WHY CHOOSE TO BE CERTIFIED WITH FNWACCB

The need for certification of First Nations and Inuit Addictions Counsellors has been underlined in various National Reports, Strategies and Policies and documents from major First Nations organisations, as part of a wider Aboriginal workforce development movement.

The First Nations Wellness and Addictions Certification Board is the result of over 20 years of efforts to create an organisation able to certify First Nations Addictions counsellors with standards on a par with other mainstream and international certification organisations, while recognizing the differenciated cultural knowledge and skills held by Aboriginal addictions practitioners and needed to work effectively with Aboriginal populations.

Many of these practitioners are working for the National Native Alcohol and Drug Addictions Program. NNADAP has been a strong and constant supporter of training and certification for its workforce, with the goal of certifying 80% of its workforce by 2012.

In the Report from the January 12–13, 2010 National Forum on NNADAP Renewal, which brought together a broad range of NNADAP partners including community members, service providers, AFN Health Technicians, FNAAP members and representatives from national mental health and addictions initiatives, spoke of the need to include and recognize the role of culture and cultural competencies in training and certification of NNADAP addiction workers. As documented in the report, this commitment is supported by its stakeholders, with several references to FNWACCB culturally relevant certification.
http://chiefs-of-ontario.org/Assets/NNADAP%20Renewal%20National%20Forum%20Summary%20FINAL%20April%202010.pdf

Some reasons for choosing FNWACCB to obtain your certification as an Indigenous Certified Addictions Specialist

FNWACCB supports ICRC in recognizing that "Worldwide, substance abuse is gaining attention for the damage it does to families and communities, and the need for trained, ethical addiction and prevention professionals is growing apace"

• In the establishment of a system for the Certification of First Nations Wellness/Addiction Counsellors, the FNWACCB recognizes the need to define the role of the Addiction specialist in a manner that is distinct from others who may provide additional services to the same client population.
• The FNWACCB, and its sister Indian certification board in the US, support the belief that Certification for the Indigenous Certified Addictions Specialist is necessary because of the recognition that special skills and knowledge are needed to work effectively within the First Nations Community. Certification provides a measure of competence which will be recognized far beyond the First Nations community, and constitutes an important step to ensure the continuation of First Nations Wellness and Addiction Programs.
• The FNWACCB recognizes that the Aboriginal Wellness and Addictions workforce includes a majority representation of a spectrum of paraprofessionals, with long years of experience and skills. Counsellors in both the Treatment Centres and First Nation and Inuit communities have taken a multitude of practical training, workshops and have gained tremendous experience that currently is not being acknowledged.
• The FNWACCB recognizes that Aboriginal Addiction Workers tend to prefer practical learning situations, best provided by semi-formal or informal training such as workshops, seminars, training conferences, ad-hoc courses, etc., offered externally or internally. They tend to obtain specific skills that are related to the tasks of their positions. The majority of treatment centres themselves offer financial support for attendance at training events or conferences, provide in-house seminars or workshops, and provide in-house training programs.
• The FNWACCB concurs with the comment from Aboriginal Service providers in the Addictions services that they are the most trained people, if their informal and practical training is taken into account.
• Training and certification are directly related to wages and career advancement, to recruitment and retention and quality of services. The FNWACCB certification, in establishing standards on a par or exceeding mainstream certification standards plays an indirect, but crucial role in providing Addiction workers with nationally recognized qualifications that will place them on a par with their mainstream colleagues.
• Through its website and other communications tools, the FNWACCB gives its certified specialists regular access to the latest developments in the field and targeted training opportunities.

• A FNWACCB Addiction Specialist Certification offers competitive, high, culturally relevant professional standards on a par with other national and international certification bodies
  • The First Nations Wellness/Addictions Counsellor Certification Board wascreated at the direction of the Association of BC First Nations Treatment Programs to meet and exceed existing competitive standards, as well as to meet the increasing accountability required by the federal government. Our Board certifies qualified Wellness/Addictions Counsellor Specialists.
  • Our certification attests to the professional qualifications and competence of certified counsellors. Our standards for certification are compliant with 11 International Boards and 70 US Districts, including alcohol/drug groups and authorities in most Provinces and the U.S., First Nations alcohol/drug programs as well as various foreign alcoholism commissions, branches of the military and the First Nations Health Services.
  • The FNWACCB offers three levels of Indigenous Certified Addictions Specialists: ICAS I, ICAS II, and ICAS III. The basic difference between the three levels lies in the length of supervised training and/or work experience, and differences in the amount of Certified Addictions Specialists education acquired.

 

Your rewards as an FNWACCB Indigenous Addictions Specialist Validation of your specialized knowledge and skills Personal sense of accomplishment and of credibility Recognition of your peers, employers and other healthcare and Addictions professionals Pride and satisfaction in effectively applying your cultural skills with indigenous clients Progress in your career through enhanced marketability and mobility