Perinatal Social Worker - Designated

Company : IWK Health

Req ID: 187389 
Department/Program: Diabetes Clinic, Women's & Newborn Health 
Location: Halifax  
Type of Employment: Permanent Hourly FT (100% FTE)  x 1 position(s)
 Start Date: ASAP
Union Status: NSGEU Hlthcare, Healthcare Bargaining Unit
Compensation: $37.3118 - $50.7666 /hour
Closing Date: September 27, 2024 (Applications are accepted until 23:59 Atlantic Time)

This position is a designated position for applicants who identify as Indigenous, Black/African Nova Scotians, Persons of Colour, Immigrants/Newcomers, Persons with Disabilities, and/or 2SLGBTQIA+. You must self-identify at the application stage.

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.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Manager, Prenatal, with accountability to the professional Practice Leader of Social Work for issues pertaining to professional practice and ethics, the Perinatal Social Worker practices as a member of an interprofessional team to provide social work services and family-centered care within the Women’s & Newborn Health Program. The successful candidate will be primarily working within the Pregnancy & Diabetes Clinic, with the expectation that they would follow their clients through the entire trajectory of their perinatal experience. The Pregnancy & Diabetes Clinic has a large population of newcomers to Canada and as such, this role will include a significant amount of resource navigation. The primary role of the successful applicant will be to provide situational mental health support, crisis intervention, psychosocial support, discharge planning and resource counselling with individuals and families who are experiencing physical, mental, or social complexities in pregnancy.  The support will include bereavement follow up and grief counselling with families who experience a stillbirth, early neonatal loss or decide to terminate a pregnancy related to fetal anomalies after 20 weeks. The Social Worker will have knowledge and skills in the areas of infant mental health (attachment), family dynamics, mental health and addictions, psychosocial assessment, crisis intervention, trauma support 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 to liaise with a range of community, health, and government services with an emphasis on building collaborative partnerships, facilitating resource acquisition, and advocating for appropriate resources to meet the client’s needs. The Social Worker will have responsibilities in 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 is also responsible for social work coverage across the health center and will work collaboratively with other social workers within the program.

Hours of Work

Monday to Friday (8:30 am – 4:30 pm). Some variations in working times will be required as needed

Your Qualifications

•    Masters Degree in Social Work required.
•    Current license, or eligible for licensure, as a Registered Social Worker with the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers (NSCSW) required.
•    Minimum of two (2) years related professional experience as a Masters prepared Social Worker is preferred. Other equivalent experience may be considered.
•    Knowledge of obstetric milestones, life transitions, mental health & addictions, intimate partner violence and women’s health required.
•    Advanced Psychotherapy skills (including brief therapies and grief counselling).  
•    Knowledge of the Child and Family Services Act required.
•    Working knowledge of the DSM-5 considered an asset.
•    Experience in conducting brief individual and family therapy preferred.
•    Experience in clinical case management and advocacy preferred.
•    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 time management, 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.
•    Experience in Meditech, MS Outlook, and MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) preferred.
•    Competencies in other languages 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.