Health Care Residence Social Worker

**Health Care Residence Social Worker**
**Permanent, 0.75 FTE, 30 hours per week**

**Are you a supportive and compassionate Social Worker looking for a rewarding opportunity to make a difference in the lives of patients and their families? We are seeking a skilled Health Care Social Worker to join our multidisciplinary team, providing care and comfort for patients and families facing illness, death and bereavement. This position offers an opportunity to make a meaningful impact by providing support and resources to those at end-of-life in our hospice residence.**

**About us**

Hospice Halifax is a compassionate and supportive community of staff members, volunteers, and donors dedicated to making dying and living as comfortable and meaningful as possible at the end of life. Our 10-bed hospice residence is an inclusive space where individuals and their families receive personalized and dignified end-of-life care.

Hospice Halifax continues to take action against racism and discrimination the workplace and to identify and address systemic barriers to full and equal participation. As such, all members of the team must be committed to fostering a safe working environment where all patients, families and members experience an authentic sense of inclusion and belonging.

**About the Position**

**Duties and Responsibilities**

As the primary psycho-social-spiritual support for patients and families at Hospice Halifax:

- Works closely with, and provides consultation services to, Hospice Halifax’s multidisciplinary team to support patients and their families, while focusing on enhancing end-of-life care
- Assesses patient and family status upon admission to hospice, identifying family dynamics, communication patterns, support service needs and barriers to care
- Develops and coordinates support plans for patients and their families, relating to their well-being, including individual meetings with families and patients, bereavement referrals, crisis intervention, supportive conversations, etc.
- Provides assistance to patients and families in the preparation of advance directives, funeral/memorial planning and fiscal, legal and healthcare planning responsibilities at the end of life
- Identifies and uses appropriate community resources, assesses patient/family ability to access those and advocates for access as needed
- Organizes and coordinates supportive and complementary therapies for patients and families (i.e. massage, pet therapy, reiki, etc.)
- Organizes and coordinates the Spiritual Care Network, a community of faith-based leaders who volunteer their services as needed to Hospice Halifax patients
- Supports the planning and facilitation of bereavement programming as needed (i.e. anticipatory grief groups, bereavement groups, children’s groups, recreational therapy groups, etc.)
- Integrates cultural awareness and humility within the hospice environment, including the coordination of cultural services and accommodations for patients and families
- Engages with external organizations and processes to meet patient/family needs in regards to visitation, access, information collection and other needs (i.e. Department of Community Services, Department of Justice, etc.)
- Contributes to the professional education of students completing learning practicums with Hospice Halifax (i.e. supervising social work student practicums)
- Builds capacity through strengthening community relationships and providing community education regarding social work services at Hospice Halifax
- Assumes additional responsibilities as required

**Requirements of the Position**

**Education and professional experience**:

- Master of Social Work from an accredited institution with a minimum 2 years’ experience working in a related field
- **OR**:

- Bachelor of Social Work from an accredited institution with 4-6 years’ related education/experienceRegistered or eligible for registration with the NSCSW
- Holding, or willingness to hold, individual personal liability insurance
- Extensive knowledge of issues related to hospice and palliative care with a strong understanding of the various needs of people receiving end-of-life care, including their families and caregivers
- Experience in team and case management
- Extensive Knowledge of and ability to link to community resources
- Experience in program and/or group facilitation are considered an asset
- Clinical counselling skills and experience are considered an asset

**Skills and Abilities**:

- Strong client focus and ability to build solid client/practitioner relationships
- Ability to prioritize and complete multiple tasks simultaneously
- Tact and discretion in dealing with and handling confidential information
- Excellent interpersonal and dispute resolution skills
- Confidence and enthusiasm
- Capacity to achieve a high degree of autonomous practice
- Ability to work effectively as part of an interdisciplinary team
- Excellent communication skills
- Ability to participate in