Peer Support Coordinator- HOPE

Vanier•London, ON

About The Position

The Helping Other Parents Excel, HOPE, program is funded in part through grants and donations as well as Vanier Lead Agency funds. HOPE services are based on the peer support model and provide parents and caregivers support from a peer lens. Parents of children with mental health, social/emotional and behavioural challenges are a valuable resource for supporting other families coping with similar problems. The HOPE and Client & Family Engagement Coordinator could be a parent of a child/youth who has experience with mental health, social/emotional and/or behavioural challenges who is familiar with the children’s mental health, social services, and education systems in Ontario. The HOPE and Client & Family Engagement Coordinator supports client and family engagement activities within Vanier and across the London Middlesex Child and Youth Mental Health sector. Engagement can include surveys, co-design process work, and requires excellent interpersonal skills with strong communication and network building to support the development of trusted relationships. Experience working in a project environment will be beneficial. Vanier Children’s Mental Wellness, as a Lead Agency, facilitates client and family engagement activities within Middlesex County for all core Child and Youth Mental Health Services (CYMH).

Requirements

Parents of children with mental health, social/emotional and behavioural challenges are a valuable resource for supporting other families coping with similar problems.
Community engagement experience, and comfort growing engagement groups as required. Including but not limited to cold calling clients for feedback, sending surveys and completing analysis of results, project support and strong organizational skills.
Exceptional organizational and time management skills with the ability to prioritize competing demands.
Strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to prepare meeting minutes, reports, templates, and correspondence.
Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build collaborative working relationships.
Ability to work independently while contributing effectively as part of a team.
Strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
Ability to manage confidential information with professionalism and discretion.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Teams.

Nice To Haves

Post-secondary education in a social services discipline (e.g., Child and Youth Care, Social Service Worker, Early Childhood Education, or a related field) is preferred.
Two years’ experience working or volunteering with children or adults preferred
Fluency in French is an asset
Preference will be given to applicants with peer support training and strong facilitation skills.
Experience using virtual meetings and scheduling platforms is an asset.

Responsibilities

Provide peer support to parents as required, including attending meetings, writing letters, providing information/resources to assist in advocacy.
Provide direction, resources, and support to those acting as parent mentors
Coordinate the provision of group and 1:1 peer support
Coordinate the provision of group and 1:1 engagement
Liaison with other parent groups in the community, maintain communication with engagement members and internal CYMH programs
Facilitate information sharing between parents and parent groups, schools, community groups
Work to gain a strong understanding of the CYMH needs, and feedback from parents and guardians, along with children and youth on the CYMH service system including gaps, issues and opportunities for improvement
Write reports, grant applications, and prepare presentations to Board of Directors
Prepare bi-monthly reports on family feedback and trends for Executive Director
Lead facilitation of Family Advisory Panel
Develop effective relationships and collaborative working styles with community stakeholders, clients and support networks
Support client engagement on services and projects
Review client satisfaction feedback and support quality improvement initiatives
Implement Client and Family Engagement Plan for London Middlesex
Respond to email requests for information/service
Perform research via the internet on publicly available information to assist parent advocacy (ex. Education Act as pertains to special education, Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth, Ontario Human Rights Commission, etc.)
Maintain compendium of parent resource materials