Battered Women’s Support Services Society is hiring…
Women’s Safety and Outreach Support Worker
16 hours per week – Saturday and Sunday 5pm-1am
Additional day shifts or evening shifts may be required
Battered Women’s Support Services is currently hiring for a part time position of Women’s Safety and Outreach Support Worker. This is a part-time position of 16 hours a week working in the Downtown Eastside and out of various locations in Vancouver and the BWSS office.
Purpose of Position
This position works to support consistent institutional and systemic woman centered responses based on practices to prevent violence and sexual exploitation through education awareness, outreach activities and intervention for women and girl survivors of gender violence in the Downtown Eastside Vancouver, BC. This position provides feminist based legal and systems based information, crisis intervention, safety planning, advocacy, accompaniment and referral to women and female youth survivors of sexual and physical assault and violence in intimate relationships and/or criminal harassment.
Key Responsibilities
• Delivers services as program demands require, in accordance with BWSS Statement of Philosophy
• Provides crisis intervention in accordance with BWSS Empowerment model
• Undertake specific outreach to increase program accessibility for women who don’t access mainstream services during mainstream hours including young women, Indigenous women, seniors, Immigrant women and women who do sex work
• Provides assessment and safety planning
• Provides information, resources, advocacy and referrals
• Assists women in accessing other services
• Provides direct services in person and over the phone. Provides coverage where gaps in coverage exist.
• As a member of the Crisis Team trains, orientates, supervises and evaluates women volunteers
• Promotes public awareness, public education and attends community events
• Participates in the developing of support groups for women from various communities living in Vancouver and in the Lower Mainland
• Co-facilitates support groups
• Prepares reports and compile statistics
• Participates in debriefing and case consultation with her supervisor, BWSS staff and volunteers
• Performs other duties as defined in job description
Qualifications
• A strong feminist analysis of violence against women which addresses the understanding of power and its interconnections among gender, race, culture, class, physical ability, sexual orientation, and age as well as all forms of oppression based on experience of colonization, religion, ethnicity and heritage.
• Extensive training, experience and education in a directly related field.
Knowledge of the Criminal Justice System and other systems as they relate to violence against women
• Strong crisis intervention skills
• Able to utilize effective communication and positive relationships to assist women through a problem-solving process.
• Solid understanding of the dynamics of violence and sexual assault against women and girls in relationships and the cycle of abuse
• Ability to speak other language(s) an asset.
• Experience working with women and girl survivors of violence and sexual/physical assault
• Good organization and time management skills
• Well developed communication skills both written and oral
• Experience working on the Downtown Eastside or comparable community
• Strong computer literacy in Word and Excel required
• Experience and ability to co-facilitate support groups
• Ability to work effectively independently and within a team, energetic and self motivated
• Strong work ethics
• Familiar with the issues and needs that refugee and immigrant women’s experience
• Knowledge and experience working with survivors of historic racism and the impact of colonization
• Strong conflict resolution skills and strong commitment to working as a positive member of a team.
• Willing and open to give and receive feedback
• Demonstrated cultural competency including awareness of diverse marginalized communities in Lower Mainland and ability to work with women from various cultural communities
• Strong commitment to work towards ending violence against women and girls and a proactive stand to address all forms of oppression in women’s lives
• Availability to work evenings and have flexible hours
• Valid Class 5 BC Drivers License
• Satisfactory criminal record search
This position requires union membership. As a bona fide job requirement this position will be held by a woman. Send cover letter and resume detailing how you meet or exceed these qualifications to:
P.O. Box 21503 1424 Commercial Dr., Vancouver, BC, V5L 5G2
Fax: 604-687-1864, Email: amrit@bwss.org No telephone calls please
Application Closing Date: November 9 2012 at 5:00 pm
