The community support workforce is classified in the category of social and community service workers [1], under a wide range of position titles. Community Support Workers, however, all provide services to marginalised individuals, families and communities, helping them to tackle the problems that face their local area.

Community Support workers, managers and supervisors perform a variety of important tasks in the social service field, providing direct services in diverse settings, such as counselling and support, outreach and engagement to the isolated, helping disadvantaged clients to meet their basic needs for food, shelter and clothing.

Managers coordinate and supervise social service programs and community organizations, and manage workers who provide social services to individuals, families and the community.

Supervisors use their expertise in team management to mentor and coach new generations of community support workers who will continue to bring the necessary changes that Indigenous individuals, families and communities need to enjoy healthy lives and social well-being.

Community support workers, managers (or coordinators) and supervisors are employed by First Nations, Inuit, Metis or mainstream social and health services and programs, government agencies, mental health agencies, group homes, shelters, substance abuse centres, school boards, correctional facilities and other establishments.

ICBOC offers two streams of Community Support workers certifications:

–    Inuit-specific Community Support certifications, developed through the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy (ASETS) in collaboration with Tungasuvvingat Inuit (TI) and Ilinniapaa Skills Development Centre (iSDC)

–    Indigenous Community Support certifications, available to the First Nations, Metis unregulated workforce in the social and community services sector. The Indigenous community support certifications are also offered to mainstream workers who are employed in Indigenous work settings and who need to demonstrate the relevant experience and competencies in First Nations and Metis culture expected by Indigenous employers, colleagues, clients and communities.

[1]  https://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p3VD.pl?Function=getVD&TVD=314243&CVD=314247&CPV=4212&CST=01012016&MLV=4&CLV=4 

Certified Indigenous community support managers administer and implement a variety of front-line assistance programs and community services, for those who are caught up in the gaps in the social determinants of health resulting from the colonial process and the ongoing impact of the current dominant sociopolitical system. 

Inuit, First Nations and Metis community support Managers are skilled professionals who in collaboration with their staff, work alongside members of troubled communities, inspiring them, supporting them, and offering them guidance and opportunities for initiating social change and making improvements to their own community. They promote safe, inclusive, and nurturing environments where their clients’ abilities can shine.  Essentially, they help individuals, families and communities to help themselves.

Manager of Community Support are responsible for cultivating a strong customer community in public forums, identifying and strengthening relationships with community advocates, and promoting and growing that community.  They are often expected to show that their programs and services are effective and may use evaluations to identify opportunities to improve their programs, such as providing mentorship and assessments for their staff. Most managers are involved in recruiting, hiring, and training new staff members.

Horizontal Laddering

Certified Indigenous community support Supervisors oversee a variety of front-line assistance programs and community services for those who are caught up in the gaps in the social determinants of health resulting from the colonial process and the ongoing impact of the current dominant sociopolitical system.

Inuit, First Nations and Metis community support Managers are skilled professionals whose main responsibility is to manage a team. Supervisors create and oversee their team’s workflow, or the tasks required to complete a job. Supervisors define goals, communicate objectives and monitor team performance. They assist new employees to understand their role and support them during their transition, providing workplace orientation and explaining company policies or job duties.

Supervisors are responsible for evaluating performance and providing feedback and are often responsible for reporting team and individual performance to human resources and senior management.

Horizontal Laddering

The ICBOC horizontal laddering certification system allows certified members who are changing job or their career orientation, to have the accumulated knowledge and skills that is recorded in their ICBOC certification records, transferred to an application for a different certification.  Many standards and requirements across the ICBOC range of certifications are transferable. Please contact ICBOC’s Registrar if you are contemplating a certification switch.

Vertical Laddering

ICBOC’s vertical laddering certification system allows Certified professionals to reach higher levels of certification. The next certification level opportunity for community Support Supervisors is the ICBOC Team Leader certification, which opens the door to certification with the First Nations Health Manager Association (FNHMA). To obtain more information regarding this opportunity, please contact ICBOC at  [email protected]

Once you have decided on the type of certification you are applying for (Inuit-specific or indigenous), we recommend you select and download the relevant summaries of standards and requirements (for level I and for level II) so you can determine which certification level fits your situation. This will guide you as to which application package you need to download and complete. All these clickable documents are listed below:

Inuit-Specific Certifications

 Summary of Standards and Requirements – Certified Inuit Community Support Supervisor

 Application Package – Certified Inuit Community Support Supervisor

Indigenous-Specific Certifications

 Summary of Standards and Requirements – Certified Indigenous Community Supervisor

 Application Package – Certified Indigenous Community Support Supervisor 

Other Documents

ICBOC Workforce Capacity Development Model