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Introduction:

In 1986, a small group of human rights activists and mental health workers gathered in Vancouver to support the flood of refugees arriving from the armed conflicts in South and Central America. They founded the Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture (VAST), and this dedicated group of volunteers built what would become BC’s largest center for refugee mental health. Today, VAST works with refugees from over 100 countries in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. Our programs and services are offered in over a dozen languages, including Arabic, Farsi, French, Mandarin, and Spanish. We support the mental health of refugees who arrive in British Columbia with psychological trauma as a result of torture, political violence, and other forms of persecution on the basis of race, religion, gender identity, and sexual orientation. We facilitate the healing process for 1,000 survivors of torture each year, and their families, by providing accessible and culturally appropriate individual and group counselling and therapeutic services. We also provide psycho-legal documentation and support refugee claimants through the asylum process, and are called in to work with Temporary Foreign Workers in Canada when their particular situation requires our support. Canada is a signatory to the UN’s Convention Against Torture (1985), and the Refugee Convention (1951), both of which oblige us to protect the rights of survivors of forced displacement, including the Right to Rehabilitation, and to provide safe haven to those who at risk of persecution. VAST is an active member of the International Rehabilitation Council for Victims of Torture (IRCT), the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR), and the Canadian Network for Survivors of Torture and Trauma (CNSTT). Founded on the conviction that ‘healing is an act of resistance’, for 36 years VAST has employed a province-leading model of trauma-informed mental health service provision. Our work has created and sustained a resilient, inclusive community amongst newcomers, and over More than half of our team identify as survivors themselves, and their voices are represented at all levels of our organization. We do not believe in working alone, and our mission supports a range of advocacy and capacity building activities to strengthen BC’s mental health sector for newcomers, and encourage understanding of our work amongst government institutions. In so doing, we relieve demand on the BC healthcare sector, especially in dense urban and more isolated rural areas of BC. VAST is more than a healthcare provider and is known throughout BC as a convener of voices with lived experience of torture and trauma, and an influential advisor to multiple levels of policy makers and practitioners.

Role Summary: 

The Social Work Lead and Community Engagement Team Co-Lead works in close liaison with the Community Engagement Team, as well as the CET Co-Lead and the Clinical and Management teams. The goal is to facilitate efficient access for referred individuals to the required services and resources at VAST appropriate to their situation. 

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This is a temporary, part-time hybrid position for a minimum of three months, with an expected commitment of 4 to 8 hours per week. 

This position is unionized with CUPE-1936.

Salary rate: $29.22

Responsibilities: ‍

• Assess and identify the appropriateness, alignment, urgency, and complexity (with Red, Yellow, Green system) of the referred individuals’ cases to receive counselling services
• Create and monitor a waiting list of the referred individuals
• Facilitate decision making for and together with the Community Engagement Team members to conduct CET intake sessions in their first language or other
• If needed, Conduct intakes based on presenting issues and support Community Engagement team members in doing the same
• Join weekly CET meeting 
• Collaborate with the Community Engagement Co-Lead, Clinical Supervisor and Counsellors in the allocation of clients for counselling appointments or vulnerability assessments
• Serve as a member on interdisciplinary committees that work with our community members and professional associations
• Participate in interdisciplinary case conference meetings amongst VAST team members
• Participate in providing public education on matters related to refugee mental health with community agencies, partner agencies and tertiary institutions
• Attend Clinical supervision meetings if needed 
• Participate in staff meetings and workshops 
• Perform other duties as requested 

Qualifications: ‍

• Significant Cross-cultural experience 
• Previous work with trauma 
• Ability to work virtually 
• Preference given to candidates with some bilingual capability or some bi-cultural background or life experience 
• Ability to work with interpreters 
• Knowledge of the refugee and refugee claimant process & systems 
• Confident user of Google services, Confident user of CRM systems
• MSW degree