Medical Social Worker jobs in Toronto, ON

THRIVE (Toronto Hospitals Reducing Injury from Violence) is a hospital-based intervention program (HVIP) co-developed with the Toronto community at the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, located at Unity Health Toronto – St. Michael’s Hospital. They are an essential part of the City of Toronto’s SafeTO strategy.

THRIVE entails including community members with lived experience alongside an inter-professional team in Emergency Medicine (EM) at St. Michael’s Hospital to provide wraparound case at the time of injury to ease the transition from hospital to the community.

THRIVE is a novel HVIP that has received funding from the City of Toronto, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and private donors. The Principal Investigator, Dr. Carolyn Snider, the Former Head of St. Michael’s Department of Emergency Medicine, is leading a team that will pilot and study the impact of THRIVE in the Greater Toronto Area. We are seeking applications from qualified candidates to join our team full time as a ED Outreach Worker - THRIVE.

Reporting to the Manager, Homeless and Outreach Services, the THRIVE Outreach Worker is responsible for case management, outreach support, and community liaison for people experiencing violence and/ or repeat injury. This position will connect with people who are in the Emergency Department or admitted to the hospital and will support clients after their hospital visit to assist them in following their care plan and connect to long-term social and health supports. Aiming to reduce repeat injury and improve health care experiences and outcomes.

The THRIVE Outreach Worker will work alongside an inter-professional team, including staff, physicians, learners, and community partners. The THRIVE Outreach Worker will provide support to people who have experienced violent injury through trauma-informed care, healing-centered engagement, and case management. The THRIVE Outreach Worker will also provide mentorship as the person builds skills and develops the capacity to thrive. The THRIVE Outreach Worker will collaborate closely with agencies across the city to ensure that the individual’s family and friends also receive support, as we know violence is an epidemic.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITES:

• Attends and contributes to weekly meetings facilitated by Management and THRIVE Outreach Counsellors to provide training opportunities, case discussions and support to each other
• Establishes and maintains therapeutic rapport with individuals and families to facilitate ability to successfully complete treatment plans
• Provides system navigation support to individuals and families including: justice, mental health, addictions, housing, education, employment/training opportunities etc. Effectively assists clients through their ambivalence and resistance to change using evidence/strength based strategies;
• Provides case management support to individuals to support them in setting and working towards achieving short, medium and long-term goals for up to one year
• Provides case management support to individuals to assist them in meeting their post-discharge care plans and provide support in times of crisis
• Participates in weekly client case audits with other members of the THRIVE team and Management
• Provides risk-assessment, crisis management and safety planning supports to individuals and families to facilitate a safe transition to community post-discharge.
• Provides outreach support to individuals and families to help access resources, connect with agencies and health care providers and improve community connections/integration
• Maintaining accurate up-to-date resources and referrals for programs and services in hospital and in community for individuals and families Works collaboratively with the clinical team and community partners to ensure post-discharge plans meet individual needs
• Engages evaluation and review of treatment goals and re-negotiates goals as is appropriate with individuals on the case load.
• Participates in case management meetings when requested by either the individual or primary care team
• Occasionally participate in community-based tables, meetings, networks led by partners and City of Toronto
• Records all interactions in an objective and accurate manner that reflects organizational protocols and established regulatory practices
• Documents all stages of the care transition and coordination process clearly, accurately and concisely
• Coordinates and collaborates with community colleagues to ensure program is operating in a collaborative way on program-wide basis
• Works diligently to foster excellent relationships with internal and external partners
• Provides outreach services to individuals who are unwilling or unable to attend office based appointments
• Works in collaboration with research staff to facilitate an evaluation of providing post-visit care planning and outreach support as an intervention for individuals experiencing violence or repeat injury.
• Collaborates with injury-prevention team for community programming and hospital-based initiatives
• Maintains connections and supports individuals in attending outpatient medical appointments
• Supports direct and successful connections to primary care and other community-based resources and agencies
• Ongoing communication with primary care providers, community workers, and longer-term case management agencies for discharge planning and post-discharge care
• Closely collaborates with Care and Transition Facilitators, Social Workers, in hospital services (eg. ED, Psychiatry and Addictions teams)
• Attends care plan meetings, discharge meetings, with the social worker ’s and ED/ trauma staff for individuals participating in THRIVE who have been identified by staff as requiring a care plan

QUALIFICATIONS:

• College diploma or equivalent experience required (specializing in Social Sciences would be an asset)
• A minimum 2 years’ experience working with individuals experiencing violence and/or repeat injury required
• Lived experience/personal experience navigating systemic barriers would be considered an asset
• Knowledge of community-based violence, its impacts on individuals and communities, the potential for ongoing or escalating violence, and trauma-informed safety planning approaches
• Extensive knowledge of social service resources in the community
• Experience working in an independent outreach position, meeting with individuals alone in the community or in their homes required
• Experience in case management, goal-setting and providing trauma-informed care with youth and families required
• Experience in engaging people facing significant barriers to accessing health, social services, education and/or employment resources, and housing required
• Strong organizational, coordination and administrative skills
• Skill in crisis management, healing-centred engagement, and intervention with individuals
• An ability to respectfully and meaningfully engage individuals experiencing violence and/or repeat injury;
• Demonstrated understanding of the unique issues and barriers facing this population
• Experience engaging and supporting individuals and communities impacted by violence required
• A commitment to walk beside and support an individual as they build personal agency and independence
• An understanding of harm reduction and related issues and their impacts on individuals experiencing violence/ repeat injury
• Experience working with diverse communities with complex psycho-social needs required
• An understanding of the impact of the social determinants of health and a commitment to working collaboratively with patients to mitigate these
• Knowledge of addictions treatment modalities are an asset
• A commitment to a cooperative approach to problem solving
• An ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Experience working in an inter-professional team
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills

Candidates must be willing to work evenings, overnight/ weekends if required.

Candidates will be required to participate in on-call duties– 7.5 hour shifts, 37.5hrs/week in the future.

The successful candidate will be initially scheduled to work Tuesday- Saturday 7:00 AM- 3:00 PM, but may change based on program refinement activities

Unity Health Toronto is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive organization. We strive to provide a recruitment process that is barrier-free and in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and the Ontario Human Rights Code. We understand that you may require an accommodation at any stage of the recruitment process. When you are contacted, please inform the Talent Acquisition Specialist and we will work with you to meet your accommodation needs. We want to emphasize that all accommodation requests are handled with the utmost confidentiality, respecting your privacy and dignity.