Dispatch Navigator 

Overview

The Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Society (KAFS) Peer Assisted Care Team (PACT) pilot is a one-year program and will provide an alternative to the presence of police personnel at mental health crisis calls in Kamloops. The pilot teams will provide crisis support services that will integrate cultural safety protocols and holistic care options. Mobile teams comprised of a mental health professional and a peer (someone with lived or living experience) will be available during scheduled service hours. This program aims to reduce the harms experienced by people who have mental health and addictions challenges as well as Black, Indigenous, racialized, LGBTQ2+ and other marginalized individuals.

We are seeking Dispatch Navigator who will be the point of contact for all incoming calls. The individual will be expected to record pertinent information and assess if the call requires a two-person team to attend to the caller in person.

Job Summary:

The Dispatch Navigator is the first point of contact for calls directed to the K-PACT Team and will provide support, consultation, and assessment via telephone (and text) for crisis situations.

The Dispatch Navigator will provide direct crisis and de-escalation support for persons 13 years of age and older experiencing mental health and/or substance use crises, including First aid and overdose response when necessary.

The Dispatch Navigator will be responsible for managing the central call line for the K-PACT Team, assessing and triaging calls and text messages from community including assessment screening and triage, while initiating Community Care Plans and resourcing community supports.

The Dispatch Navigator will provide support to the K-PACT team and Manager as needed.

A day in the life – roles and responsibilities:

1. Answer all incoming calls on the crisis line
2. Gather and share vital and relevant information, liaising between caller and K-PACT Team, updating K-PACT Team of status/status change of person in crisis.
3. Provides non-judgmental emotional telephone and text support and crisis intervention, including assessment, problem solving and community resourcing.
4. Completes a thorough assessment of suicidal ideation and/or homicidally, including planning or attempt in progress.
5. Uses assessment and screening tools to determine urgency and involves K-PACT Team or other emergency services, depending on severity and needs of individual and care provider(s) onsite.
6. Implement active ‘rescue’ when an intervention is required (I.e., call 911, advise use of lifesaving First-Aid, etc.)
7. Maintain confidential client case files, including Community Care Plans, safety and wellness assessments.
8. Maintain familiarity with Victoria resources, their interrelationships, and their function in delivering care in the community i.e., Mental health & substance use responsive services.
9. Use exceptional trauma informed support skills while remaining calm and focused on high pressure situations, adapting quickly to dynamic environments and developing situations while keeping in mind the scope and practice of the K-PACT Team.
10. Listen for what is ‘not being said,’ provide clear and direct empathetic communication.
11. Participate as a member of an inter-disciplinary team in formal and informal client case management.
12. Support the K-PACT Team in providing direct crisis support and de-escalation services for persons 13 years of age and older experiencing mental health and/or substance use crisis.
13. Provide First aid and overdose response including rescue breathing, oxygen and naloxone when necessary.

Requirements – what you bring to KAFS:

• Minimum 3 years’ relevant experience. Experience with crisis de-escalation, case management and harm reduction preferred.
• Certificate in mental health, Counselling or Social Work.
• Adept with situational and mental health assessment, including safety and wellness assessment, de-escalation and crisis intervention skills.
• Crisis intervention/risk assessment education
• Strong critical thinking skills and attention to detail and the ability to remain calm and decisive in crisis situations.
• Ability to handle stressful situations and make decisions quickly, while remaining emotionally regulated.
• Adept with situational and mental health assessment, including safety and wellness assessment, de-escalation, and crisis intervention skills.
• Ability to tolerate stress and deal with a wide range of medical, mental health, substance related and emotional issues.
• Demonstrated ability to deal effectively with internal and external contacts including community and facility contacts, staff, physicians, clients, families, agencies, emergency services etc.
• Excellent English language skills written and spoken; additional languages are an asset.
• Strong computer literacy skills including data entry, social media, tracking and mapping apps.
• Knowledge of local geography in Kamloops
• Knowledge of applicable legislation (i.e., mental health act; child, family & community services act; related assessment, referral, and screening tools)
• Knowledge of available programs and services, their interrelationships, and their function in delivering care in the community
• Attended Suicide Intervention and Assessment Training is an asset.
• Mental Health First Aid Training
• Experience and capacity for incident debriefing, including with service users and teammates.
• Skills and capacity to assess and triage to emergency services, where appropriate
• Demonstrated practice of social justice, cultural humility, trauma-informed and public health approaches and models of social support and health care.
• Demonstrated ability to establish respectful rapport, provide support and advocate for a diverse range of individuals who are actively using substances and living with significant barriers to their health and well-being.
• Demonstrated empathic observer invested in respectful relationship-building.

• Demonstrated skills, experience, and knowledge in the areas of harm reduction/health promotion practices, safer sex and safer drug use practices, addictions, safer sex, sex work, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, poverty, trauma, and mental health.
• Demonstrated practice of social justice, cultural humility, trauma-informed and public health approaches and models of social support and health care.
• Experience managing hostile interactions, utilizing non-violent communication and diffusing techniques.
• First aid and CPR level C

Hours and Schedule: Monday to Friday 4pm to 12am evening shift, 37.5 hours per week.

Preference will be given to applicants of Aboriginal ancestry as per section 41 of the BC Human Rights Code