Client Access Worker

Overview

Internal/External Employment Opportunity

Position: Client Access Worker/Intake Worker

Component/Team: Client Access Team

Status: One Year Contract, 1.0 FTE Full-Time (35 hours per week)

Salary Scale: $56,839 - $68,468 annualized salary plus benefits

Work location: On-Site at 221 Nelson Street

Vacancy status: This posting is for an existing vacancy

Start Date: Immediately

Final date to receive applications: February 13, 2026 at 4:00 p.m.

The Client Access/Intake Worker plays a critical role in engaging, welcoming, assessing the needs of, and providing direct services and internal / external referrals for clients and community members. The Client Access/Intake Worker provides timely phone responses to requests for addiction and mental health information, requests for counseling services and requests for information about Centre and community services. The Client Access/Intake Worker provides information, intake, preliminary assessment and referral services to ensure seamless service provision.

The Client Access Worker also facilitates education groups, and provides crisis counseling and follow-up supportive counseling. The Client Access Worker provides care coordination to support and promote a coordinated approach to treatment planning and service delivery. A large portion of this role involves group facilitation.

Reporting Relationship:

The position is directly accountable to the Client Access Team Lead, through the Team Lead to the Director of Community and Social Services and to the Executive Director.

Requirements for this position include:

Education and Language

• A Baccalaureate degree in Social Sciences or a related discipline
• Be a member in good standing of a college or order such as the College of Registered Social Workers and Social Service Workers
• Under the Centre’s designation to provide French Language Services:
• French (oral expression):
  Advanced
• French (oral comprehension):
  Advanced +
• French (reading comprehension):
  Intermediate +
• Fluency in English, both oral and written

Professional Experience

• Two to four years front line client experience providing direct service in a social service setting, particularly with individuals living with Concurrent Disorders and/or their loved ones
• Experience facilitating groups such as SMART Recovery
• Experience conducting intake and preliminary psychosocial, substance use, problem gambling and mental health assessments
• Experience with motivational interviewing or other engagement strategies
• Experience working with a broad range of populations, including: at risk youth, street-involved people, people with mental health challenges and/or problematic substance use and their loved ones, multi-cultural communities and people experiencing significant barriers to access
• ASIST, Non-violent Crisis Intervention (NVCI), Motivational Interviewing and SMART Recovery training an asset
• Experience facilitating education groups

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge, understanding and sensitivity to substance use, problem gambling, mental health issues and concurrent disorders
• Ability to work within a harm reduction framework
• Knowledge of motivational interviewing techniques
• Knowledge and experience of the various approaches to substance use
• Knowledge and experience with supportive counseling techniques
• Knowledge of community resources in Ottawa
• Strong interpersonal, organizational and problem-solving skills
• Strong intake, assessment and triage skills
• Strong crisis intervention skills
• Ability to de-escalate crisis situations in a therapeutic manner
• Effective communication skills
• Ability to work under stress with multiple demands and tasks
• Demonstrated flexibility, good judgment, initiative & creativity
• Respect and valuing of the diversity of communities and individuals
• Demonstrated ability to exercise strong decision-making skills and deal with unpredictable situations
• Ability to identify client service needs and refer appropriately
• Ability to facilitate education groups of up to 25 participants
• A non-judgmental and positive attitude towards street-involved people, people who are HIV+ or who are at risk of becoming HIV+ and people with…