, community, and other involved professionals while educating families on how to advocate for themselves.
• Improves the families’ capacity to function autonomously by liaising between the family, school, community and other professionals.
• Manages appropriately the cultural offerings needed and can speak/teach to their relevance.
• Champions and prioritizes the communication of cultural practices and ceremonial aspects.
• Attends Individual Case Plan meetings as needed for review and progress updates.
• Works effectively with clinical staff to provide a culturally responsible therapeutic milieu.
• Helps develop agency-wide training and teachings in coordination with the Indigenous Initiatives team.

File Maintenance and Research (Practice-based Knowledge)

• Complies with record-keeping and file management policies and protocols.
• Ensures documentation of practice-based knowledge (story-gathering, photos and narrative creation of culture practice) through different mediums, including electronic; prepares documentation for annual funding report.
• Participates actively in supervisory meetings, agency team meetings, retreats, planning sessions, and designated in-service training.
• Coordination with programs and management in planning travel outside of the city limits.
• Communicates regularly with staff teams and supervisor in-person and remotely regarding daily tasks and objective completion.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Cultural Leadership, Elder/Ceremony Support, Community Coordination

• Identifies appropriate cultural protocol to engage with community, Elders, and Knowledge Keepers before engagement begins and effectively communicates and teaches protocol to staff.
• Co-facilitates large group teachings and presentations with other Indigenous Initiatives staff members.
• Models appropriate dress code and professional presentation within the workplace and appropriate to engagement with Elders and Knowledge Keepers.
• Is an effective, mature, culturally connected, and appropriate role model for each client to utilize in their growth.
• Maintains consistent and professional communication with Elders, Knowledge Keepers, Staff, Clients, and all other stakeholders.
• Explores cultural connections available to children and families involved with Children and Family Services.
• Compiles a list of cultural connections prior to admission meeting (based on the client’s history and referral documentation) and ensures guardian consent.

• Oversees the coordination of cultural connections to caregivers, family members, and other applicable stakeholders.
• Evaluates and determines the possibility of cultural integration with other Wood’s Homes positions.
• Create awareness of cultural engagement opportunities amongst stakeholders and increase/confirm attendance through coordination and collaboration with program staff.

Health and Safety

• Completes all required health and safety training.
• Reports workplace hazards, unsafe or unhealthy conditions, or incidents (including near misses, injuries
• or equipment damage) to their direct supervisor. 
• Integrates cultural safety into daily practice.
• Complete safety inspections on materials related to cultural spaces and cultural resources.
• Teaches cultural safety (and the cultural safety continuum) within the programs and through engagement/training with staff members, professionals and clients.

Working Conditions

• Travel to client, family, and community consultations.
• Working hours may include evenings and weekends.
• Work locations include school, campus-based, and community Wood’s Programs.
• Exposure to emotional situations.
• Exposure to crisis situations.
• Exposure to adverse weather.
• Exposure to chemical use.

Qualifications:

Cultural Knowledge and Lived Experience

• Has lived experience and self-identifies as an Indigenous person as guided by the constitution of Canada.
• Has cultural knowledge of many different Nations and has (or acquires) the appropriate rites and permissions to share and use teachings that will benefit the clients we serve.  
• Appreciates the cultural differences between Nations and promotes good relations within multiple communities.
• Comfortable speaking in front of people and sharing positive messages and benefits of connecting to culture.
• Has ability to connect and support Elders and Knowledge Keepers during ceremonies, and other cultural related engagements.
• Embraces and is able to navigate and translate two-eyed seeing perspectives

Education and Experience

• Diploma or Undergraduate degree in the Social Sciences, Child and Youth Care, Social Work, or a related field in addition to a minimum of two (2) years related experience.

• Extensive Indigenous Cultural and Ceremonial Practice Knowledge may be considered in lieu of post-secondary educational requirements.
• Current CPR and First Aid Certification.
• Criminal Record Check and Intervention Record Check required upon hire.