Social Worker

Job Summary:

In accordance with the Purpose, Vision, Values, Coast Salish Teachings, and strategic direction of PHSA, as well as safety, including both patient and employee safety, which are 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.
PHSA has a responsibility to deliver care to individuals in the provincial correctional system, and a responsibility to ensure that programs and services are free of Indigenous-specific racism. BCMHSUS is committed to the eradication of Indigenous-specific racism, embedding Indigenous Cultural safety and humility, and improving Indigenous health and wellness for those we serve.
The Social Worker reports operationally to the Manager or the Patient Care Coordinator and for discipline/practice reports to the BCMHSUS Practice Consultant Social Work/Professional Practice Allied Health delegate. The Social Worker works collaboratively as part of an interdisciplinary team and within a trauma-informed, recovery oriented, culturally safe model of care, and is responsible for providing clinical and consultative social work services of a general nature to the defined client populations with complex concurrent disorders and their families and focusing on how the client’s relationships are affected by their environment. Duties include conducting mental health, social and psychosocial assessments and substance use assessments as required, providing individual, family and group counselling services, maintaining client records, and attending interdisciplinary clinical/case conferences. The Social Worker facilitates care throughout the continuum by such methods as identifying applicable community resources for clients, liaising with community services, coordinating resources, consulting with teams, collaborating with community agencies, and participating in education, program planning and research. Performs job duties through a trauma informed care framework and Indigenous cultural lens.

Duties/Accountabilities:

1. Conducts comprehensive concurrent disorder, mental health and psycho-social and family assessments and substance use assessments as necessary by methods such as interviewing the client and/or family, obtaining relevant information, gathering social data regarding the client’s family, environment, living situation, and financial status, and interpreting the data to therapeutically impact the client's and family's coping abilities. Formulates assessment and plan of intervention and intervenes in cases of complex social-emotional or family issues.
2. Provides clinical intervention in the context of evidence-based care to clients and their families through individual, family, and group therapy. Provides individual, family, and group counselling services by exploring emotional responses to illness/injury, identified problems, personal concerns, and treatment objectives to facilitate change in coping style, behaviour, attitude, feelings and adaptive responses to an adverse life event. Refers to community services for follow-up as necessary.
3. Collaborates with designated care management personnel to facilitate the management of cases with complex discharge needs. Receives referrals from care management personnel and other members of the interdisciplinary team to assist patients/families with complex emotional or social presentations, as well as facilitate care through the continuum.
4. Establishes and maintains effective collaborative and constructive liaison relationships with a variety of individuals and groups, including clients and families and others, such as community providers, hospitals, and other agencies to coordinate services across the continuum of health care.
5. Supports clients and their families by providing education, short-term counselling, and crisis interventions during adjustments to the assigned health care setting, new diagnosis of health, concurrent disorder, mental health and/or substance use issues, and/or change or loss in health functioning.
6. Attends and/or leads clinical/case conferences as a member of an interdisciplinary team for client reviews, admissions, and discharges as per program requirements by methods such as providing input from a social work perspective on a variety of care issues related to the client, and to ensure proper and effective treatment of the client.
7. Provides consultative and direct services to clients, families, staff and community health professionals regarding issues such as adult guardianship, child welfare, advanced directives, domestic violence, abuse or neglect, immigration, housing, financial concerns, or matters concerning government agencies (public trustee) and authorities (courts, police). Advocates for the client and family for resources within the healthcare setting and the community by determining financial and other material needs through assessment and working in coordination with community resources to meet these needs.
8. Prepares and maintains client records by methods such as documenting client assessments, interventions, evaluations, modifications and client goals, charting client information, preparing progress notes and reports in accordance with established standards, policies, and procedures, to meet regulatory requirements, and provide evidence and rationale that support findings and intervention plan.
9. Participates in program/practice planning, development, and evaluation as part of an interdisciplinary team within their defined program, the BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services, and the continuum of health care by methods such as identifying opportunities for change, assessing available resources, analyzing outcomes, and identifying areas for improved efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery to enhance client service and reduce gaps in services in the community. Participates in program strategies by identifying and providing input to enhance system processes and resources for clients and their families.
10. Maintains broad knowledge of developments in the Social Work profession and sets measurable goals and objectives within a team or individual environment, by methods such as reviewing literature in specialty areas, consulting with clinical and community experts within the field, evaluating clinical practice, participating in professional development activities, and developing a plan in collaboration with the Health Services Manager, /Patient Care Coordinator, BCMHSUS Practice Consultant Social Work/Professional Practice Allied Health delegate , and as appropriate, the BCMHSUS Director of Professional Practice -Allied Health for professional development; reviews progress to ensure that goals are achieved within established time frames.
11. Maintains a variety of records such as workload statistics by methods such as recording information into approved formats, collating data, analyzing trends, accounting for variances, and providing input and recommendations to the Health Services Manager/ Patient Care Coordinator and BCMHSUS Practice Consultant - Social Work/Professional Practice Allied Health.
12. Participates in practice and program sponsored interdisciplinary research by methods such as conducting literature searches, administering surveys, and collecting and collating research data for further analysis.
13. Attends and/or leads meetings, in-services, and corporate initiatives by methods such as presenting relevant materials/topics to remain informed of departmental/practice activities and to contribute to hospital initiatives.
14. Provides orientation to new employees and social work staff by explaining the scope of practice within the program.
15. Provides preceptorship/supervision to social work students as assigned, by performing duties such as demonstrating and explaining procedures and processes and providing input and guidance regarding progress. Provides students with the opportunity to observe and take an active role in the treatment of social work clients.
16. Performs other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

Education, Training and Experience
• Current full registration with the British Columbia College of Social Workers
• Minimum one (1) year recent, related experience working in a health care setting with the designated population group in the applicable program area/setting, such as individuals with complex concurrent psychiatric disorder and/or substance use issues and/or individuals who have a developmental disability and concurrent mental health and/or behavioural issues, or an equivalent combination of education, training, or experience.
Skills and Abilities
• Commitment to developing knowledge and understanding of legislative obligations and provincial commitments found in the foundational documents – including Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action (2015), In Plain Sight (2020), BC's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (2019), United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Reclaiming Power and Place Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls Calls for Justice (2019), the Declaration Act Action Plan and Remembering Keegan: A First Nations Case Study – and how they intersect across the health care system.
• Broad knowledge of complex mental health and concurrent disorders/issues, such as substance use or developmental disability, including current trends, best practices, and modalities of treatment.
• Broad knowledge of systems thinking in relation to social work process.
• Broad knowledge of other health disciplines and their role in healthcare.
• Broad knowledge of research methodology.
• Broad knowledge of counselling skills and clinical practice models.
• Broad knowledge of Trauma-Informed Practice and its application to the defined population of clients
• Demonstrated knowledge of and ability to provide crisis intervention, short term counselling and individual, family and group therapy.
• Broad knowledge of legislation and government policies and procedures, including the Mental Health Act, that relate to the client and their family.
• Demonstrated ability to apply systems theory to practice in Social Work assessment and intervention.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct social and psychosocial assessments.
• Demonstrated ability to understand and influence group and inter-group processes, decision making and problem solving.
• Demonstrated ability to establish rapport with clients and families to explore issues that are beyond the initial presented concerns.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing with clients, families, team members, other groups, and community agency personnel.
• Demonstrated ability to adjust to new or unexpected events.
• Demonstrated ability to deal effectively with conflict situations.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively as a member of an interdisciplinary team.
• Skilled in the use of equipment, and in the techniques appropriate for treatment.
• Basic Computer literacy to operate a computerized patient care information system.
• Physical ability to perform the duties of the position.