Social Worker

Location: Wellington Regional Hospital 

Contract: Permanent, part time (32 hours per week / 0.8FTE)

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is firmly grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is dedicated to serving all New Zealanders. Through integration and collaboration, we’re building a health system underpinned by partnership, equity, sustainability, whānau-centred care, and excellence. 

About the Role

In response to increased winter demand, we are expanding capacity to strengthen allied health input across acute services. These additional resources support the delivery of high-quality, patient-centred care for patients and their whānau during periods of seasonal pressure.

The role involves completing comprehensive psychosocial assessments with patients and their whānau and working in partnership with allied health, nursing, and medical colleagues to support safe and sustainable discharges into the community.

Key responsibilities include:

• Responding to a wide range of referrals, including complex social issues, adjustment to new diagnoses, and discharge planning
• Providing comprehensive social work assessment and intervention to support optimal health outcomes, autonomy, dignity, and interdependence
• Working collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team, including liaison with medical, nursing, and allied health staff
• Liaising with and referring to internal and external agencies and community support services
• Advocacy on behalf of patients and whānau
• Trauma-informed practice, including crisis intervention
• Identifying and responding to grief, loss, and bereavement
• Using reflective practice to support ongoing professional growth and development
• Navigating and applying relevant legislative frameworks, including those relating to family violence, care and protection of children, and the safety of vulnerable adults and older people (including liaison with Oranga Tamariki)

The Social Worker will engage with individuals and whānau from diverse cultural backgrounds and across a wide spectrum of socio-economic need within the Central Region of New Zealand.

About the Team / Service Location

This Social Worker role sits within the Acute Medical Stream and is primarily based on Ward 4S at Wellington Regional Hospital. The role focuses on discharge readiness and supporting safe, timely transitions of care for patients admitted with acute and chronic medical conditions.

The inpatient service provides assessment, diagnosis, stabilisation, treatment, and rehabilitation for individuals presenting with urgent medical needs. The Social Worker will work predominantly with older adults who have complex health and social needs, collaborating closely with the multidisciplinary team to facilitate comprehensive and timely discharge planning.

About You

You will be well suited to this role if you:

• Demonstrate a strong commitment to delivering high-quality, patient- and whānau-centred care
• Are self-motivated and proactive in developing your clinical skills and professional practice
• Work effectively within a fast-paced, acute health environment
• Value collaboration and multidisciplinary teamwork

Essential Qualifications, Skills and Experience

• Minimum of three years’ post-qualification professional experience, with at least two years within a health setting
• Demonstrated competence in comprehensive psychosocial assessment
• Experience with risk assessment and safety planning
• Ability to recognise and respond to child protection concerns, family violence, and risks to vulnerable and/or older adults
• Experience supporting individuals and families to adjust to new diagnoses, long-term health conditions, and/or disabilities
• Supportive counselling skills
• Knowledge of, and ability to connect patients and whānau with, appropriate support services
• Experience facilitating family/whānau meetings
• Sound understanding of, and ability to work within, the legal and ethical frameworks relevant to health and social work practice

Professional Registration

• Registered Social Worker with Social Workers Registration Board (SWRB), holding a current Annual Practising Certificate
• Membership of Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers (ANZASW) is desirable

Other Requirements

• Full, current New Zealand driver’s licence (manual and automatic), where required to work across multiple sites or in community settings
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Outlook, PowerPoint), email, and internet-based systems
• A high standard of written and spoken English

Working at Health New Zealand 

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is ‘the weaving of wellness’. We're dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of Aotearoa/New Zealand. 

Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Health New Zealand are committed to being good employers and honouring our equal employment opportunity obligations. We embrace diversity and welcome application from all people, including all gender identities, ages, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and disability. A workforce that is diverse and inclusive means that we are better positioned to understand and service our community. We are pro-equity health organisation, with a particular focus on Māori, Pacific Peoples, and the Disability Community. 

How to Apply 

To apply please click “apply now.” All applications must be submitted through our online careers’ portal by 26 April. If you have any questions about the role, please contact Philip.Adamson@tewhatuora.govt.nz 

We will review applications as received and may proceed with the recruitment process, before the closing date of this advertisement.