About this role
Job summary
We are looking for an experienced and qualified Social Worker to join our friendly Supportive Care team. Reporting to the Social Work Lead, you will be a key member of the multi-professional team collectively responsible for planning and delivering responsive, compassionate, efficient and effective support. Working primarily in our Community Services, you will be providing direct psychosocial support to patients, families, carers and children (including bereavement support) considering cultural, spiritual, psychological, social and financial issues. You will also provide advice and support for the wider hospice team around responding to safeguarding issues within palliative care.
We are looking to recruit someone to work 30 hours per week (9-5), with either a Wednesday or a Friday as their non-working day. This role will require occasional evening and weekend working. Due to the nature of this role, a full UK driving license is required.
If you would like to discuss this job opportunity or arrange an informal visit, please contact Elaine Pawley, Team Lead on 01432 851000 (2628) or alternatively contact [email protected]
Main duties of the job
You will also be responsible for an Assistant Social Worker, this would include all aspects of line management such as: appraisals, clinical supervisions, allocation of work, CPD and absence management.
We are looking for someone who has excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Is highly motivated and enjoys working with a diverse and at times complex caseload. Proven ability to manage own caseload and work autonomously with support from colleagues is essential. The right candidate will be fully qualified and have an up to date Social Work England registration. Due to the nature of this role, you will be dealing with sensitive information so a need for confidentiality is key. This post is conditional to an enhancedDisclosure and Barring Service(DBS)Check.
About us
St Michael's Hospice is nestled in the stunning Herefordshire countryside, in a state-of-the-art facility. We offer a competitive salary and benefits package, a transferrable NHS pension or you can enrol onto our own Hospice pension. We offer Life Assurance, a superb working environment and facility, generous study leave allowance, discounts with local suppliers, individualised training needs analysis, advanced communication skills training, employee counselling service, free tea & coffee, a friendly & welcoming work environment and 30 days annual leave (pro rata if applicable), plus bank holidays. We are one of the top 100 best not for profit organisations to work for and have been caring to make a difference, to patients living with a terminal illness and their families, across Herefordshire and beyond for over 40 years.
Job description Job responsibilities
Job title: Social Worker Community Services
Spinal Point Range: 18-20-22
Hours: 30 hours per week (over 4 days 0900-1700) open to either a wednesday or friday days off
Department: Supportive Care
Location: St Michaels Hospice, Bartestree
Reports to: Lead Social Worker
Responsible For: Assistant Social Worker
Job purpose
Deliver and further develop under guidance the specialist social work service to patients, families and carers under the care of the Hospice at Home Service through identification, assessment of and response to the needs and resources of the service user.
Service provision
Provide a highly skilled, specialist palliative social work service to those individuals, children, adults and families at highest risk of social, emotional and/or family breakdown during illness and bereavement within the community.
Assist in identifying, assessing and monitoring the impact of illness, dying and bereavement on individuals and family dynamics
Design, implement, monitor and evaluate individual and family interventions to promote the social and emotional well-being of all those affected, patients, carers and family
Provide lead social work support to various groups in day services and outpatient clinics.
Provide and engage external support provision in a timely manner in order to meet the needs of patients and their families.
Promote flexibility of social care provision; increase opportunities for family and group work with patients, adult carers, children and adolescents (alongside HOPE)
Work with external community agencies and resources to promote support services for palliative care patients and families
Contribute to grant applications for social and psychological care services and projects as required
Liaise with continuing healthcare care professionals about patients funding review and undertake these assessments when required
Communication and Education
Liaison and collaboration with external health and social care agencies, schools and colleges (alongside HOPE) to develop more proactive, multi-disciplinary supportive palliative care service provision throughout the County of Herefordshire
Initiate and facilitate referrals to external providers where appropriate to optimise the use and development of resources available in the community
Assist in the collation of user feedback and undertake needs analysis, research and audit to inform service development as required
Assist in educating and supporting the Hospice at Home MDT in the development and application of legislative policies and procedures e.g. DOLS and Safeguarding
Progress integration of the specialist supportive care model into true multi-disciplinary working pre- and post-bereavement within Hospice practice (community patient, out-patient, day-patient and in-patient services) to enhance patient and carer experience
Operate as part of an expert social work resource within the Hospice at Home team.
To work alongside the wider multidisciplinary team in promoting the Rehabilitative Palliative Care approach enabling people to live fully until they die.
Attends Supportive Care team meetings, Community MDT, and MND MDT
Person Specification
1 Specialist knowledge and experience
Essential
Qualified social worker, CQSW, DIPSW degree or equivalent
Professional registration with Social Work England
Social work experience in complex environments with responsibility for managing own caseload.
Able to work weekends and evenings as required.
Be in possession of a full UK driving licence, be over 21 and have held a full licence for 12 months.
Line management experience
Desirable
Post-qualification award in social work, preferably in palliative care
Membership of APCSW
Experience of working with:
Grief, loss, death and bereavement, welfare benefits, children, adolescents, family work, group work
Volunteers
Students on placementment
2 Skills and behaviours
Relating to others: quickly builds rapport and easily establishes relationships with individuals and families and is able to work at depth with complex issues. Works alongside and interacts with others in a sensitive and effective way.
Assessment: ability to identify and assess patient and family needs with respect to financial, physical, emotional and psychological vulnerability and strengths.
Communication: able to utilise skilled verbal communication in all areas of practice to achieve best possible outcomes for patients and families. Writes fluently, clearly and concisely.
Advocacy: negotiates on behalf of patients and families. Is persuasive and influences decision making.
Team working: Develops effective and supportive relationships with internal and external colleagues. Collaborates with colleagues to provide effective service provision.
Organisation: manages own workload and organises own time effectively. Ability to work independently in the day to day implementation of social work practice. Able to develop and maintain emotional resilience.
Commitment to professional development: Identifies own learning needs and maintains professional development.
3 Special conditions
This post is conditional to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service Check.
High volume of VDU work.
Requirement to work rotas evenings and weekends.
Our values
What matters to you is whats important to us
To ensure we deliver upon this every day, we empower people to work collaboratively to reach the best possible decisions, realise them in the best possible way and at the best possible time.
We value:
Knowledge, judgment, and kindness in reaching the best possible decisions,
courage, integrity, and passion in realising those decisions in the best possible way, and
honesty, empathy, and determination in doing so at the best possible time.
Living our values influences the way we behave. The way we behave informs the way we do things. The way we do things is the St Michaels way.
Equal Opportunities Statement
At St Michaels Hospice we are committed to an equal opportunities approach in everything we do. This means that we seek to ensure anyone connected with St Michaels, from patients and families through to donors, supporters, volunteers and staff are treated fairly, appropriately and with dignity and respect.
January 2025
Person Specification
General Requirements Essential
Please refer to job description above
Desirable
Please refer to job description above
Experience Essential
Social work experience in complex environments with responsibility for managing own caseload. Line management experience
Desirable
Experience of working with: Grief, loss, death and bereavement, welfare benefits, children, adolescents, family work, group work, Volunteers, Students on placement
Qualifications Essential
Qualified social worker, CQSW, DIPSW degree or equivalent Professional registration with Social Work England Be in possession of a full UK driving licence, be over 21 and have held a full licence for 12 months.
Desirable
Post-qualification award in social work, preferably in palliative care Membership of APCSW
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.
Employer details Employer name St Michael’s Hospice
Address St Michael's Hospice
Hereford
HR1 4HA
Employer's website https://www.st-michaels-hospice.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)