Social Worker, CPSU

Job Summary :

In accordance with the Mission, Vision and Values, and strategic directions of Provincial Health Services Authority patient safety is a priority and a responsibility shared by everyone at PHSA, and as such, the requirement to continuously improve quality and safety is inherent in all aspects of this position. The Social Worker, CPSU provides clinical and consultative social work services to patients, families, and Children’s and Women’s (C&W) staff, focusing on cases of child maltreatment from around the province. The position provides leadership to staff across C&W, to other Regional Medical Child Protection Units, and to members of the community. Integral to this job is the requirement to act as a consultant regarding case management and child maltreatment issues, including acting as a resource in relation to child protection legislation and application of C&W organizational guidelines and protocols. Presentations, workshops and individual teaching sessions will be delivered by the Social Worker, CPSU both internally and externally to the organization. The Social Worker, CPSU performs intake functions including those from the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) high risk referrals, outpatient and inpatient assessments regarding child maltreatment, case management, and patient advocacy. Referrals to outside agencies are arranged, high risk cases are tracked, and consultation is provided.

Duties / Accountabilities :

1.Provides clinical social work services to patients, their families and the community by performing duties such as psychosocial assessment, brief and crisis counseling and / or group counseling to youth and parents and / or caregivers, arranging referrals to mental health professionals within the clinic, making referrals to community resources and arranging for ongoing therapy for the child in the community.

2.Performs intake function by screening and prioritizing new referrals, assessing level of risk, determining legal issues, confirming rationale for referral, gathering background information, preparing intake summaries, briefing physicians, and preparing community professionals and families for appointments.

3.Provides clinical consultative services to other staff, including other social workers, child protection professionals, physicians, police and other professional disciplines, both inside and outside the organization, in relation to child maltreatment by providing guidance, consultation, and advice, and maintaining ongoing communication with community professionals dealing with child abuse across the province.

4.Acts as a resource to other Medical Child Protection Teams within the province by providing ongoing general and case specific consultations to medical Social Workers from other regions.

5.Ascertains necessity of legal child protection report to the Ministry of Children and Family Development. Contacts MCFD to make official child protection report and documents same.

6.Performs intake for cases referred by the MCFD Provincial Child Protection Consultants by obtaining detailed social histories, consulting with MCFD Child Protection Consultants, MCFD Social Workers and other professionals, reviewing medical charts and referral information, triaging referrals, and providing in-depth case summaries to CPSU physicians.

7.Jointly with the Pediatrician, performs outpatient and inpatient assessments by interviewing caregivers and collaterals, reviewing records, and determining possible child maltreatment or risk of future maltreatment.

8.Acts as a case manager for all inpatient and outpatient cases referred to the clinic by liaising with outside agencies, facilitating interdisciplinary and inter-agency communication and decision-making, coordinating information flow, organizing case conferences and liaising with hospital risk management.

9.Coordinates discharge planning by organizing multi-disciplinary case conferences, arranging for patient care teaching sessions for caregivers and hospital staff, arranging follow up appointments, providing MCFD Social Workers with information, and involving inpatient staff, security, police and MCFD Social Workers as needed.

10.Educates caregivers and youth in relation to the prevention of child abuse by individual counseling and provision of selected literature to the caregiver.

11.Advocates for children at risk for abuse or neglect in specific cases where community agency decision-makers do not appear to be responding to the best interests of the child. This may take the form of telephone conferences, meetings, or written submissions.

12.Makes referrals to outside agencies in situations such as domestic violence, substance abuse, custody and access, mental health issues, etc. by determining the appropriate resource, reviewing referral criteria and making telephone or written referrals.

13.Participates in training sessions related to the C&W Guidelines : Children at Risk of Abuse and Neglect document, the Child, Family and Community Service Act and other topics related to child maltreatment to C&W staff.

14.Participates in hospital orientation for new staff by speaking at monthly C&W orientations about the CPSU, the C&W Guidelines : Children at Risk of Abuse and Neglect and child maltreatment.

15.Provides orientation to new hospital social workers, social work practicum students, pediatric residents and others by providing information related to reporting to MCFD, high risk indicators and documentation.

16.Participates in program planning and the development of guidelines, protocols, and policies, specific to the CPSU by representing the CPSU on committees, gathering data, providing written material, participating in regular on-going collaboration with the Director of the Child Protection Service Unit

17.Participates in research projects, including evidence based practice, on the psychosocial aspects of child maltreatment.

18.Maintains and tracks the Child Protection Alert System within C&W including reviewing charts of high-risk cases, recommending and ensuring placement of alerts on high-risk patient charts, maintaining a system for on-going review of alerts by annual assessment of on-going risk, and recommending continuation or deletion of alerts where appropriate.

19.Performs administrative tasks such as writing reports, maintaining statistics, and updating health records.

20.Performs other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications :

Education, Training and Experience

• Master’s degree in Social Work from an accredited university.
• Two years of recent, related experience working in the field of child protection interpreting and providing consultation on the application of the Child Protection Act.
• Advanced knowledge of Child Protection legislation and its application to the Child Welfare System.
• Advanced knowledge of issues related to child maltreatment such as indicators of abuse and neglect, domestic violence, dynamics of child abuse, substance abuse, mental health issues, cultural issues, etc.
• Current full registration with the British Columbia College of Social Workers.

Skills and Abilities