Grade 2 Social Worker

Job Description:

• Challenging and rewarding work environment
• Friendly and supportive team environment
• Full time / Fixed term position providing parental leave backfill to February 2027

About The Role
This position provides a specialised and patient-centred response for patients and their families where there is a need for residential care placement following a period of acute hospitalisation.

Main Duties

• Complete highly skilled, comprehensive social work interventions with patients and their families, including psychosocial assessments, mediation, negotiation, advocacy, complex discharge planning and risk assessment
• Support patients and families to understand their rights, options and obligations in relation to locating an appropriate residential care facility
• Work closely with the multi-disciplinary team and unit social workers to ensure that discharge plans are comprehensive and communicated to all parties to achieve timely discharges
• Maintain accurate data collection to underpin the impact and effectiveness of the position

Classifications for this position will range from
SC21 – SC24
($90, ,724 per annum).

Your Contribution

• Bachelor Degree or Qualifying Masters in Social Work
• Social Work experience in a hospital setting is essential
• Solid leadership and supervision skills
• Demonstrated ability to work with complex, high-risk situations
• Current National criminal history check, or willing to obtain

What We Offer

• Salary Packaging – Increase your take home pay
• Employee Assistance Program
• Ability to join Fitness Passport - Your pass to an extensive choice of fitness facilities
• CBD Location, close to Public Transport
• Career development & advancement encouraged
• Culture of continuous improvement

About The Social Work Department
The Social Work Department at SVHM is recognised as a leader in developing and delivering best clinical practice to highly vulnerable groups such as people experiencing homelessness, family violence and addiction. In addition to this, SVHM has a widely respected Aboriginal Health Unit and over 10 years of experience in designing a comprehensive clinical model of responding to Elder Abuse. As a social worker at SVHM, your social work values will fit well within an organisation whose mission and strategy clearly sets out its commitment to advocating for vulnerable groups and providing excellent and compassionate health care.

With a strong focus on innovative service delivery and continuous practice improvement, you will also benefit from the knowledge and support of a Grade 4 social worker who is dedicated to research and quality improvement.

Working at St Vincent's
St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne (SVHM) is a leading teaching, research and tertiary health service. SVHM provides a diverse range of adult clinical services and is driven by values of Compassion, Justice, Integrity and Excellence.

Application
Please attach your resume and cover letter to your application.

Shortlisting for this position will commence immediately. We encourage you to apply promptly as the advertisement may close early should a suitable applicant be sourced.

We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and abilities. Inclusion is essential to our mission and diversity reflects the community we serve.
Please visit our website, for further information regarding our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment at SVHM.

Contact
Penny Lording

SVHA has a duty of care under work health and safety legislation to eliminate and/or control the risk of transmission of vaccine preventable diseases in healthcare settings. You may therefore be required to undergo mandatory immunisations/vaccinations (including flu vaccinations).

• LOCAL WORK ENVIRONMENT

Social Work is situated in the directorate of Integrated Care Services and reports to the General Manager, Allied Health and Pharmacy. The Social Work Department, is managed by the Chief Social Worker and is comprised of 3 service teams: Chronic Illness, Acute Medicine and Sub-Acute.

The department staff are governed by the policies and procedures of the health service and additional department specific protocols. Social Workers are formally employed through the Social Work Department and allocated to work areas according to demand. Staff may be required to change their unit allocation, area of work or site in the interest of the most efficient use of staff resources and in order to maximize staff development opportunities. This position may be required to participate in cross campus rotations.

St Vincent's Social Work is formally affiliated with the School of Social Work at the University of Melbourne for fieldwork teaching. Academic links also exist for both under graduate and post graduate teaching and education.

• POSITION PURPOSE

The Grade 2 Social Worker is required to provide high quality social work services to patients and families through the predominantly autonomous use of proficient clinical skills, effective communication and collaboration and to demonstrate developing professional leadership through pro-active participation within the Social Work service and multidisciplinary teams.

Additionally, education, supervisory and some research responsibilities may be undertaken, as may evaluation and quality improvement activities.

• POSITION DUTIES
• Undertake complex multi-dimensional comprehensive psychosocial assessments, apply clinical reasoning, and formulate appropriately targeted treatment plans with realistic/achievable goals
• Provide appropriate interventions and implement discharge plans for patients and families with regard to context, time constraints and ethical and cultural sensitivities
• Complete assessments incorporating medical and psychosocial information, which underpin relevant theoretical knowledge
• Identify proactively and manage psychosocial risk factors within clinical load
• Autonomously manage caseload and set priorities to ensure appropriate time management
• Complete initial assessments within required time frames
• Develop knowledge of medical diagnoses in area(s) of specialisation and knowledge of related social health issues and resources
• Participate in a coordinated team approach to patient care including facilitating family meetings as required
• Participate in a coordinated team approach to patient care including maintaining patient flow as appropriate
• Promote and develop positive relationships within the department, organisation, health sector and community that promote appropriate service delivery and patient care
• Actively participate and contribute within Department meetings
• Promote an understanding of the professional Social Work role within the organisation
• Accurately document in medical histories to ensure compliance with relevant guidelines and organisational policies
• Participate in medical history audit process to evaluate documentation standards within department as required
• Actively participate in education and learning of self and others, in both professional development and evaluation
• Ensure accountable and timely information sharing, documentation of referrals and statistical data collection
• Participate in and show a commitment towards quality improvement and research activities
• Participate in orientation of staff and students
• Initiate and take responsibility for the ongoing development of discipline specific expertise
• Respond professionally to feedback on performance and seek assistance as required
• Complete policy review as per department requirement
• Participate in credentialing and activities which define the scope of clinical practice and support safe clinical practice
• Other duties as directed by the Chief Social Worker or their delegate
• INCUMBENT OBLIGATIONS

General

• Perform duties of the position to best of their ability and to a standard acceptable to SVHM
• Comply with all SVHM policies, procedures, by laws and directions
• Treat others with respect and always behave professionally and in accordance with the SVHM Code of Conduct
• Only access confidential information held by SVHM when this is necessary for business purposes, maintaining the confidentiality of that information once accessed
• Participate in the annual SVHM performance review process
• Display adaptability and flexibility to meet the changing operational needs of the business
• Comply with applicable Enterprise Bargaining Agreement provisions
• Display a willingness to develop self and seek to improve performance

Clinical Quality and Safety

• Attend clinical orientation upon commencement
• Maintain clinical registration and any required indemnity cover
• Always work within approved scope of practice under supervision by more senior clinical staff as appropriate.
• Take personal responsibility for the quality and safety of work undertaken
• Take all necessary care and precautions when undertaking clinical procedures
• Complete annual clinical competencies
• Maintain skills and knowledge necessary to safely and skilfully undertake clinical work
• Consult with peers and other experts and refer to other healthcare workers when appropriate and in a timely manner
• Collaborate and clearly communicate with patients/clients and the healthcare team
• Participate in clinical risk management and continuous quality improvement activities as part of day-to-day work

Person Centred Care

• Ensure consumers receive information in an appropriate and accessible format
• Actively support consumers to make informed decisions about their treatment and ongoing care
• Ensure consumers are aware of their rights responsibilities and how to provide feedback

Health and Safety

• Protect the health and safety of self and others, complying with all health and safety related policies, procedures and directions
• Complete required Fire and Emergency Training annually
• Complete required Workplace Culture and Equity Training annually
• Attend general hospital orientation within 3 months of commencement
• As required, comply with fit-testing and PPE requirements
• INCUMBENT CAPABILIITY REQUIREMENTS (Level 2)

The incumbent of this position will be expected to possess the following core capabilities:

• Capability
• Demonstrated behaviour
• Personal
• Personal effectiveness
• Takes responsibility for accurate, timely work results
• Learning Agility
• Identifies personal development needs and seeks information from a range of sources
• Outcomes
• Patient/Resident/client centred
• Strives to meet and exceed expectations, demonstrating sound judgement
• Innovation and Improvement
• Contributes to improvement by reviewing strengths and weaknesses of current processes
• Strategy
• Driving Results
• Manages own work load to deliver results
• Organisational Acumen
• Understands the interdependencies between units/departments
• Working with and Managing others
• Takes responsibility for ensuring productive, efficient teamwork
• Collaboration
• Works collaboratively within and outside the team
• SELECTION CRITERIA

6.1essential Registration, License Or Qualification Requirements

• Bachelor of Social Work Degree/ Qualifying Masters Degree
• Eligibile for membership of the Australian Association of Social Work (AASW)

6.2other Essential Requirements

• Advanced social work skills as evidenced by four or more years post- qualifying professional experience in an inpatient hospital setting
• Demonstrated knowledge of the application of social work theory, practice frameworks and principles, in the context of the current health care environment
• Highly developed interpersonal skills. These should incorporate qualities of excellent communication (verbal and written) and skills in collaboration, negotiation and conflict management
• Demonstrated ability to work in interdisciplinary teams, at an advanced level
• Well developed individual, family work and crisis intervention and care planning skills
• The ability to identify, plan and implement and evaluate new service strategies
• Demonstrated commitment to staff and/or student supervision
• Evidence of ongoing commitment to professional development
• Knowledge of, and ability to participate in quality improvement activities and develop strategies to market the work of the profession in the organisation, and beyond
• Evidence of understanding of research/evaluation principles
• Ability to work in accordance with the values of the Ministry of Mary Aikenhead
• Established computer literacy skills

6.3other Non Essential Requirements

• Higher degree or other training relevant to the role
• Other relevant studies

Closing Date:

29 November :59pm

Reconciliation Action Plan:

At St Vincent's we acknowledge the importance of creating a work environment that is welcoming, safe, equitable and inclusive for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Employees. As part of our Commitment to Reconciliation and Closing the Gap in employment related outcomes, we encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
For further information, visit or get in contact at
View Reconciliation Action Plan

Code of Conduct:

View Code of Conduct