Addiction and Mental Health Worker, First Contact

Direct Service - OPSEU
Full-Time, Contract (End date: June 30, 2026)
London, Ontario - London Zone

- Application Deadline: April 14, 2025 -

The Addiction and Mental Health Worker, 200 Queens First Contact, will perform duties and responsibilities consistent with providing short-term support for clients attending CMHA TVAMHS 200 Queens Avenue site. The Addiction and Mental Health Worker will ensure the safety of clients, encourage empowerment and crisis resolution while maintaining a calm, welcoming and respectful environment for all. This would include individuals-served, colleagues, community partners, delivery personnel, the public and all visitors. They will support the administrative requirements of the site departments. 

Successful candidates must have a Police Vulnerable Sector Check completed in the last six months. Interested applicants who reside in the City of London and are in need of a Police Vulnerable Sector Check (PVSC) are encouraged to apply for one as soon as possible as PVSCs in the City of London are currently taking approximately 2 weeks to be processed and offers of employment cannot be made without receipt of a PVSC.

Consider revitalizing your career and making a difference in your community by joining our team!

WHAT WE'RE OFFERING:

• What you'll be making - $27.14 per hour (Practicing Professional Grid)
  • The above are initial rates; with grid increases as per policy
  • Internal staff members will be placed on the appropriate grid based on their current rate of pay, up to Level 8 (34.41) of the grid (see Intranet Policy - bit.ly/CompensationPolicyPg16)
     
• When you'll work - 70 hours over two-week period, Monday to Tuesday 12pm-8pm and Wednesday to Friday 8:30am – 4:30pm
   
• What your benefits will be - 9% in lieu of benefits
• Your pension plan – Option to enroll in Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) 
   

HOW YOU WILL BE MAKING A DIFFERENCE:

Direct Service:

• Serve as initial contact in greeting and directing clients-served, staff and guests with a primary focus on providing a welcoming environment to all site visitors
• Contribute to a welcoming and supportive environment for individuals attending programs and groups
• Utilize an understanding and sympathetic approach to maximize the benefits of engagement between the staff person and the individual-served

• Share in the provision of intake supports, including screening client needs, in collaboration with treatment & recovery programs 
• Provide basic organizational information to individuals-served and the public

• Provide information regarding resources found within both the broader addiction and mental health system and the community in general
• Ensure that all inquiries are addressed in a timely and respectful manner
• Work collaboratively with colleagues to ensure the effective flow of relevant information between employees as well as to individuals-served and site visitors (including messages, service information, organizational and site-specific information)
• Contact back-up staff when necessary 
• Respond competently when an emergency code is issued 
• Complete mental health and addiction assessments and interventions including rapid response, risk assessment, de-escalation, stabilization, and referral to determine participant needs and level of risk
• Utilize interventions consistent with a harm reduction approach 
• Provide short-term follow-up support to bridge the gap from referral to engagement with a longer-term support service as needed
• Engage Emergency Services when it is determined that additional intervention is required

Administrative Duties

• Responding to in-person and phone referrals for services
• Operate telephone system – answer, screen and forward telephone calls, document and relay information
• Work collaboratively with referral sources and individuals-served to ensure a smooth transition to services
• Scheduling appointments, and making reminder calls to clients
• Monitor the environment directly and by security cameras and respond as appropriate
• Providing administrative support and assistance to the Directors, Managers, Team Leads, and staff, including assisting with the development and maintenance of departmental correspondence, documentation requirements, procedures, forms, reports, meeting preparations, etc.
• Maintaining accurate files and ensuring that paperwork is completed for other areas within the organization
• Performing other duties and responsibilities consistent with role
• Enter both external and internal referrals for individuals into electronic databases
• Ensure integrity of the database file information through accurate data entries
• Monitor staff Outlook calendars which have been shared for safety / scheduling purposes
• Assist with room booking enquiries, when necessary
• Maintain, monitor and order adequate inventory of office supplies
• Occasionally provide administrative support to other program areas as directed or requested
• Manage correspondence - retrieve, sort, date stamp, and distribute accordingly
• Other duties as required

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO APPLY:

Police Vulnerable Sector Check Requirements

Successful candidates must have a Police Vulnerable Sector Check completed in the last six months. Interested applicants who reside in the City of London and are in need of a Police Vulnerable Sector Check (PVSC) are encouraged to apply for one as soon as possible as PVSCs in the City of London are currently taking approximately 2 weeks to be processed and offers of employment cannot be made without receipt of a PVSC.

We require the following qualifications:

• Clear, current Police Vulnerable Sector Check (PVSC)
• Demonstrated ability to attend work regularly

We prefer the following qualifications:

• Training in crisis intervention and crisis resolution, including ASIST
• Extensive knowledge of community resources, service & support programs, and barriers participants face in accessing same  
• Working knowledge of a variety of treatment, intervention, and support strategies for mental health and addictions
• Computer literacy
• 3 years’ experience working in mental health and/or addiction
• 2 years’ experience in mental health crisis intervention
• Experience with, and detailed knowledge of, mild, moderate & serious mental illnesses and addiction usually gained by several years of working with this population
• Experience working in a community-based setting; preferably with an established network of service & support resources
• Ability to assess level of risk
• Bilingual both official languages, preferred; préférence sera accordée aux candidats qui sont compétents dans les deux langues officielles du Canada

 INTERNAL APPLICANTS: To be considered as an internal applicant, current staff members are reminded to apply using their @cmhatv.ca or @slwar.ca email address.

Get your application in by – April 14, 2025:

Our recruitment process allows us to learn about your previous work experience, your qualifications and your commitment to fulfilling our vision. While we appreciate the interest of all applicants, only those individuals being considered for a position will be personally contacted by someone from the interview team. 

We welcome and encourage applications from all members of our community including persons of any gender, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation, persons with disabilities, Indigenous persons, and members of visible minorities. If you require accommodations related to a disability at any point during the recruitment process, please contact [email protected]