Clinical Social Worker

Role Overview

Clinical Social Worker at NMC Healthcare. This role delivers clinical social work services in accordance with UAE Department of Health regulations, UAE laws, ethical standards, and professional guidelines within a healthcare facility setting.

Role Purpose

To provide comprehensive, evidence-based clinical social work services that address patients' psychosocial, emotional, social, and environmental needs across the care continuum, from assessment and intervention through discharge and follow-up, while advocating for patient rights and coordinating holistic multidisciplinary care.

Key Responsibilities

Assessment and Clinical Evaluation

• Conduct comprehensive psychosocial, cognitive, mental health, and social assessments.
• Evaluate patient functioning, coping mechanisms, social environment, risks, and safeguarding concerns.
• Assess patients' social and living environments.
• Identify barriers to care.

Risk Assessment and Safeguarding

• Assess and respond appropriately to suicide risk, abuse, neglect, self-neglect, and safeguarding concerns.
• Identify risks involving children and vulnerable individuals.
• Complete appropriate reporting and documentation.
• Support children, families, vulnerable adults, elderly patients, persons with disabilities, and other high-risk populations through assessment, intervention, safety planning, and follow-up.

Intervention and Care Planning

• Develop and implement evidence-based, individualized intervention and care plans.
• Address patients' psychosocial, emotional, social, and environmental needs.
• Provide counselling, emotional support, crisis intervention, and trauma-informed care.
• Deliver psychoeducation and therapeutic interventions.
• Provide appropriate referrals based on patient needs.

Specialized Clinical Support

• Provide specialized social work support in mental health, child protection, oncology, palliative and end-of-life care, transplant services, bereavement, and other specialized clinical settings where applicable.

Family and Caregiver Engagement

• Engage and support patients' families and caregivers in assessment, treatment, and discharge planning.
• Facilitate ongoing care to promote patient independence and positive outcomes.

Service Coordination

• Coordinate appropriate healthcare, social care, community, governmental, educational, and other support services.
• Advocate for patients' rights, dignity, autonomy, confidentiality, and access to care throughout the patient care journey.
• Address patients' socio-legal needs during treatment, hospitalization, discharge, and follow-up.

Multidisciplinary Collaboration

• Collaborate closely with psychologists, psychiatrists, physicians, nurses, case managers, and other healthcare and non-healthcare professionals.
• Participate in multidisciplinary case discussions, treatment planning, and discharge planning.
• Contribute to continuity of care planning.

Documentation and Compliance

• Maintain accurate, complete, timely, and confidential patient records.
• Ensure documentation complies with DOH requirements, UAE legislation, and facility policies.
• Apply quality assurance, patient safety, occupational health, confidentiality, cybersecurity, and risk-management requirements in service delivery.

Quality and Service Development

• Participate in quality improvement and patient safety activities.
• Contribute to social work service development.
• Complete mandatory DOH and facility requirements, training, and awareness programs within required timelines.

Education and Community Engagement

• Participate in patient and family education, support groups, and community outreach.
• Engage in awareness activities that promote social welfare and reduce stigma.
• Participate in community education, social welfare initiatives, advocacy, and policy development.
• Participate in social work research as required.

Professional Development and Supervision

• Maintain professional competence through continuing education, research, supervision, and reflective practice.
• Develop clinical and interpersonal skills.
• Provide supervision, guidance, and mentorship to social work students and trainees where applicable.

Professionalism and Interpersonal Practice

• Demonstrate cultural sensitivity, professionalism, and appropriate professional boundaries.
• Respect differences in culture, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, language, and socioeconomic status.
• Communicate effectively with patients, families, colleagues, and external stakeholders.
• Contribute positively to multidisciplinary teamwork.
• Recognize personal limitations, biases, and emotional responses.
• Practice appropriate self-care and maintain professional effectiveness.

Service Delivery

• Provide services during official working hours and, where required, outside official hours in accordance with facility requirements and applicable policies.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work.
• Master's degree in Social Work.
• DOH professional license or eligibility as a Clinical Social Worker, as applicable.
• Two years of experience post-qualification in a related field (required for non-UAE nationals).

Skills & Competencies

• Comprehensive assessment and diagnosis in psychosocial, cognitive, and mental health domains.
• Evidence-based intervention planning and therapeutic delivery.
• Crisis intervention and trauma-informed care.
• Child protection and safeguarding assessment and response.
• Risk assessment and suicide prevention.
• Family engagement and systems-based practice.
• Multidisciplinary collaboration and communication.
• Patient advocacy and rights protection.
• Cultural sensitivity and cultural competence.
• Professional boundary setting.
• Reflective practice and self-awareness.
• Written and verbal communication with diverse stakeholders.
• Knowledge of DOH regulations and UAE legislation relevant to social work practice.
• Confidentiality, cybersecurity, and risk-management practices.
• Occupational health and patient safety awareness.

Additional Information

• All clinical social workers are encouraged to pursue professional development in their assigned role.
• Services may be required outside official working hours according to facility requirements and applicable policies.