Social Worker

**_Application Instructions:_**

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Umbrella Multicultural Health Cooperative is a member-driven, not-for-profit, community health centre (CHC). Our members are people who face language and cultural barriers accessing health care. Our mission is to provide practical access to affordable and holistic health care services that are appropriate in culture and language for those without access to health security.

We work with a Cross-Cultural Health Broker (CCHB) Model. CCHBs are multicultural, multilingual health care workers who facilitate communication between patients, service providers and health and social service systems.

Umbrella Co-op CHC is located in Downtown New Westminster.

**_Summary of the position:_**

Social Worker role at Umbrella Co-op

Working with an interdisciplinary team, with an understanding and commitment to the community health centre and CCHB model, the Social Worker will provide specialized and culturally informed support to patients and families from self-identified populations of racialized immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers that Umbrella Co-op CHC serves. The Social Worker will provide treatment and care in collaboration with CCHBs. Referrals to social work services are internal.

The interdisciplinary team currently comprises CCHBs, family physicians, nurse practitioner, pediatricians, MOAs, social determinants of health (SDH) worker and administrative staff. We are currently expanding our CHC and we will add other health professionals. This position is co-supervised by the Clinics+ Coordinator and Clinical Lead. The position will work with the Clinics+, Mobile Clinic and health promotion programs which operate in-office and virtually Monday to Friday, with occasional Sunday in locations throughout the Fraser Valley.

**_Duties and Responsibilities:_**

1. Provide social work services and assessments to individuals and families using trauma-informed, cross-cultural appropriate modalities

2. Participate in and conduct case management meetings with an interdisciplinary team to assist in developing and coordinating comprehensive and culturally appropriate care plans and community services for patients and families; and in collaboration with CCHBs, support patient and family participation in the development, implementation, and ongoing modification of the care plan

3. Implement interventions, for individual and group/collective sessions, and in accordance with established treatment guidelines educate patients, family members and caregivers, to improve mental health wellness and coping skills and promotion of community resources

4. Participate in maintaining seamless quality patient care by identifying appropriate referrals to other clinicians, allied health care, SDH and health promotion as appropriate

5. Participate in organizational, program and team activities required to improve and optimize the delivery of patient-centered, trauma-informed care and to facilitate evidence-based practice.

**_Skills and Qualifications:_**

Required Skills and Education:

- Current full registration with the BC College of Social Workers
- Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, plus one-year recent related experience
- Demonstrated clinical skills in crisis intervention, assessment, and individual, group and family counselling
- Experience with somatic counselling practices and trauma-informed care
- Demonstrated awareness and sensitivity to psychosocial needs of immigrants, refugees and asylum-seeking individuals and families
- Cross-cultural work experience with individuals and families to improve wellness, coping skills, and empowerment in the following areas: immigration, refugee and asylum-seeking journey, poverty issues, housing, legal, social assistance, education, family violence, crisis intervention, mental health
- Experience working as part of an interdisciplinary team in a culturally diverse, community-based setting
- Fluency in one of the languages of the communities we serve is an asset, particularly Dari, Arabic, Pashto, Spanish and Tigrinya

Preferred Skills:

- Experience working in culturally diverse community-based setting
- Working with diverse, immigrant, and refugee communities

**_Working conditions _**

As a community service organization, the work at Umbrella Co-op is demanding and rewarding. Umbrella Co-op is committed to providing an emotionally and physically safe working environment where employees can thrive in their roles.

The role works closely with patients and may be exposed to diseases or infections. The Social Worker will be trained under the carefully developed safety protocols and will be provided appropriate PPE to mitigate risk.

As per the current Public Health Orders (Hospital and Community - Health care and other services), as of October 26, 2021, all employees working at Umbrella Multicultural Health Co-op

must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Proof of vaccination status will be required.