POSITION SUMMARY

Consistent with the interprofessional setting and the mission, vision and strategic directions of CHEO, the Social Worker provides psychosocial assessments and intervention to assist patients and families presented with health issues during hospitalization. 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 health issues and treatment. The Social Worker will provide short-term counseling related to diagnosis and adjustment to illness, crisis intervention, assist with discharge planning and liaison with community based agencies and services. The Social Worker will advocate on behalf of patients and families with regards to community services/resources and financial assistance.

The Social Worker will be a member of the CHEO Discipline of Social Work.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

• 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 professional practice standards and clinical policies.

• Provides counseling and support to patients and their families by offering brief individual and family counseling, crisis intervention and conflict resolution related to treatment decisions, child welfare, mental health, trauma, illness, treatment refusal, end of life decisions and loss.

• Advocates on behalf of families with respect to services and supports

• 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.

• Performs administrative tasks by maintaining clinical documentation, progress notes, workload statistics and updating health records in accordance with established standards.

• Carries other responsibilities as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS

§ Police Record Check (PRC) (Essential)

§ M.S.W. graduate from an accredited university program in social work (Preferred)

§ B.S.W. graduate will be considered if other qualifications are met (Essential)

§ Member of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers and broad knowledge of Social Work theory, practice and regulations established by the College (Essential)

§ Demonstrated expertise and knowledge about the impact of illness on children, youth and families (Essential)

§ Minimum of 2 years experience within a pediatric and community-based health care setting (Preferred)

§ Demonstrated ability to work independently (Essential)

§ Demonstrated ability to conduct and document a comprehensive psychosocial assessment (Essential)

§ Fluency in both English and French (Essential)

§ Demonstrated ability to plan, organize and prioritize work (Essential)

§ Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and effectively in an interprofessional environment with co-workers, physicians, clients and their families and external agencies (Essential)

§ Knowledge of community resources (Preferred)

§ Ability to operate a computerized patient care information system (Preferred)

§ Demonstrated ability to integrate the following approaches into practice: Strength-Based Perspective, Family System’s Theory, Grief & Bereavement Therapy, Crisis Intervention and Brief Solution-Focused Therapy (Preferred)

§ Comfort level and skill in preparing and delivering presentations (Preferred)

Please note you will be represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU).

Should the applicant require any accommodations during the application process please notify Human Resources as per the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.