Position overview

Exciting opportunities to work as a new graduate Social Worker in several teams across inpatient, outpatient and community settings:

Rehabilitation Aged and Community Services team (RACS) provides integrated and effective services in the areas of rehabilitation, aged care and community care in a broader range of sites throughout the ACT, including The Canberra Hospital and The University of Canberra Hospital, community health centres and the homes of clients. This includes health care and support for people with acute, post-acute and long-term illnesses.

The Acute Allied Health Social Work team is responsible for the care and support of patients across a range of critical and acute care areas of The Canberra Hospital. These include the Medical and Surgical inpatient wards, Intensive Care Unit, the Emergency Department, Maternity and Paediatric inpatient wards and a range of paediatric and adult outpatient clinics.

The Cancer Psychosocial Service is located in the Canberra Region Cancer Centre (CRCC). This service provides multidisciplinary psychosocial care to patients and their families or carers who attend the Canberra Region Cancer Centre, or who have been admitted into Ward 4A or Ward 14B. Working closely with other disciplines in the CRCC and the wards in Canberra Hospital, the Cancer Psychosocial Service provides leadership in psychosocial care of patients and their families or carers. Services include facilitation of access to resources, responding to crisis, counselling, palliative care and bereavement issues, staff consultation and in-services.

Mental Health, Justice Health, Alcohol and Drug Services (MHJHADS) provide health services directly and through partnerships with community organisations. The services provided range from acute crisis support through to treatment, rehabilitation, recovery and harm minimisation. Services are delivered at a number of locations, including hospital inpatient and outpatient settings, community health centres, detention centres, and other community settings including people’s homes. These services include (and are not limited to):

• Alcohol and Drug Services
• Adult Community and Older Persons Mental Health Services
• Justice Health Services
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
• Adult Inpatient Mental Health Services

Social Workers provide assessment and therapeutic intervention for a range of client populations throughout their patient journey. The successful applicants will have an understanding of issues related to health and wellbeing and the impact on the person and their family/carer, including adjustment to change in their health. Social Workers promote improved client outcomes through working in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team to provide high quality clinical services across a range of service speciality areas.

The successful applicants will be part of a large network of Social Workers and will also receive education and support through the CHS Allied Health interprofessional graduate program. The CHS Allied Health interprofessional graduate program is specifically designed to support new graduates to launch their careers in healthcare and develop their professional identity. The program provides graduates with individual support to optimise learning and career opportunities. New graduates will have onsite access to a clinical supervisor who will work with them and support them to grow their clinical and professional skills. New graduates will also be matched with a peer from the previous cohort of new graduates to provide them with additional mentoring and support. The program also offers a 12-month Allied Health Interdisciplinary education program facilitated by the Allied Health Clinical Education Unit.

The successful applicants will be employed as a full-time Health Professional Level 1 Social Worker and be afforded opportunities to rotate caseloads to enhance individual learning and experiences. On successful completion of the New Graduate program, allocation into a permanent HP2 will be based on an internal merit process and preferences.

Please note: This position may be required for weekend and after-hours work, overtime, on call and/or rotation rosters.

Key Responsibilities

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Provide appropriate assessment and interventions using established principles, techniques and methods with support.
2. Include carers, children, Nominated Persons, GPs and other service providers in the recovery planning process, as required.
3. Complete clinical and administrative data collection and evaluation to standards.
4. Participate in clinical supervision, continuing professional development and personal performance review process.
5. Participate in team and program related service activities as required.
6. Participate in the implementation of clinical governance activity, quality improvement projects, research programs, and health promotion in areas relevant to service.
7. Undertake other duties appropriate to this level of classification which contribute to the operations of the organisation.

Competencies

Specific responsibilities include but are not limited to the following.

• Ability to develop critical thinking skills and form defensible conclusions based on evidence and sound judgment
• Ability to manage confidential and sensitive information
• Work with a wide variety of people
• Adapt quickly to a changing environment
• Commitment to achieving positive outcomes
• Good verbal and written communication skills
• High standard of ethical practice in line with CHS and the relevant professional association or Board standards, such as maintaining patient confidentiality and making sound decisions
• Problem solving and negotiation skills

Qualifications

Essential

• Tertiary qualification in Social Work.
• Be registered (or eligible for registration) with the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW).

Desirable

• Current Passenger Vehicles Driver’s licence.
• Have an understanding of how the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) indicators align with this role.

Experience

Essential

• Nil

Desirable

• Experience or knowledge of the CHS Exceptional Care Framework, and all other related frameworks.

Prior to commencement

Appointment to this position is conditional on being granted and retaining appropriate clearances:

• Pre-employment National Police Check.
• Current registration issued under the Working with Vulnerable People (Background Checking) Act 2011 is required.
• Comply with Canberra Health Services Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination policy.
• Comply with CHS credentialing and scope of clinical practice requirements for allied health professionals.

Important information

All employees are required to:

• Adhere to the Canberra Health Services Values and the ACT Public Service Code of Conduct.
• Act in accordance and comply with all relevant Safety and Quality policies and procedures.
• Comply with all relevant clinical and/or competency standards.
• Be available for weekend and/or after-hours work.

CHS is leading the drive to digitally transform health service delivery in Australia through the implementation of a territory wide Digital Health Record. Computer literacy skills are required which are relevant to this role as you will be responsible for completing required documentation and becoming a proficient user of the Digital Health Record and/or other Information Technology systems; once proficient, you will need to remain current with changes, updates, and contingencies.

What you Require (Key Selection Criteria)

These are the key selection criteria for how you will be assessed in conjunction with your resumé and experience and must be addressed in your application:

1. Ability to develop clinical Social Work interventions, including assessment, counselling, advocacy, planning, and patient/carer education.
2. Ability to develop prioritisation and management of a caseload, under supervision, with awareness of and adherence to risk management processes.
3. Ability to develop an understanding of working in a multidisciplinary team, including establishing and maintaining effective dialogue and working relationships with staff, people, carers, and service providers.
4. Demonstrated effective oral and written communication skills. Including the ability to establish and maintain effective dialogue and working relationships with the people who access our service, staff and other service providers, and the ability to utilise a range of information technology applications to maintain documentation and data collection.
5. Demonstrates understanding of, and adherence to, safety and quality standards, work, health and safety (WH&S) and the positive patient experience. Displays behaviour consistent with CHS’s values of reliable, progressive, respectful and kind.

Work environment description

The following work environment description outlines the inherent requirements of the role and indicates how frequently each of these requirements would need to be performed. Please note that the ACT Public Service is committed to providing reasonable adjustments and ensuring all individuals have equal opportunities in the workplace.