Clinical Leader, Autism Clinical Intake and Care Coordination

Click here to apply as an internal applicant.

Company : IWK Health

Req ID : 187970

Department / Program : Provincial Preschool Autism Services

Location : Flexible within the Province

Type of Employment : Permanent Hourly FT ( 100% FTE) x 1 position(s)

Start Date : ASAP

Union Status : NSGEU Hlthcare , Healthcare Bargaining Unit

Compensation : $ 44.3656 - $ 53.5371 / hour

Closing Date : September 26, 2024 (Applications are accepted until 23 : 59 Atlantic Time)

IWK Health is a respected academic health sciences centre 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.

The Opportunity

The Provincial Preschool Autism Service

The Provincial Preschool Autism Service (PPAS) is a partnership between IWK Health (IWK), Nova Scotia Health (NSH), Hearing and Speech Nova Scotia (HSNS) and Autism Nova Scotia (Autism NS).

Based upon an extensive review and engagement, autism services in Nova Scotia are in the process of transitioning to a needs-based model responsive to the individual needs of children and their families.

It will provide person and family-centred services to preschoolers across Nova Scotia who are suspected of or have a diagnosis of autism.

The new and enhanced services will include a greater number and range of interventions and supports available for children and families.

Examples include : autism clinical intake and care coordination, family and health professional education, diagnostic assessments, QuickStart NS parent coaching toddler program, a 12-month intensive intervention for children with the greatest social communication and behavior needs, autism interventions by interprofessional teams, and transition to school.

The intent is to create an efficient, sustainable, and integrated continuum of health services for preschool-age children with autism where services and supports are matched to the needs of children and their families.

The Opportunity Continued

Clinical Intake & Care Coordination

Clinical Intake and Care Coordination is a single point of contact for families with preschool children with a diagnosis of autism or suspected of having a diagnosis.

The Clinical Leader will oversee processes for the initial contact with families and support families’ access to services throughout the preschool years up until the transition to school.

The Clinical Leader will ensure robust processes for coordination of services through identification of the family’s goals to identify intervention options specific to the child’s needs.

Upon identification of service options for families, families may receive enhanced support for navigation and / or care coordination depending on their family’s needs.

With support from the Clinical Leader, the Clinical Intake and Care Coordination team will have responsibility to connect and navigate families to services both within PPAS and with health system and community partners.

Reporting to the assigned PPAS manager, the Clinical Leader is responsible for providing clinical leadership, supervision, and support to the staff in the Clinical Intake and Care Coordination service stream.

Along with providing clinical leadership to the specific service stream within PPAS, the incumbent will provide direct clinical care to clients, and their families to maintain clinical practice and knowledge.

The Clinical Leader is the clinical supervisor for the team who will staff the service. The Clinical Leader role provides staff education / training, coaching and professional development for clinicians and is dedicated to advancing evidence-based practice and knowledge translation within the service stream.

The Clinical Leader works closely with other clinical leaders across service streams (i.e., diagnostics, interventions) and team members to identify and meet learning needs where practice may be changing due to new operational requirements or implementation of new or changing evidence-based practices.

The Clinical Leader is one of a team of Clinical Leaders providing provincial leadership that works in collaboration with other members of the leadership team to ensure both the clinical and operational requirements of the Provincial Preschool Autism Service are met.

This position ensures the quality of service within the assigned stream meets service standards at a provincial level and that families are supported and receive consistent service province wide.

Hours of Work

Monday to Friday, 8 : 30 am to 4 : 30 pm; 75 hours bi-weekly

Capacity to work flexible hours (evenings and weekends) to accommodate service needs.

Your Qualifications

• Health professional degree at Masters level or higher (PhD) with minimum requirements being :
• Graduate of a World Federation of Occupational Therapy (WFOT) Approved Occupational Therapy Program
• Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology or School Psychology
• Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology
• Certification as a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst
• Master’s Degree in Social Work
• Registered or eligible for registration with the appropriate professional body in Nova Scotia required.
• Minimum 5 years clinical experience working in the field of autism required.
• Minimum 2 years leadership / clinical supervision experience required.
• Demonstrates the LEADS competency of Leads Self, Engaging Others, Achieves Results, Developing.
• Coalitions, and Systems Transformation within the provincial Clinical Intake and Care Coordination service stream, across PPAS, and the children and families it serves.
• Expert knowledge to critically analyse a continuum of evidence-based, evidence-informed, and / or emerging evidence and promising practices across autism services.
• Demonstrated ability to initiate and integrate practice change / new practices within the service stream and supports change through coaching / mentoring.
• Demonstrated understanding of quality improvement methodologies to support efficient and effective practice.
• Experience in initiating, leading and managing complex organizational change at a provincial level.
• Demonstrated experience with quality improvement activities and methodologies across systems.
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills as reflected by active listening, interest-based negotiation, conflict resolution skills and strong presentation and public speaking skills.
• Accountability for clinical practices and processes of the provincial team; actively involved in competency development planning and performance development planning.
• Demonstrated knowledge of collaborative interprofessional competencies and the principles of practice development.
• Knowledge of relevant legislative and regulatory frameworks applicable to the practice of health professions in the service stream.
• Demonstrated knowledge of cultural competence, equity, diversity, inclusion and reconciliation to support working with all families, learners, staff, and partners.
• Competencies in other languages are considered 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.

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