Make a difference at the beginning of a child’s journey

Support our young patients and their families through health challenges

Vacancy Reference No. 744489

This is an Permanent Part Time appointment at 60.8 hours per fortnight (0.8 FTE), with the possibility of extension and/or permanency.

About the Role

Perth Children’s Hospital is seeking an experienced and passionate Senior Social Worker to join our multidisciplinary Early Intervention Clinic within the Department of paediatric rehabilitation (Kids Rehab WA).

This is an opportunity to provide specialist social work services to infants, young children and their families at a critical time in their lives. The Early Intervention Clinic supports young children, predominantly under two years of age, who have been identified as being at risk of cerebral palsy or who have other congenital or developmental conditions.

Working as an integral member of a highly collaborative multidisciplinary team, you will bring specialist expertise in psychosocial assessment and intervention, supporting families experiencing the impact of an unexpected or life-changing diagnosis.

You will draw on your knowledge of and experience working with bereavement, grief and loss, adjustment and chronic sorrow to support families to understand and adjust to their child’s diagnosis, identify their strengths and psychosocial needs, access appropriate supports, and build connections with community services and resources.

Strong communication skills and an understanding of interprofessional practice will be essential to your success in this role. You will contribute actively to multidisciplinary team meetings, providing a social work perspective while effectively giving and receiving feedback to support shared clinical decision-making and outcomes for children and families.

Key responsibilities include:

• Working collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team to develop holistic, family-centred care plans.
• Contributing specialist social work perspectives to multidisciplinary assessments, case discussions and clinical decision-making.
• Developing strong partnerships with Clinical Nurse Specialists and other members of the rehabilitation team to ensure coordinated and responsive support for families.
• Supporting families to navigate relevant disability and community service pathways, including the NDIS, Early Childhood Approach, Thriving Kids and other relevant services.
• Connecting families with community resources, peer support, respite, playgroups and other services that promote family wellbeing and participation.
• Maintaining effective working relationships with community and government agencies, including the Department of Communities where relevant.
• Providing clinical consultation, supervision and support to Social Workers and Social Work students as required.
• Participating in education, quality improvement, research and evaluation activities that enhance social work practice and family outcomes.
• Supporting the ongoing development of social work practice within Early Intervention and Paediatric Rehabilitation.
• Participating in departmental activities, meetings and after-hours/on-call arrangements as required.

If you have understanding and knowledge of Child Development (especially for children under the age of 2), together with experience working with bereavement, grief and loss, adjustment and chronic sorrow, we encourage you to apply.

Please note a tertiary qualification in Social Work and eligibility for full membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers is a requirement for this role.

Resources can be provided to support transition from an adult care environment into paediatric practice.

About our Department

The Early Intervention Clinic provides specialist multidisciplinary assessment and support to children from infancy through to approximately five years of age, with a particular focus on children identified as being at risk of cerebral palsy or experiencing other developmental or congenital conditions.

The clinic brings together a highly skilled multidisciplinary team comprising Paediatricians, Clinical Nurse Specialists, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Pathologists, Social Work and Psychology, with access to Dietetics and other allied health professionals as required.

Working at the intersection of paediatric health, rehabilitation, disability and family support, the team is committed to collaborative, coordinated and family-centred care that supports children’s development and helps families navigate diagnosis, disability and access to appropriate supports and services.

How to apply: We welcome your application via the ‘Apply for Job’ button at the bottom of this page. Your application should contain the following:

• A copy of your current CV outlining your most recent and relevant work experience.
• Evidence of a Tertiary qualification in Social Work and eligible for full membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers or the Society of Professional Social Workers OR Evidence from the AASW of assessment of an overseas social work qualification and AASW membership eligibility.
• The name, email and contact details of two referees who can be contacted to provide a confidential report (we will contact you and seek your confirmation prior to contacting your listed referees).

Within the application system you will be presented with the following three questions. Please review the Essential and Desirable Selection Criteria outlined in the attached Job Description Form carefully when preparing your response.  These questions allow you to showcase your relevant skills and experiences in detail, with a generous word limit of 500 words for each response. 

1 Describe a situation where you provided advanced social work assessment and intervention to a child and family experiencing a complex or life-changing circumstance. In your response, explain

• How you assessed the psychosocial needs, strengths and circumstances of the child and family.
• The key issues you identified through your assessment and how these informed your social work approach.
• What theories and frameworks informed your approach.

1. For the same case, please describe:

• The social work interventions you implemented and the clinical reasoning underpinning your approach;
• How you supported the family through grief, loss, adjustment or uncertainty, where relevant;

1. For the same case, please describe how you worked with other clinicians and within your role as a Social Worker to provide care.

Your response should demonstrate your advanced clinical social work skills, understanding of family-centred practice, ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team, and capacity to achieve positive outcomes for children and families.

This response will be assessed against essential criteria 2 4, and 6 from the position description.

These documents should be complete and ready to attach prior to applying online. Please ensure you allow sufficient time to complete the online application process as you will be required to answer various questions and attach your documentation.

Selection Criteria: Please see the attached Job Description Form. 

For Further Job Related Information: We encourage you to contact Joanne McNamara on joanne.mcnamara@health.wa.gov.au or 0436 595 377 or 08 6456 0413 with any specific questions related to this role.

Help in submitting your application: If you experience technical difficulties while applying online, please contact Employee Services on 13 44 77 for immediate assistance during business hours.

Eligibility to Apply: To be eligible for appointment, applicants must have valid Australian work rights. This includes visa holders. Permanent appointments may be made to individuals who hold citizenship, permanent residency, or visas that enable ongoing employment in Australia. 

Sponsorship is not currently available for this position.

Other Conditions: WA Health engages staff in positions of trust and responsibility. WA Health policies require applicants to undertake a criminal records screening and integrity checking as part of the appointment process. As well as undertaking a criminal record screening and integrity checking, you may also be required to undertake a working with children check (if required for the role) and a pre-employment health assessment. We may ask referees to comment on your integrity and past demonstration of ethical behaviour. Please note that adverse information does not necessarily disqualify an applicant but will be considered as part of the appointment process.

WA Health is committed to eliminating all forms of discrimination in the provision of our service. We embrace diversity and strongly encourage applications from people from culturally diverse backgrounds and people with disabilities.

In addition, we are committed to growing our Aboriginal workforce as part of WA Health Aboriginal Workforce Policy. As a measure to achieve equality, Section 51 of the Equal Opportunity Act 1984 applies to this position and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are encouraged to apply.
 
Whilst this selection process will initially be used to fill the above vacancy, applicants found suitable for this position may be considered for other ‘similar’ vacancies within CAHS and/or the wider WA public sector. In addition to this, should the successful applicant decline or vacate the advertised vacancy, then the next most suitable applicant may also be selected from this process. Both of these options remain valid for a period of twelve (12) months from when the authorised delegate endorses the recruitment decision.
   
About CAHS 

The Child and Adolescent Health Service (CAHS) is proud to be the leading service provider for paediatric healthcare in Western Australia, as the State’s only dedicated health service for infants, children, and young people. CAHS comprises three service areas: Perth Children’s Hospital (PCH) and Neonatology, Community Health, and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).  

With over 7000 employees, our services are delivered at PCH and King Edward Memorial Hospitals (KEMH), as well as across a network of more than 160 community clinics across the Perth metropolitan area. 

For further information about the benefits of working for CAHS, please click here and for further information regarding CAHS’ services, please click here 

CAHS values: To achieve our vision of healthy kids, healthy communities, CAHS is committed to providing a workplace culture that is driven and shaped by our values of Compassion, Collaboration, Equity, Respect, Excellence and Accountability. During the selection process you may be assessed on your ability to fulfil the responsibilities of this position in accordance with the values. If you have any questions regarding this, please contact the person named in this advert. 

Support for your interview process

CAHS is committed to ensuring that our interview process meets the access needs of all applicants. If you require any reasonable adjustments to accommodate a disability, enhance access, or support your inclusion and success during the interview, please contact the CAHS Talent Acquisition Team prior to your interview. 

You can reach the team via CAHS.talentacquisition@health.wa.gov.au or by calling 08 6456 0321. All enquiries will be treated confidentially. 

Lodgement is system generated. Any submissions on, or after, 4:00pm on the closing date will not be accepted. 

LATE OR EMAIL APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.