Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario (YWHO, www.youthhubs.ca) is an Integrated Youth Services (IYS) initiative designed to address the service gaps in the youth mental health and substance use sectors in Ontario. YWHO supports local service providers to work together in a new way, providing young people in Ontario aged 12 to 25 with access to a full range of integrated services that support their individual needs, including mental health and substance use supports, primary care, education, employment, housing and other social services in one youth-friendly space.
Outcomes are rigorously evaluated within and across hubs focusing on positive outcomes in areas of wellness important to youth and their families. This initiative engages youth, family/caregivers and other partners through a co-creation process, ensuring services are designed and delivered according to their needs. YWHO's IYS model is designed to improve experiences and outcomes for youth by:
- Increasing access to rapid, low-barrier services;
- Reducing transitions by providing care in one location; and
- Providing tailored, high-quality programs co-developed with youth to meet their needs.
YWHO is currently comprised of 32 local hubs (or YWHO Networks) that provide services to youth and families in over 40 communities, as well as a Provincial Office (PO) situated within the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) that provides support to all of these YWHO Networks across the following key areas: implementation, operations, data and evaluation, youth and family engagement, equity, knowledge mobilization, communications, and more.
Position Description
The YWHO Provincial Office at CAMH is seeking a full-time, permanent Implementation Specialist, Indigenous Wellness Initiatives. The Implementation Specialist will report to the Manager of Equity and Engagement, and work closely with the Manager of Site Implementation, Integration and Implementation Leads, Equity and Engagement team, and the Implementation team at the YWHO PO. The Implementation Specialist will also collaborate across all teams (Knowledge Mobilization, Evaluation, Equity, and Research). The Implementation Specialist, Indigenous Wellness Initiatives will play a key role in supporting deliverables of an Integrated Youth Services (IYS) delivery model within local YWHO networks. The Implementation Specialist will also provide guidance and coaching to support collaborative approaches to apply a health equity lens to implementation models, content expertise and evidence-based tools and practices with internal staff, external organizations, and other partners.
The successful candidate will be required to bring specific capacities and expertise in the areas of youth and family engagement, service provider engagement, co-development, coaching, and systems change within Indigenous communities, along with applied knowledge of implementation science, quality improvement, and change management practices. The successful candidate will also have a strong background in anti-oppressive and anti-racist practice, excellent knowledge of equity frameworks and tools, and significant experience supporting others to identify, prioritize, and develop equity-focused actions that advance meaningful and sustained change. The Implementation Specialist supports the active involvement of Indigenous communities and service providers in all stages of implementation, providing tailored and contextualized support at an agency and system level.