Employment Type: Temporary Part Time until 5 January 2025 with the possibility of extension at same/reduced hours
Facility: Wollongong Community Health Centre
Classification: Social Worker Level 3
Remuneration: $54.76 – $56.54 per hour
Hours Per Week: 24
Requisition ID: REQ435165
Applications Close: 22 October 2023

This is a Temporary Part Time 24 hours per week maternity relief position until 5 January 2025 with the possibility of extension at same/reduced hours

What we can offer you

The Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District (ISLHD) provides you with an excellent career choice with many rewarding experiences. At ISLHD we are not just offering jobs, we are offering you the opportunity to excel in your chosen field and to experience a work life balance.

Work flexibility is very important at ISLHD and we provide our people with a range of benefits and conditions to assist with balancing the demands of work and personal life where possible. We offer:

·       ADOs each month (for eligible full time employees)

·       Study and development leave

·       Access to in-house training, learning and educational opportunities

·       Discounted parking

·       Salary packaging options to reduce your tax and increase your take home pay (for eligible employees)

·       Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – counselling for you and your family

·       Fitness Passport program – ISLHD staff can sign-up with Fitness Passport, an external service provider. Fitness Passport offers employees access to gyms and fitness services that are current members of its program on a minimum 12 month contract. https://www.fitnesspassport.com.au/IHS

What you’ll be doing

Provide specialist Social Work service to patients, clients, consumers and their family/carers to ensure the provision of optimal health outcomes consistent with ISLHD policies, procedures, standards, relevant legislation, and the NSW Health Code of Conduct. This position provides the above Social Work service to the Palliative Care Service.

The senior social worker is a designated palliative care specialist in the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District. This position is responsible for the provision of social work services to palliative care patients, both in the community and in the palliative care inpatient setting, as part of a multidisciplinary palliative care team. The social worker will provide an active role in the care coordination of patients to promote timely access and facilitate integration of social work palliative care services across a variety of settings.

The senior social worker is responsible for a clinical caseload of patients with complex needs who are approaching or reaching the end of their life, including malignant and non-malignant conditions. This may include specialised psychosocial skills in assessing and assisting the management of patients and families with progressive conditions and assisting the patient to receive end of life care in their place of choice, requiring advanced clinical reasoning and interpersonal skills. This will also include follow-up counselling to families who require psychosocial assistance for a short period following the death of the relative.

The senior social worker will provide consultative advice to other departmental social workers and social work students across the ISLHD, addressing the special needs of palliative care patients and their families/carers.

All NSW Health workers are required to have completed an up-to-date course of a COVID-19 vaccine (2 doses) which has been approved or recognised by the Therapeutics Goods Administration (TGA). New applicants must have completed the vaccination course prior to commencement with NSW Health, or provide an approved medical contraindication certificate certifying the worker cannot have any approved COVID-19 vaccines available in NSW.

 

Acceptable proof of vaccination is the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) Immunisation History Statement or AIR COVID-19 Digital Certificate. Please provide proof of vaccination if available.

 

Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District is committed to equal employment opportunity and embraces diversity and inclusion within its workforce. As such, people from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. This includes but is not limited to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, People with Disability, Women and People from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse backgrounds.

 

Talent Pool

This recruitment may be used to create a talent pool / eligibility list where candidates may be offered casual, permanent, or temporary full-time or part-time positions within the next 12 months.

 

Please note: Employment of a temporary visa holder may only occur if no suitable permanent resident or citizen of Australia has been identified for this position following suitable labour market testing.

 

Successful applicants to the role must provide certified documentation of vaccination history and pathology as part of their recruitment documentation. The applicant must be certified as compliant with Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination Against Specified Infectious Diseases before employment can commence.

 

Criminal record checks will be undertaken on successful applicants. This position is designated as child-related employment and you will be required to obtain a Working With Children clearance from the Office of the Children’s Guardian. To apply, please go to https://wwccheck.ocg.nsw.gov.au/Apply

 

Your claim against the selection criteria is the most important part of your application as it will help determine whether or not you have met the standard of response required by the panel to be eligible for an interview. You should read the Position Description and then address the selection criteria for the role, giving examples where required. Applicants are encouraged to review the following information on Applying for a position within NSW Health at: http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/careers/guide/nswhealth/Pages/apply-for-position.aspx

Selection Criteria:

1. Social Work degree and eligibility for the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW), including the ability to demonstrate a practical application of the AASW Code of Ethics.
2. Extensive post graduate clinical experience in psychosocial assessment, care planning, individual and family counselling, grief and loss and bereavement counselling and group work.
3. Extensive specialist knowledge in loss and grief theories and practice.
4. Demonstrated knowledge of societal and legal changes affecting consumers, families and carers in the Palliative Care field.
5. Demonstrated high level ability to communicate clearly and succinctly both verbally and in writing, and proven ability to work effectively and collaboratively within a multi-disciplinary team. Demonstrated competence in the use of electronic information systems.
6. Demonstrated ability to prioritise work and manage stressful situations; ability to work unsupervised and apply advanced reasoning skills and independent professional judgement when dealing with si