Social Worker

Req ID: 192602 
Department/Program: Maritime Medical Genetics, Diagnostic Services & Maritime Medical Genetics 
Location: Halifax  
Type of Employment: Permanent Hourly PT (50% FTE)  x 1 position(s)
 Start Date: ASAP
Union Status: NSGEU Hlthcare, Healthcare Bargaining Unit
Compensation: $37.3118 - $50.7666 /hour
Closing Date: December 11, 2024 (Applications are accepted until 23:59 Atlantic Time)

IWK Health is a respected academic health sciences centre located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, providing tertiary and primary care for two million children, youth, adults and families each year across the Atlantic region. We have a team of approximately 4000 employees, physicians, volunteers and learners at sites across Nova Scotia. People build careers with IWK Health with our focus on training and mentorship opportunities. We recognize each other’s talent and celebrate our successes. We collaborate in modern facilities or virtually from home, align our work to our values, and enjoy access to enhanced benefits and wellness programs. We are proud to support our patients, families and communities and are grateful for the generous donor support we receive.

Promoting an anti-racist environment, and calling out discrimination as we work and provide care, is important to us. We are located in Mi’kma’ki, the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq people. Working in Mi’kma’ki and providing care to those across Atlantic Canada is a shared privilege with the original inhabitants who have lived here for many thousands of years prior to colonization. There are 13 First Nation communities across Nova Scotia, and more than 50 historic African Nova Scotian communities who also have a long, deep, and complex history dating back over 400 years. We have the highest percentage of people with disabilities in the country. Nova Scotia has the highest proportions of transgender and non-binary people than any other province or territory in the country. We are active in our work to eliminate discrimination, but have more work to do to build that trust, acknowledge our biases and reduce the barriers our diverse communities face. We want IWK Health to be a safe and supportive space of equity and belonging in the care we provide and the employment we offer. We welcome all interested persons who self-identify as Indigenous, Black/African Nova Scotians, Persons of Colour, Immigrants/Newcomers, Persons with Disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ to apply to support our goal for our workforce to be representative of the patients, families, and communities that we care for at all job levels.

Reporting to the Manager of Maritime Medical Genetics Service, with accountability to the Professional Practice Leader of Social Work for issues pertaining to professional practice and ethics, the Social Worker is a member of the interprofessional team providing family-centered care to patients of all ages and their families in the Maritime Medical Genetics Service. The majority of our social work care will be for individuals and families affected by metabolic disorders, who we follow over their lifetime.  We provide genetics and metabolics service to all three Maritime provinces, primarily on an outpatient basis.

Social Workers strive to optimize health and well-being with a focus on relationships.  Social Workers apply a social justice lens as they seek to appreciate and intervene with the social and structural determinants of health.  In this role, you will collaborate with, engage, and support the strengths of patients and families as they navigate life with a health condition or disability.  You will help families negotiate complex medical and social systems, build solid support networks, and reinforce their ability to advocate for themselves.  By understanding and using various theoretical frameworks and treatment modalities, you will assist families in finding creative and constructive ways to solve the issues that are identified by them as concerns.   

The Social Worker will have knowledge and skills in the areas of family dynamics, mental health and addictions, psychosocial assessment, crisis intervention, trauma support, skills supporting grief and loss, and interprofessional collaboration. The successful applicant will have experience in trauma-responsive, culturally safe care and grief/loss work. The Social Worker will be responsible for liaising with a range of health and government services with an emphasis on building collaborative partnerships, facilitating resource acquisition, and advocating for appropriate resources to meet the family’s needs. The Social Worker participates in collaborative center-based and community-based committees and initiatives.  A social worker with this team will have responsibilities for supervising clinical MSW student placements, teaching, program development, program evaluation, and research as needed. The Social Worker serves as a resource to other interprofessional team members on a direct and/or consultative basis as needed. The Social Worker will also support intake services for program areas that do not have regular social work coverage, on a rotational basis providing center-wide services, and working collaboratively with other social workers within the program for coverage requirements.

Shifts are Monday to Friday, daytime hours.

• Master’s degree in social work required.
• Current license, or eligible for licensure, with the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers (NSCSW) required.
• Minimum of two (2) years of clinical experience post Masters required.
• Knowledge of child development, life transitions, family dynamics, mental health & addictions.
• Advanced Psychotherapy skills (including brief therapies and grief counseling).  
• Knowledge of the Child and Family Services Act is required.
• Working knowledge of the DSM-5 is considered an asset.
• Experience in conducting brief individual and family therapy required, pediatric experience preferred. 
• Experience in clinical case management and advocacy (required / preferred / or an asset).
• Demonstrated understanding of the social, structural, emotional, psychological, and cultural determinants/factors that affect well-being. 
• Demonstrated ability to use an anti-oppressive framework in practice.
• Demonstrated understanding and an embodiment of trauma-informed practice. 
• Demonstrated ability to reach a joint formulation with the client and family.
• Demonstrated excellent triaging, critical thinking, organization, decision-making, and problem-solving skills required.
• Demonstrated exceptional interpersonal, presentation, and communication (verbal and written) skills required.
• Demonstrated comfort and skill in working collaboratively with internal and external partnerships required.
• Demonstrated ability to work autonomously as well as part of an interprofessional team required.
• Competencies in other languages are an asset.  
 

Thank you for your interest in IWK Health.

Please note that we only contact applicants selected for interview/testing. If we invite you to participate in an assessment process (such as an interview or testing) you have the right to request accommodation. Please discuss your needs when invited to the assessment process.

This is a Healthcare  bargaining  unit position. Preference is given to bargaining unit employees for unionized positions. Successful applicants changing unions, bargaining units or employment status, are advised to seek clarification regarding their seniority, benefits, and vacation entitlement and/or usage, prior to accepting the position.

An offer of employment is conditional upon the completion and satisfactory results of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials.

If you are an employee of IWK Health, please apply through the internal careers page to ensure you are flagged as an internal applicant.