Palliative Care Social Worker (Maternity cover/12 months) - 30hrs p/w

Hospice of the Valleys; Wales; On-site; GBP 37,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

A specialist palliative care provider in the UK is seeking a Palliative Care Social Worker to provide psychosocial support to patients, families, and carers in a compassionate environment. The role involves collaborating with a multi-disciplinary team to ensure quality care and innovative practices while supporting those facing life-limiting illnesses. Candidates should possess a Professional Social Work qualification and experience in palliative or end-of-life care.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• Experience of working with partner agencies in multi-disciplinary settings.
• Effective assessment and intervention in relation to complex needs.
• Working in a specialist palliative care setting.

Responsibilities

• Provide psychosocial support to Hospice patients and families.
• Support Hospice patients with practical and emotional implications.
• Collaborate to deliver quality improvement across the team.

Skills

Knowledge of the Social Services & Well-being Act (Wales) 2014

Good communication skills, verbal and written

Ability to work as a member of a team

Experience of delivering learning opportunities

Education

Professional Social Work qualification (MA/Degree in Social Work or equivalent)

Advanced Communication Award

Counselling qualification

Job description

Palliative Care Social Worker (Maternity cover/12 months) - 30hrs p/w

You will work as part of amulti-disciplinary team providing psychosocial support to Hospice patients,families and carers and bereaved relatives. You will deliver interventions where high-levelassessment, problem solving and decision-making skills will be required, engaging with colleagues,patients, patients families and carers, volunteers, supporters and visitors.

The Family SupportService is to provide high quality support for people and their families whoare experiencing challenging life circumstances related to a palliativediagnosis. This work aims to encourage advance care planning, enabling patientsto remain in their identified preferred place of care, whilst avoidingunnecessary admission to hospital. The Family Support Service is alsoresponsible for the bereavement support provided to those bereaved whilstreceiving Hospice support.

The service provides highquality, comprehensive education, for health and social care professionals andpatients/carers, facilitating an improved understanding of palliative care/carer support need/bereavement needs, the value of early implementation of apalliative care approach and recognition of the importance of advance careplanning.

Main duties of the job

Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team, providing aspecialist palliative care social work service to Hospice patients, theirfamilies and carers.

Support Hospice patients, families and carers with thepractical and emotional implications of facing a life-limiting illness.

Support any children or young people within the family withthe emotional implications of a loved ones diagnosis and subsequentdeath.

Support Hospice patients, families and carers in makingdecisions about their future needs as they adjust to a new and changingsituation, and offer appropriate interventions. This includes work withHospice patients, families and carers coming to terms with the illness andpossible death of someone close.

To work in collaboration to deliver sustained improvementsin performance, quality and consistency of practice across the team. Thereby achieving the best outcomespossible.

To develop innovative ways of working to ensure positiveoutcomes for those receiving the service.

To represent and promote the service in relevant multiagency meetings.

To ensure effective partnership working and engagement toachieve and deliver these objectives.

To engage in the strategic development of the Team andService

About us

Hospice of the Valleys is the specialist palliative care provider of choice across Blaenau Gwent. Our dedicated professional team delivers high quality care for patients living with a life limiting illness, with comprehensive support for their families throughout treatment, end of life care and bereavement.

Our Mission:

Our commitment is to provide free, high quality care in their own homes for patients in our area suffering from life threatening illness, and comprehensive support for families, from diagnosis, through treatment and, if appropriate, into terminal care and bereavement.

Our Vision:

That everyone suffering from the pain and anxiety of life threatening illness should have continued access to the unique brand of free, quality care and support provided by Hospice of the Valleys.

Job responsibilities

JOB PURPOSE

You will work as part of amulti-disciplinary team providing psychosocial support to Hospice patients,families and carers and bereaved relatives.

To deliver interventions where high-levelassessment, problem solving and decision-making skills will be required.

You will engage withcolleagues, patients, patients families and carers, volunteers, supportersand visitors.

ROLE OF DEPARTMENT

The aim of the Family SupportService is to provide high quality support for people and their families whoare experiencing challenging life circumstances related to a palliativediagnosis. This work aims to encourage advance care planning, enablingpatients to remain in their identified preferred place of care, whilst avoidingunnecessary admission to hospital. The Family Support Service is alsoresponsible for the bereavement support provided to those bereaved whilstreceiving Hospice support.

The service provides highquality, comprehensive education, for health and social care professionals andpatients/carers, facilitating an improved understanding of palliative care/carer support need/bereavement needs, the value of early implementation of apalliative care approach and recognition of the importance of advance careplanning

Contribute to the campaign toraise public awareness relating to death and dying, supporting families tohave difficult and sensitive discussions and address the issue of advancedcare planning.

Support and facilitate choiceand the fulfilment of the wishes of people with a palliative diagnosis.

SCOPE AND RANGE

Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team, providing aspecialist palliative care social work service to Hospice patients, theirfamilies and carers.

Support Hospice patients, families and carers with thepractical and emotional implications of facing a life-limiting illness.

Support any children or young people within the family withthe emotional implications of a loved ones diagnosis and subsequentdeath.

Support Hospice patients, families and carers in makingdecisions about their future needs as they adjust to a new and changingsituation and offer appropriate interventions. This includes work withHospice patients, families and carers coming to terms with the illness andpossible death of someone close.

To work in collaboration to deliver sustained improvementsin performance, quality and consistency of practice across the team. Thereby achieving the best outcomespossible.

To develop innovative ways of working to ensure positiveoutcomes for those receiving the service

To represent and promote the service in relevant multiagency meetings;

To ensure effective partnership working and engagement toachieve and deliver these objectives

To engage in the strategic development of the Team andService

MAIN TASKS, DUTIES ANDRESPONSIBILITIES

DIRECTWORK

Assess the needs of the bereaved, and provide bereavementsupport to individuals, families, children/young people and groups asappropriate.

Complete a holistic assessment of need, and formulate aplan to address those needs, in collaboration with Hospice patients, families,carers, and other service providers.

To formulate, design and deliver expert evidence-basedinterventions

Tobuild a professional relationship with service users and their families andto use that relationship to safeguard and promote positive outcomes

Tocommunicate effectively with service users and their families, ensuring thattheir views and wishes are heard and recorded accurately, and plans reflectstheir views

Toestablish rapport and build a respectful, honest and trusted relationshipwith service users and their families, in order to identify and reduce riskin line with safeguarding procedures

Tounderstand and respect the rights of service users

Tosupport the completion of good quality assessments and the analysis of riskthrough the use of best practice guidance

Facilitationof group work relevant to the service provision and identified need.

Maintain accurate and appropriate records, including thecomputerised database, and provide reports and statistics as required.

LEADERSHIPAND ACCOUNTABILITY

Act as a champion of best practice by playing aleadership role in social work practice within the organisation.

To provide professionalsupervision and appraisal to members of the team to achieve service aims andobjectives.

To support team members inmeeting continuous professional development and improvement requirements inline with Social Care Wales registration.

Act as a guardian of professional codes of practicewithin the organisation.

To support and implement changes in methods and approaches to work as may be required.

PRACTICE, EDUCATION & SERVICE DEVELOPMENT

To take personalresponsibility for keeping up to date with legislation, research findings andpractice knowledge, including attendance at appropriate training;

Contribute to training and practice development

Contribute to qualifying and post qualifyingsocial work education curricula development and in the promotion of theSocial Work Career Pathway

Provide training within the team and clinicalservices

Acting as a Practice Teacher/Assessor,PQ Award Mentor or other formal role to support the provision of learningopportunities

Tocomply with Gwent Safeguarding Boards Safeguarding procedures and practice

Toensure the maintenance of such records and management information systems asappropriate

Facilitatetraining and education to wider stakeholders, in line with funding acquiredwithin the service

Evaluate the effectiveness of social work practice, andparticipate in multi-disciplinary audit.

Critically evaluate research and assist in theimplementation of evidence-based best practice in all aspects of patientcare.

Promote a learning environment which actively facilitateslearning and structured personal development for health and social careprofessionals.

Have a commitment to lifelong learning and continue toundertake own professional development in accordance with codes of practiceof relevant professional bodies, Social Care Wales and the Social Servicesand Wellbeing act.

Participate in/contribute to relevant research projects.

EQUIPMENT AND MACHINERY

Post holder will be providedwith a mobile telephone, laptop, and guardian 24 device for lone working.

SYSTEMS

The post holder will beresponsible for working within the policies and procedures of theorganisation and will be responsible for updating policies relevant to theservice area.

The employee handbook will beprovided which will outline all relevant policies and processes.

DECISIONS AND JUDGEMENTS

High-level assessment, problem solvingand decision-making skills will be required.

Decision making undertaken with a personcentred and evidence based approach utilising robust outcome measures.

PHYSICAL, MENTAL, EMOTIONAL ANDENVIRONMENTAL DEMANDS OF THE JOB

Physical Effort

Time spent at desk, attendingmeetings, training and supervision. This will be shared with time spentvisiting and undertaking assessments within the community in individualshomes.

There is a requirement that thepost holder will drive.

Mental Effort

Be expected to deal withfrequent interruptions due to the unpredictability of the work and serviceuser group.

Be required to exert prolongedperiods of concentration during assessments, report writing anddocumentation.

Problem solving for service users,their family members and carers who have complex needs.

Emotional Effort

Frequently work with serviceusers and their carers who sometimes exhibit challenging and emotionalbehaviours and will potentially be exposed to distressing and emotional circumstances.

To support Hospice patients,families and carers in making decisions about their future needs as theyadjust to a new and changing situation, and offer appropriate interventions.This includes work with Hospice patients, families and carers coming to termswith the illness and possible death of someone close.

MOST CHALLENGING/DIFFICULT PARTS OF THE JOB

Working within the charity sector having to liaise withstatutory services to actuate change;

Working within a palliative and end of life careenvironment where death and dying is a

Regularfeature of the role.

Working within a fast paced and ever changing clinicalenvironment.

Managing safeguarding concerns.

Person Specification

Skills and Knowledge, special aptitudes

• Knowledge of the Social Services & Well-being Act (Wales) 2014;
• Knowledge and understanding of the Mental Capacity Act and the Mental Health Act.
• Knowledge of the Mental Health (Wales) Measure 2010
• Knowledge and understanding of the united nations principles for older and disabled people.
• Ability to work as a member of a team
• Good communication skills, verbal and written
• Good time management & organisational skills and the ability to manage own workload
• Knowledge of principles of research and audit
• Ability to translate evidence into practice
• Knowledge of the welfare benefits system
• Presentation and publishing skills
• Experience of undertaking research/audit

Qualifications

• Professional Social Work qualification i.e. MA/Degree in Social Work or recognised predecessor equivalent e.g. CQSW, DipSW, CSS;
• Complete the relevant post qualifying awards within a defined period;
• Advanced Communication Award
• Counselling qualification

Experience

• Experience of working with partner agencies, in multi-disciplinary settings.
• Experience of delivering learning opportunities.
• Evidence of innovative practice.
• Effective assessment and intervention in relation to complex needs
• Experience of undertaking mental capacity assessments
• Working in a specialist palliative care setting
• Working with people with a life limiting illness
• Role in service and policy development
• Experience of the Lasting power of attorney process
• Working with bereaved people
• Experience of practice supervision e.g. mentorship of students

Personal qualities and circumstances

• Self-awareness, and critical reflective ability
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Team player
• Flexible and adaptable to a variety of tasks

SPECIAL CONDITIONS and PROFESSIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• -Requirement to travel independently throughout the Service Area.
• -Enhanced Disclosure and Barring checks on appointment and at
• periodic intervals.
• -To be personally responsible for the continued registration as a
• 'Social Worker' with Social Care Wales.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Family Support Team Lead/Senior Social Worker

£37,898 to £45,637 a yearPro-rata for part-time employees