Social Worker (Sunnyside)

Region of Waterloo; Southwestern Ontario; Hybrid; CAD 85,000 - 107,000; Full time

Job summary

Sunnyside Home, part of Region of Waterloo, seeks a social worker to apply professional knowledge to residents and families, supporting psychosocial wellbeing and admissions services.

You'll conduct assessments, counselling, and goal planning, coordinate with nursing staff, and contribute to multi-disciplinary teams. A Master’s in Social Work and strong communication skills are essential for delivering person-centred care and ensuring privacy and ethical practices.

Qualifications

• Master’s of Social Work degree required with related long-term care experience.
• Knowledge of privacy, consent, health and safety regulations and public guardian requirements.
• Strong communication, mediation, and presentation skills for diverse stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Applies social work principles to support residents and families and provide psychosocial assessment and counselling.
• Provide pre- and post-admission support and coordinate with nursing teams for smooth transitions.
• Review admissions applications for long term care and communicate status with applicants and LHIN.
• Offer professional social work consultation to multidisciplinary teams and respond in crisis situations.
• Document consent, privacy practices, and resident progress notes; facilitate supports as needed.
• Lead and participate in committees and education sessions; supervise placements as required.
• Ensure proper documentation and storage of health information per policy.

Skills

Psycho-geriatrics

Cognitive impairment

Social work

Communication

Documentation

Education

Master’s of Social Work

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job Number: 4950
Job Type:Temporary Full-Time
Vacancy Reason: Temporary
Temp Contract Length: Up to 6 months
Location: 247 Franklin St N - Sunnyside Home
Number of Positions:1
Division: Community Services
Hours of Work: 35 hours per week, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday
Union: Management/Management Support
Grade: Management/Management Support Grade 05
Salary Range: $85,430.80 - $106,779.40

Join the Team at Sunnyside Home

At Sunnyside Home, care is personal.

As the first long-term care home in Waterloo Region certified in The Butterfly Approach®, we are recognized for creating a warm, home-like environment where relationships, emotional well-being, and resident choice come first.

Here, you’ll be part of a compassionate and innovative team that is committed to meaningful connections, person-centred care, and making every day matter for residents and families.

If you’re looking for more than just a job, and want to be part of a workplace where kindness, collaboration, and dignity are at the heart of the work, we’d love to hear from you.

The Region of Waterloo is a diverse and growing community committed to creating opportunities for current and future generations.

Waterloo Region is part of the Dish With One Spoon wampum, a treaty grounded in sharing, sustainability, and respect:

• Take only what we need
• Leave some for others
• Keep the dish clean

These principles continue to guide our commitment to reconciliation, inclusion, and community well-being.

The Role

Applies social work knowledge, skills, values, and principles to a range of personal, inter-personal, and social challenges to assist residents, clients, and families at Sunnyside Home towards enhanced psychosocial wellbeing; and provides related admissions services to clients, residents, and their families.

Duties/Responsibilities

• Applies social work knowledge, skills, values, and principles to assist residents, clients, and their families toward enhanced psychosocial wellbeing. Provides psychosocial assessment and counselling, and develops, implements, and evaluates goals/plans with residents, families, and staff as required.
• Provides pre-and-post admission support (e.g., tours, education) to prospective residents and their families. Supports a smooth transition into Sunnyside Home in collaboration with staff teams. Refers to specialized supports as necessary (e.g., BSO program, specialized mental health).
• Reviews and assesses admissions applications for long term care, respite, and convalescent care and approves/withholds applications in consultation with nursing team. Communicates and responds to applicants/LHIN regarding status of applications.
• Provides professional social work consultation to multidisciplinary teams. Intervenes in crisis situations (e.g., resident violence, family breakdown, suicidal ideation, psychiatric emergencies).
• Provides information about consent and privacy practices to residents, clients, and their families. Ensures proper documentation for clinical consents and substitute decision makers. Facilitates application to Public Guardian and Trustee, as required.
• Provides leadership on conflict prevention/resolution between families, residents, and staff.
• Participates in resident-focused multi-disciplinary care conferences, rounds, discharge planning, family meetings, and ethics consultations. Addresses questions, complaints, and concerns from residents, clients, and their families.
• Maintains and manages the internal room transfer list. Facilitates resident room transfers with staff teams, residents, and their families.
• Participates in/chairs internal committees, community task forces, and inter-agency committees, as required. Works on special projects as needed. Represents the Region when liaising with community agencies.
  Organizes and presents educational sessions for staff (e.g., consent, privacy, advanced care planning).
• Supervises unpaid social worker placements as required.
• Ensures proper documentation, storage, and collection of health information, per legislation and policy.
• Performs related duties as required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of psycho-geriatrics and cognitive impairment, chronic illness, psychosocial assessment, counselling, social work, therapy, the health care system, admissions, and community resources, acquired through a Master’s of Social Work degree, plus related experience in long term care.
• Knowledge of and ability to comply with policies, procedures, related legislation (e.g. privacy, health care consent, health and safety, public guardian) and the requirements of the Ministry and Association of Professional Social Workers.
• Human relations, communication, and presentation skills to communicate effectively with staff, the public, and agencies; negotiate and mediate in sensitive situations; counsel and advise residents and their families; present to community agencies and staff; chair committee meetings; and participate as an effective team member.
• Ability to write sensitive, confidential correspondence to families and agencies; resident progress notes and social histories; minutes; work plans; policies; and resident financial documentation. Ability to read and interpret journals, books, newsletters, letters, resident charts, memos, research papers, and correspondence.
• Computer skills with ability to use software such as Microsoft Office.
• Must provide an acceptable Police Vulnerable Sector Check (Level 3).
• A tuberculosis (TB) test and annual influenza immunization are required.
• Ability to support and demonstrate the Region’s values.
  

For questions or to request accommodations during your recruitment, onboarding or employment, please contact [e-mail] , or by calling our Service First Contact Centre at phone number [phone].

Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Hiring Process: Region of Waterloo may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to enhance efficiency during the recruitment process. However, applications will also be reviewed by a member of our Talent Acquisition team to ensure a fair and thorough assessment. AI does not make final hiring decisions. Candidates who are asked to obtain a Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC) as part of the due diligence process are required to do so in support of our obligations under the Long-Term Care Act and our commitment to maintaining a safe environment for residents. If police services are unable to process a VSC, candidates will then be asked to provide a Criminal Record & Judicial Matters Check ( CRJMC ) so that we can complete appropriate due diligence. Please note: candidates will be provided an update on their application. Please check your spam or junk folder occasionally as some candidates have noticed our emails in those folders (Gmail and Hotmail in particular).