Job Summary:
In accordance with the Purpose, Vision, Values and Coast Salish Teachings, and strategic direction of PHSA, safety, including both patient and employee safety, is a priority and a responsibility shared by everyone at PHSA. As such, the requirement to continuously improve quality and safety is inherent in all aspects of this position.
Consistent with the interprofessional setting and the mission, vision and strategic directions of PHSA and BC Women’s Hospital, the Social Worker provides psychosocial assessments and intervention to assist patients and families presented with health, perinatal, mental health and women’s issues. Social work services are provided to patients and families to address social and emotional stressors resulting from the interaction of physical, social, cultural, and psychological outcomes associated with perinatal issues and treatment, including loss and bereavement services. The Social Worker provides information to team members and relevant community agencies regarding child welfare concerns. Intervention services provided by the Social Worker includes crisis intervention, and short-term counseling, advocacy, liaison with community services, coordination of resources, consultation with teams, collaboration with community agencies, education, program planning and research.
The Social Worker is responsible for providing site-wide crisis coverage for BCW’s and the NICU on a permanent evening, permanent night or permanent week-end shift including Universal Closure Days and Statutory Holidays
Duties/Accountabilities:
1. Conducts comprehensive psycho-social and family assessments by methods such as interviewing the patient and family, obtaining relevant information, gathering social data regarding the patient and family and formulation of assessment and plan of intervention, in accordance with established professional standards of practice, clinical policies, and work-related processes, procedures and guidelines, including patient safety and quality protocols.
2. Provides brief individual and family counseling, crisis intervention, bereavement counseling and conflict resolution related to treatment decisions, child welfare, mental health, domestic violence, trauma, illness, treatment refusal, end of life decisions and loss. Supports families when removals of children occur in hospital.
3. Provides bereavement intervention with loss including morgue viewings when necessary in conjunction with other health care providers such as nursing or spiritual care. Advocates for the patient, family or caregiver for resources within the hospital and the community after assessing financial and other psycho-social needs (e.g. housing).
4. Screens referrals and completes intake related to mental health concerns and recommends consultation with psychiatry as appropriate. Facilitates discharge planning with the team, patient, family and community agencies.
5. Establishes and maintains effective collaborative and constructive liaison relationships with a variety of individuals and groups, including patients and families, community providers, MCFD, VACFSS, social workers, schools, hospitals and other agencies in order to coordinate services across the continuum of health care.
6. Promotes women centered, family centered care and harm reduction (if applicable) by participating in relevant committee work within the Social Work discipline, specialized program, hospital-setting, and/or continuum of health care. Collaborates with team members in case consultations by attending team meetings, rounds and psycho-social forums. Consults with Professional Practice Leader or designate on complex cases and related practice or legal issues.
7. Provides leadership to social work students as assigned by providing guidance and the opportunity to observe and take an active role in the treatment of patients and their families. Provides orientation to new employees and social work staff by explaining the scope of practice within the program.
8. Provides information to interprofessional team members on formalized agreements between C&W and MCFD and C&W guidelines (Children and Youth at Risk for Abuse and Neglect). Shares information regarding scope of practice, psycho-social comprehensive assessment and interventions, knowledge of risk indicators and identifying risk situations, needs of families and family dynamics, and relevant legislation concerning patients and families such as child welfare and FOIPPA. Dissemination of information is achieved through but not limited to team meetings, psycho-social rounds, in-services, and case consultation.
9. Participates in psycho-social research activities and program planning and development relevant to the needs of the patient and family by methods such as collaborating with members of the interprofessional team, conducting literature searches and planning forums for presentation of findings. Identifies, promotes and participates in program planning strategies to enhance system processes and resources for patients and their families.
10. Maintains current knowledge on social work evidence based practice by such methods as reviewing literature, consulting with clinical and community experts in the field, evaluating clinical practice and participating in professional development activities in order to improve care through new practices.
11. Performs administrative tasks by maintaining clinical documentation, progress notes, workload statistics and updating health records in accordance with established standards.
12. Performs other related duties as required.
Qualifications:
Education, Training and Experience
• Master’s Degree in Social Work from an accredited School of Social Work.
• Minimum 2 years recent related experience with patient and families with a health condition relevant to the service/program area within BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre including clinical skills in crisis intervention, assessment, short-term counseling, individual, group and family counseling; must have experience in mental health, child protection, women’s issues, domestic violence, utilizing harm reduction model and grief and loss in a hospital setting; or an equivalent combination of education, training or experience.
• Current full registration with the British Columbia College of Social Workers.
Skills and Abilities
• Broad knowledge of Social Work theory, practice and regulations established by the BC College of Social Workers.
• Demonstrated counselling skills in crisis intervention and bereavement.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct and document a comprehensive psychosocial assessment.
• Demonstrated ability to provide individual, family and group counseling.
• Knowledge of the psychosocial needs of women and families with health and/or mental health conditions and the ability to advocate for patients as they navigate the health care system.
• Understanding of cultural factors, ethical dilemmas and belief systems and their impact on health care.
• Knowledge of child protection issues and relevant legislation concerning children, consents and FOIPPA including adoption legislation.
• Demonstrated knowledge and ability to work with mental health issues, including DSM, and mental health assessment of depression, suicide, and anxiety. Demonstrated knowledge and ability to work with grief and loss.
• Working knowledge of other health care disciplines and their role in client care.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and effectively in an inter-professional environment with coworkers, physicians, clients and their families and external agencies.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate both verbally and in writing.
• Demonstrated ability to plan, organize and prioritize work.
• Ability to problem solve and guide others in resolution of conflict.
• Ability to present at in-services within the hospital and community and knowledge of community resources.
• Working knowledge of research processes and methodology.
• Physical ability to perform the duties of the position.
• Ability to operate a computerized patient care information system.
