Job Description

About SickKids

Dedicated exclusively to children and their families, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is one of the largest and most respected paediatric healthcare centres in the world. As innovators in child health, we lead and partner to improve the health of children through the integration of healthcare, leading-edge research and education. Our reputation would not have been built \xe2\x80\x93 nor could it be maintained \xe2\x80\x93 without the skills, knowledge and experience of the extraordinary people who come to work here every day. SickKids is committed to ongoing learning and development, and features a caring and supportive work environment that combines exceptionally high standards of practice. When you join SickKids, you become part of our community. We share a commitment and determination to fulfill our vision of Healthier Children. A Better World. Don\xe2\x80\x99t miss out on the opportunity to work alongside the world\xe2\x80\x99s best in paediatric healthcare.

Position Description

Social Worker, MSW \xe2\x80\x93 Outpatient Mental Health Services - 1.0 FTE 1 year contract The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is a leading specialty pediatric hospital providing complex, innovative care and treatment to children, youth, and families. Serving a diversity of patients and families, SickKids social workers are members of the Brain and Mental Health Program and deployed across specialty divisions of the hospital providing a broad range of important clinical supports and interventions to ensure caregivers, families and patients receive wholistic, comprehensive care, treatment, and transition planning. Providing services in one of the most diverse cities in the country, SickKids social workers are committed to enhancing health equity, respectful service and inclusion of all populations served by the hospital. In 2020 SickKids launched its first enterprise-wide Mental Health Strategy https://2025.sickkids.ca/mental-health/ and is now growing its capacity to realize the important goals of this plan that include improved evidence-based care across the care continuum inclusive of inpatient and outpatient specialized mental health services, emergency department and urgent care services. A key priority of the strategy is building services for children and youth with complex physical and mental health conditions, a specialized area where SickKids is uniquely positioned to support families and develop best practices in the field. SickKids Mental Health is growing its capacity to serve patients with primary mental health disorders including those diagnosed with mood, complex anxiety and behavior disorders including OCD, somatization. Additionally, SickKids is investing in the integration of treatment for concurrent physical and mental health disorders and will establish new services focused on these complex populations and their families. Activities of the role:

• Conduct and inform interprofessional family assessments across a broad range of mental health disorders and concurrent physical and mental health conditions.
• Implement and deliver evidence-based treatment plans, inclusive of parenting skills, family counselling and therapy, support and teach relevant patient and family coping skills and provide support around adaptation, treatment adherence and enhancement of quality of life.
• Provide treatment through a variety of modalities including individual therapy, consultation, case navigation/management, crisis intervention, community outreach and advocacy.
• Deliver a variety of treatment modalities inclusive of CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) for children and youth, family education and therapy, and other evidence-based models of care.
• Practice from an integrated model that considers the implications of medical, physical, mental health, family cultural contexts and issues of social complexity.
• Demonstrate skills in patient and family engagement, interviewing skills with individuals, parents, and families.
• Demonstrate capacity to manage highly charged situations inclusive of the prevention and management of behavioral escalations and responding to Code White situations.
• Identify strengths and risks within families that should be considered in the context of the assessment formulation and treatment recommendations; work with caregivers to prepare for transitions between phases of treatment.
• Collaborate with a large and diverse inter-professional health care team.
• Navigate and secure resources that address issues related to the social determinants of health.
• Work collaboratively with community agencies and services such as CAS (Children s Aid Society), Ontario Works, Children\xe2\x80\x99s Mental Health agencies.
• Support the academic mandate of the hospital by supervising MSW students from affiliated universities.
• Assume responsibility for all aspects of practice including accountability for standards of practice, productivity, and workload related data necessary for hospital reporting
• As a member of the social work department, cross coverage for social work colleagues is an essential part of the role, weekend/after hours on call (AHOC) coverage and availability for community emergency response are necessary aspects of these hospital roles.

Here\xe2\x80\x99s What You Will Need:

• Master\xe2\x80\x99s degree in Social Work, preferably with pediatric hospital experience
• Registration with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers
• Five years clinical experience (assessment and treatment) working with children and families in an acute mental health care setting
• Training and experience with evidence-based treatment models inclusive of CBT, DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy), family therapy approaches
• Familiarity with the complexities of chronic concurrent physical health conditions (e.g., Neurological, GI, Transplant) and developmental/ASD disorders and their impacts on the mental health of children, youth, caregivers, and siblings.
• Knowledge and experience with crisis prevention and intervention models
• Demonstrated experience and knowledge in culturally competent practice, and extensive understanding of the importance of health equity, diversity, and inclusion in the delivery of healthcare services
• Demonstrated skills in group facilitation approaches in the delivery of psychoeducation for caregivers and youth-oriented intervention groups
• Experience collaborating with sectors inclusive of child protection, education, children mental health sectors; knowledge of the relevant network of community services and resources is an asset
• Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced, complex, and dynamic environment requiring excellent collaboration, problem solving and team-based skills
• Capacity to collaborate flexibly and effectively as a member of the inter-professional health care team and to take initiative and leadership when appropriate
• Proficiency in the use of electronic platforms such as Microsoft Office, hospital documentation systems and other relevant technology
• Delivery of services: In-person as well as virtual platforms
• Excellent interpersonal, clinical written skills for the purposes of documentation and oral communication, organizational and time management skills
• Demonstrated critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Commitment and comfort to working in a culture dedicated to quality improvement, evidence-based practice, clinician accountability and measurement-based care.
• To ensure the needs of patients and families are prioritized, flexible hours are required; while working from home may be possible, the job is primarily on-site at the Elizabeth Street location.

Employment Type:

1.0 FTE - Temporary 1 year contract with modified benefits

Our Commitment to Diversity

The children and families we care for are from a variety of communities, and so are our employees. We welcome and encourage everyone to join our organization and be part of our team. When requested, SickKids will provide access and inclusion supports to eligible candidates to support their full engagement during the interview and assessment process. Information received related to access or inclusion will be addressed confidentially. Thank you for your interest in joining SickKids. Only those applicants selected for an interview will be contacted. In accordance with our Hospital policy, employment at SickKids is conditional upon the Hospital\xe2\x80\x99s receipt of all necessary documentation. FOR EXTERNAL APPLICANTS ONLY: As a health care institution, our highest priority is the safety of patients, families and staff. As a result, we are adopting all prevention measures to ensure the safety of our patients, families and our staff. Therefore, any offer of employment is conditional upon you submitting proof that you have been fully vaccinated with a Health Canada or World Health Organization (WHO) approved COVID-19 vaccination as soon as possible and no later than fourteen (14) calendar days prior to the effective start date, in addition to satisfying any other condition(s) that may be set out in an offer. If a candidate fails to satisfy this condition (or any other condition(s) set out in an offer), any offer of employment shall be immediately rescinded. How to Apply Tip: Combine your cover letter and resume into ONE document of 20 pages or less as you cannot upload multiple documents as part of your application. If you are still experiencing technical difficulties please email ask.hr@sickkids.ca to send us a short description of the issues you are experiencing. Please note that we will not accept resumes sent to this inbox but we are happy to respond to requests for technical assistance.