Social Worker

Reference Number
- 54707
- Employment Type
- Part Time Ongoing
- Entity
- Monash Health
- Department
- Dandenong Adult Mental Health Services
- Location
- Dandenong Hospital
- Position Summary
- Social Worker - Grade 2
- Acute Adult Mental Health Services
- Dandenong Hospital

**Social Work - Grade 2 Role**

Monash Health is Victoria's largest public health service. We provide safe, high quality care to one-quarter of Melbourne's population, across the entire life span, from pre-birth to endo-of-life.

More than 22,000 of us work at over 40 care locations across South-East Melbourne, including seven hospitals and an extensive network of rehabilitation, aged care, community health and mental health facilities. Each year:

- We provide more than 3.4 million episodes of care to our community
- More than 276,000 people are admitte dto our hospitals
- Close to 220,000 people receive care at our three emergency departments
- We respond to more than 67,000 ambulance arrivals
- We perform more than 48,000 surgical procedures
- We deliver more than 10,000 babies

We are an equal opportunity employer and committed to a fair, non-discrimminatory workplace that maxmises the talent, potential and contribution of all.

**About our Mental Health Services at Monash Health**

Monash Health Mental Health Services provides a range of community, bed-based and specialist services covering the Casey, Cardinia, Greater Dandenong, Kingston and Monash LGAs - a population of nearly one million. It has an operational budget of $130 million and employs approximately 820 EFT, representing over 1000 staff.

The Program has a number of clinical units including three adult units (Casey, Dandenong and Clayton), an Early in Life Mental Health Service (comprising Perinatal & infant, child, and adolescent services), Young Persons' Mental Health Service, Psychology and Specialist Services (PsySS), Drug & Alcohol service and Gender Dysphoria Clinic. Southern Synergy supports the Mental Health Programs with specialist research innovations. The program has five PARCS (Prevention and Recovery Care Services) which includes a specialist Women's only PARCS, an Extended Care PARCS and Youth PARCS, and two Community Care Units providing community mental health recovery and psychosocial rehabilitation for consumers. The clinical service is supported by an aligned operational structure to enable the provision of high quality service through the creation of clinical-operational partnerships to support staff, patients, carers and their families, and a strong professional structure that supports the governance of the health professional workforce.

**About The Role**

Unit 1 is a 25 bed Inpatient Unit for adults (25 - 65 years) with acute and severe mental health problems, associated high risk factors and difficulties maintaining their own safety and the safety of others. The social work team work alongside the multi-disciplinary team to provide targeted treatment and support to maximise individual recovery and return to a level of functioning that allows consumers to return to their home and family. Unit 1 is part of the Adult Mental Health Service and works closely with the various Community Care Teams (CCT) & Adult Prevention and Recovery Care Services (PARCS) within the Monash Health catchment area.

Social work in mental health has a strong focus on the social context and social consequences of mental illness. Its purpose is to promote recovery, restore and maximise individual, family, and community wellbeing, to enhance development of each individual's power and control over their lives, and to advance principles of social justice, which are fundamental to social work practice.

Intervention will occur at the interface between the individual and the environment and extend to the contexts of family, social networks, community, and the broader society. The attributes, skills and knowledge that clinical social workers bring to the inpatient unit include an understanding of the patient's social environment, relevant strengths and stresses, engaging with family carers, and connecting with local services and resources. This holistic approach will target interventions to meet the needs of the individual and their support structure in a timely manner, contributing to better health outcomes. The incumbent will achieve outcomes through consultation, assessment, specialist intervention and an advisory and advocacy role with the individual, carers/families and broader supports. This approach is crucial as social connectedness and communication skills determine community independence options.

The incumbent will work as a member of the multi-disciplinary team, and will be accountable for the provision of timely and effective Social Work services to consumers and their families and carers.

Under broader direction, the position requires ongoing development, implementation, monitoring and review of the Social Work service provision in accordance with the AAS