Social Worker

Under the supervision and guidance of the head of the Mental Health Unit, the social work will be in charge of the following:
I. Service provision
a. Patient and family level
i. Adopt a holistic person-centred approach to provision of palliative care
ii. Conduct comprehensive psychosocial assessments of patients and families to identify emotional, social, and psychological needs
iii. Provide psychosocial support to patients and caregivers to help them cope with end-of-life challenges
iv. Prepare children and adolescents for the loss of a loved one using evidence- based and age-appropriate interventions
v. Assist in the implementation and facilitation of SANAD’s
Bereavement Support Program
vi. Conduct socio-economic assessments as needed to evaluate patient’s financial, social and environmental circumstances, ensuring appropriate support and resources are provided.
vii. Collaborate with community resources to provide additional support services for families

b. Interdisciplinary team
i. Ensure care planning and close coordination with the nursing team on common cases.
ii. Participate in case discussions with the psychologist within the Mental Health Unit
iii. Endorse, evaluate, and continue developing SANAD’s Referral Criteria of patient/family cases between the Nursing Unit and the Mental Health Unit
iv. Participate in SANAD’s weekly interdisciplinary team meeting and provide input on cases as needed

II. Quality, Training, and Research
a. Stay up to date on latest international guidelines and evidence-based practices and contribute to the development of the psychosocial support in palliative care guidelines
b. Contribute to policy writing and program development related to psychosocial and bereavement care
c. Ensure accurate and timely reporting on data related to service provision on different platforms (patient files and operational excel sheets)
d. Take part in the evaluation and continuous adaptation of the Mental Health Unit’s projects and programs.

e. Provide input and support and facilitation of training sessions on psychosocial aspects of palliative care in awareness-raising, generalist, and specialist level trainings
f. Engage in research projects relevant to palliative and hospice care in the psychosocial field
g. Participate in training and orientation sessions for newly appointed members and volunteers at SANAD
h. Contribute to donor proposals write up and progress report.

III. Advocacy and Outreach
a. Conduct and participate in community awareness talks, sessions or campaigns in relation to psychosocial aspects in end-of-life care.