Wellness Navigator
Wellness Navigator
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Job Description
Community Development Council Durham (CDCD) is an independent notforprofit social planning organization that has been working to enhance the quality of life for individuals families and communities in Durham for 55 years. We organize a variety of research community development and social planning initiatives as well as administer and deliver front line social service programs. Please visit us at for more information.
- Using a clientcentred antioppression antiracism traumainformed genderbased analysis plus and strengthbased approaches build relationships and establish rapport with clients and partners.
- Maintain confidentiality and privacy protection measures for all community partners vendors staff and clients.
- Promote a highfunctioning teamwork environment that is inclusive harmonious cooperative efficient and productive.
- Participate in promoting a positive workplace culture through agency committee membership and departmental activities.
- Develop and distribute promotional materials that are culturally inclusive and accessible (e.g. translated into multiple languages plain language formats and accessible formats for persons with disabilities).
- Foster client participation by addressing barriers such as language childcare transportation and accessibility needs.
- Engage diverse community partners including womens organizations LGBTQIA groups disability advocacy organizations and cultural associations.
- Regularly connect and follow up with newcomers particularly those from equitydeserving groups such as racialized communities seniors women fleeing violence and individuals with disabilities to promote wellness by sharing tailored information and referrals.
- Plan and conduct Newcomer Wellness Check sessions with a traumainformed culturally responsive and intersectional approach with youth seniors and families.
- Organize culturally appropriate events that reflect the diverse lived experiences of newcomers and create safe welcoming spaces for participation.
- Provide referrals to community supports and the Durham Welcome Centres with an awareness of systemic barriers that clients may face.
- Recruit and train volunteers who reflect the diversity of the community and ensure they receive equity training to support the Newcomer Wellness Check initiative effectively.
- Conduct intake assessments using an intersectional approach to identify clients unique needs strengths and systemic challenges.
- Develop and implement personalized wellness plans that consider diverse gender roles caregiving responsibilities and cultural perspectives on health and wellness.
- Revitalize Peer Support groups and provide holistic support ensuring equitable access to mental health supports housing financial stability resources and wellness programs.
- Identify and address systemic barriers to accessing services (e.g. discrimination eligibility restrictions lack of culturally responsive care).
- Create promotional materials that reflect diverse representation and inclusive language.
- Leverage social media and alternative communication methods to reach underrepresented communities effectively
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Facilitate and deliver community presentations that incorporate antiGBV GBA principles ensuring they are accessible to individuals with different literacy levels abilities and cultural backgrounds.
- Serve as a liaison between clients and service providers advocating for equitable access to healthcare housing education and employment services.
- Guide clients in accessing community resources while recognizing systemic barriers such as racism sexism ableism and socioeconomic inequality.
- Assist clients in navigating gendered impacts of wellness challenges (e.g. genderbased violence employment discrimination caregiving burdens).
- Stay informed about community resources and policies through an equity and inclusion lens ensuring uptodate knowledge on diverse program eligibility criteria.
- Facilitate workshops or oneonone coaching sessions on wellness selfcare and mental health awareness with a focus on diverse lived experiences (e.g. racialized trauma intergenerational trauma disabilityspecific wellness strategies).
- Empower clients by providing education on their rights and selfadvocacy skills particularly for marginalized groups facing systemic barriers.
- Ensure workshops are designed to accommodate diverse needs (e.g. offering childcare transportation support and accessibility measures).
- Report to and collaborate with HR serve as the colead and active member of CDCDs antiGBV and Wellness Communities and organize wellness activities that support worklife balance for volunteers and staff.
- Build and maintain strong partnerships with equityseeking organizations including gender equity groups Indigenous organizations disability networks and LGBTQIA advocacy groups.
- Collaborate with team members counselors and social service professionals to ensure intersectional clientcentered care.
- Work with government and community partners to address policy gaps and improve inclusivity in service delivery
- Maintain accurate and timely records of client interactions and progress while ensuring data collection methods are sensitive to diverse identities (e.g. allowing clients to selfidentify gender race and accessibility needs).
- Prepare board funder and iCARE reports. Analyze trends using antigenderbased violence and GBA frameworks to highlight disparities inform program improvements and advocate for policy change.
- Ensure confidentiality and ethical handling of client and staff data with attention to safety considerations for survivors of violence and vulnerable populations.
Core Competencies
Valuing Diversity and Social Justice
Using an antioppression lens supports and promotes an environment that holds opportunities for all regardless of race ancestry colour ethnic origin citizenship creed religion sex sexual orientation age family status or disability; fosters a climate of inclusion where diverse thoughts are freely shared and social justice all groups and individuals receive fair treatment and an equitable share of the benefits of society.
Culturally Sensitive
Recognizing understanding and applying attitudes and practices that are sensitive to and appropriate for people with diverse cultural socioeconomic and educational backgrounds and persons of all ages genders health statuses sexual orientations and abilities.
Advocacy
Interventions such as speaking writing or acting in favour of a particular issue or cause policy or group of people. In the social services sector advocacy is assumed to be in the public interest whereas lobbying by a special interest group may or may not be in the public interest. Advocacy often aims to enhance the quality of life for disadvantaged groups such as individuals recently immigrating to Canada persons with disabilities the LGBT community etc.
Community Participation
Procedures whereby members of a community participate directly in decisionmaking about developments that affect the community. It covers a spectrum of activities ranging from passive involvement in community life to intensive actionoriented participation in community development (including political initiatives and strategies).
JobSpecific Competencies
Client Service Orientation
Focus on understanding and meeting clients needs makes extra effort to meet the needs of the individual client and the family through a proven case management model and follows up on complaints/questions/requests.
Relationship Building and Partnering
Developing and maintaining positive relationships and partnerships. Builds relationships with clients by following through on commitments respecting confidentiality and demonstrating an interest in their specific challenges and needs.
Empathetic and Sensitive
Has a high degree of empathy and sensitivity to the needs of the clients and ability to provide assistance to the clients with care and patience as necessary.
Interpersonal Understanding and Communication Skills
Desire/ability to understand others attitudes/interests/needs/feelings/nonverbal behavior incorporating empathy listening skills and diagnostic understanding understanding strengths/limitations of others. Communicates and interacts effectively with individuals and groups in the provision of professional services. Gives full attention to what other people are saying by being active listeners who value the opinions of their workers. Capable of using their communication skills to successfully gather information that they need. They are also people who are trusted and can build relationships with others.
Presentation Skills
Effective in a variety of formal and informal presentation settings; commands attention and manages group process during the presentation; is cognizant of audience response and able to adapt content and style accordingly.
Ability to work in a team environment and independently
Has a strong capability to work in a team environment and support the separate functions that make a team as well as work on individual tasks that support that overall program.
Community Knowledge
Ability to express vast knowledge of the Durham Community as well as knowledge in social government and community services.
- The Wellness Navigator will work out of an office environment and will be required to lift up to 20 lbs.
- Prolonged sitting is required.
- The Wellness Navigator will need to be flexible in the case of attending evening and/or weekend meetings and events as required.
- Valid Class G drivers license and access to a reliable vehicle and insurance with the ability to work in a variety of settings.
- The successful candidate must provide an acceptable Vulnerable Sector Screening and certificate demonstrating proof of full vaccination against COVID19 prior to commencing employment.
- The physical ability to function effectively in an environment that include normal office duties being carried out in an external setting.
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Required to travel for training conferences meetings and committee meetings.
- Degree or Diploma in Social WorkPsychology Community Health Social Services or a related field or a related field. Equivalent work experience will be considered.
- 23 years of experience in case management client support or community services preferably in mental health wellness navigation or settlement services.
- Experience working with GBA (GenderBased Analysis Plus) programs applying an intersectional lens to identify and address systemic barriers faced by diverse populations.
- Experience working with diverse populations including newcomers refugees and individuals from marginalized communities.
- Knowledge of traumainformed care practices and equityfocused service delivery.
- Familiarity with community resources healthcare systems and wellnessrelated supports in the Durham Region.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to build rapport and establish trust with clients.
- Demonstrated cultural competency and sensitivity when working with diverse client groups.
- Excellent problemsolving and critical thinking skills to address client needs and navigate complex situations.
- Ability to develop and implement personalized wellness plans in collaboration with clients.
- Proficiency in case management practices including conducting intake assessments providing referrals and maintaining accurate client records.
- Organizational and time management skills to effectively manage multiple cases and meet deadlines.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word Excel Outlook) and experience with client data management systems.
Employment Type
Full-Time
