Head, Medical Social Services - Exciting Challenge

Job Summary 

Functions as Head of Department of Medical Social Services (MSS) to provide leadership to ensure Nursing Home meet the standard of practice in providing bio-psychosocial-spiritual assessment and intervention in management of the residents’/clients’ care, to improve the services provided by the department and to oversee the professional development of the team members in Medical Social Services. Reports to Clinical Director.

Main Roles & Responsibilities:

a) Casework 

• Lead and handle case assessment and risk assessment, intervention care plan and case conferences for complex and high-risk cases, including crisis cases.
• Integrate a range of information from relevant stakeholders, utilize social work principles, legal and ethical framework, and develop strategy, protocols and guiding principles in handling complex case.
• Lead in development of intervention and strategies for emerging domain.
• Monitor and review case progress and evaluate the effectiveness of strategies/intervention of a domain.
• Advise on complex cases or ethical issues with a multi-disciplinary team.
• Oversee the delivery of social services and make strategic decisions to ensure high standard of practice.
• Advocate for the protection of resident’s/client’s dignity, confidentiality and rights
• Identify gaps in care delivery and foster partnership with key stakeholders to derive integration of care plan.

b) Groupwork 

• Strategise resident’s/client’s demographic profiling and initiate and develop therapeutic group work in response to the residents’/clients’ needs.
• Strategise means to track outcomes and collect data to ensure effectiveness.

 c) Community Work

• Engage in environmental scanning and analyse social trends. 
• Develop or modify approaches to changing social trends to meet community needs.

d) People Management and Professional Development 

• Inspire and communicate clearly on ASH’s vision and mission and values 
• Strategize and align subordinates’ aspiration with ASH’s corporate direction 
• Establish change management strategies (buy in, resistant to change etc..) processes, transition activities, communication plan and policies 
• Chart overall professional development plan (career progression and learning needs) for MSS team.
• Supervise and mentor MSWs in their professional development. 
• Lead in various learning platform.
• Participate in committee, workgroup, case review meetings, cross-functional assignments.
• Provide guidance for MSWs to conduct in-house talks, and trainings
• Lead in the discussion of sensitive or emergent unique issues 

e) Program development and Implementation 

• Evaluate policies and processes. 
• Identify and work in professional partnerships with key influencers and decision-makers to bridge service gaps.
• Collaborate with inter-agency to review inter-agency protocol, aiming to promote better integration of services for the residents/clients.
• Advocate and guide the development of programmes for residents/clients, resident’s/client’s family, multi-disciplinary team and relevant stakeholders in specialized areas (eg crisis, grief and loss, bereavement.)

Knowledge, Skills and Experiences Required:

• BA majoring in Social Work
• Experience in supervising a team of Social Workers. Management experience and experience in Health Care sector preferred. 
• Dynamic, self-driven and client-oriented
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Leadership quality and enjoy developing others. 
• Forward-looking and improvement-orientation.