Senior Social Worker

• Northern Adelaide Local Health Network – Lyell McEwin Hospital – Elizabeth Vale
• Salary: $108,347 - $116,216 p.a. plus Superannuation and Salary Sacrifice benefits – AHP3
• Temporary Full-Time, up to 30 November 2026

Northern Adelaide Local Health Network (NALHN) is eager to recruit an experienced Social Worker to work in our dynamic, growing and supportive team, to help us deliver exceptional care to our community.

About the Role:

In this role, you'll work within a multidisciplinary team providing essential social work services to patients and families during critical medical episodes. This role combines clinical expertise with compassionate care delivery in a fast-paced acute care environment.

This role reports to the Senior Manager of Social Work for professional and operational matters and participates as part of a dedicated Acute Medical Unit team, reporting day to day with the Allied Health Acute Medical Unit Coordinator.

As a Senior Social Worker, you will be involved in complex case coordination and provide clinical expertise to support inter-disciplinary assessment, care planning, service delivery, and discharge coordination for acute medical patients. A key focus is contributing to effective discharge planning aligned with the 'Return Home First' philosophy, ensuring patients/carers experience safe and timely transitions to their home environment.

In this fast-paced environment, you will deliver high-level, patient-carer centred care through comprehensive discipline and inter-disciplinary assessments and timely interventions that support recovery, prevent functional decline, and facilitate safe discharge, collaborating closely with medical, nursing, and allied health colleagues to optimise patient outcomes, reduce hospital admissions, and enhance service efficiency.

Working across 7 days and public holidays may be required.

To be eligible for this position, you must hold an appropriate degree or equivalent qualification which gives eligibility for full membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers.

About You:

To excel in this role, you will possess proven strong clinical reasoning, problem solving, report writing skills and clear communication skills. Also, the ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team.

This is an excellent opportunity to contribute to a passionate, highly driven, dedicated and progressive team.

About Us:

The Northern Adelaide Local Health Network (NALHN) is a leading provider of public healthcare services in South Australia.

NALHN serves over 400,000 people in northern Adelaide with a comprehensive range of high-quality medical services, including emergency, surgical, obstetric, neonatal, paediatric, oncology, geriatric, palliative care and rehabilitation, and mental health care. Recently, NALHN has upgraded its facilities and plans to expand further. The network provides primary health care with a focus on community health promotion and chronic disease management. With nearly 6,500 employees, NALHN emphasises quality care and a supportive work environment guided by respect, integrity, and accountability. Our core values foster excellence, innovation, and equitable health outcomes.

Our 300-plus Allied Health professionals play an integral role in multidisciplinary teams delivering outstanding care to patients across our acute, subacute and hospital avoidance services.

At NALHN Everyone Has a Story, Everyone Matters, Everyone Contributes and Everyone Grows.

At NALHN, we have a strong commitment to providing a clinically interesting professional experience, with structured and supportive education and professional development, and career progression pathways.

Some feedback from current employees about working as Allied Health Professionals in NALHN includes:

"My favourite part about working in NALHN is the close working relationships we have across Allied Health to optimise patient care."

"I feel like I'm part of a growing and developing service."

"I love the great team dynamic and the culture of learning and support."

Benefits of working at NALHN:

From salary packaging to flexible working arrangements, a large range of opportunities for movement and career progression, you'll find there are lots of benefits of working with Northern Adelaide Local Health Network.

You will have access to professional development opportunities during work hours, plus ability to apply for the Allied Health Professionals + Professional Development Reimbursement Program (AHP+PDR) for financial reimbursement of professional development activity up to a capped amount per financial year.

Incremental wage increases in-line with the incremental wage increases in-line with the Allied Health Professionals, Assistants and Psychologists Enterprise Agreement 2025

Access to experienced clinicians across a broad range of expertise, who are supportive of collegial sharing of skills and knowledge in different therapies and client presentations.

Salary packaging is an option for saving money by paying for some of your everyday expenses from your salary before it is taxed.

Relocation assistance may be available for successful applicants from interstate or overseas.

NALHN supports and fosters a culture in which employees feel they belong and feel safe at work. The culture aims to encourage all people to use their talents and to be valued and rewarded for their contributions.

In addition to this, other benefits of working as a Social Worker in NALHN include:

• professional development opportunities. We have a well-established Allied Health Education unit which offers high-quality, targeted in-house training, and staff are also eligible for external, funded professional development via the Allied Health Professionals Plus Professional Development Reimbursement Program, to allow you to continue to build upon your professional foundations
• opportunities to participate in research. NALHN have an Allied Health Research Chair, who is able to work with clinicians and teams to support clinical research
• regular clinical supervision, allowing you to receive individualised support, learning and development to help you achieve your career goals

The South Australian public sector promotes diversity and flexible ways of working including part-time. Applicants are encouraged to discuss the flexible working arrangements for this role.

Appointment will be subject to a satisfactory Criminal History Check.

Check(s):

• DHS Working With Children Check (WWCC)
• National Police Check (National Police Certificate) for general employment probity, vulnerable person-related employment and aged care sector screening – apply to any of the accredited bodies approved to offer a service direct to the public. Accreditation is provided by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission. See our National Police Certificate accredited bodies page for links to lodge screening requests.

Immunisation Risk for this position is – Category A (direct contact with blood or body substances)

SA Health Services are required to implement the Addressing vaccine preventable disease: Occupational assessment, screening and vaccination policy in the workplace.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants are encouraged to apply. Job Ref: 918623

Enquiries:

Arryn Mills

A/ Allied Health Director of Clinical Operations

Phone:

E-mail:

Application Closing Date:

14 November 2025 – 11.55PM

Role Description and Further Information:

Senior Social Worker - Acute Medical Unit (AMU) - AHP3 - role

* Refer to the SA Health Career Website – How to apply for further information.