Social Worker - Mental Health & Substance Use

Salary Details

The salary range for this position is CAD $44.85/Hr. - CAD $56.02/Hr.

Job Summary

Come work as a Social Worker with Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) on the Mental Health Geriatric team in Richmond, BC. Apply now to join the team!

Within the context of a client and family centred care model and in accordance with established standards of professional practice, and the vision and values of the organization, provides social work assessments and services using current theory and evidence based practice. Works as part of an interdisciplinary community mental health & substance use care team to provide treatment and services that are both inclusionary and flexible for individuals with mental illness and substance use to meet the needs of the client. Attends clinical care conferences as a member of an interdisciplinary team for client reviews, admissions and discharges. Acts as a Designated Responder complying with the Adult Guardianship Legislation. Provides consultative and direct services to clients, families, staff and community health professionals regarding issues such as: adult guardianship, advanced directives, domestic violence, abuse and/or neglect, immigration, housing, financial concerns, or matters concerning government agencies (public trustee) and authorities (courts, police).

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Master of Social Work from an accredited School of Social Work.
• Two (2) years' recent, related experience working in a setting with the specific population this program supports, particularly those who may have complex mental health and substance use issues.
• Valid BC Driver's License. Local area travel requires the use of a personal vehicle.
• Current full registration with the British Columbia College of Social Workers.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Knowledge of the principles of recovery in mental health and substance use.
• Extensive knowledge of Adult Guardianship Act, Mental Health Act, Consent the Patients Property Act, and Heath Care Consent and Care Facility Admission Act.
• Knowledge and familiarity with available financial support specific to patient population.
• Knowledge of MSP and Pharmacare, including Special Authority.
• Knowledge and understanding of Public Guardian and Trustee.
• Broad knowledge of social work theory and practice within a client and family centred model of care.
• Knowledge of Psychosocial Rehabilitation methodology.
• Knowledge of community, social and mental health resources.
• Ability to identify emotional, social, or environmental barriers and intervene to eliminate stigma.
• Knowledge of non-violent crisis intervention.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively as a member of an interdisciplinary team.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with internal and external clients.
• Broad knowledge of mental health and substance use.
• Broad knowledge of research methodology, counselling skills and clinical practice models.
• Broad knowledge of family, group and change therapy.
• Demonstrated ability to apply systems theory to practice in Social Work assessment and intervention.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct social and psychosocial assessments.
• Demonstrated ability to establish rapport with clients and families.
• Demonstrated ability to adjust to new or unexpected events and deal effectively with conflict.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively as a member of an interdisciplinary team.
• Basic understanding of trauma-informed care.
• Communicates effectively and in a culturally safe manner with client, caregivers and health care team.
• Knowledge and training of Indigenous Cultural safety and experience providing culturally safe care to Indigenous people, families, and communities.
• Knowledge and ability to provide services using a harm reduction approach.
• Basic computer literacy to operate a computerized client care information system and word processing, spreadsheet, Internet and e-mail software.
• Physical ability to perform the duties of the position.

Closing Statement

Applicants with a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree from an accredited School of Social Work, and a demonstrated equivalent combination of education, training and experience may be considered. If you are applying under equivalency, please clearly outline in your application how your knowledge, education, skills and experience meet Master of Social Work (MSW) equivalency.

The hours of work including days off and work area may be subject to change consistent with operational requirements and the provision of the Collective Agreement and applicable statutes.As per Ministry of Health policy, all health care workers working in publicly-funded health care facilities are required to report their past receipt of certain vaccines or history of certain infections. Collecting these records will allow for offering of any missing vaccines, and for appropriate actions to be taken in the event of any future exposure to a communicable disease or during outbreaks. For all new hires and appointments to Vancouver Coastal Health, you will be asked to provide this information as part of the onboarding process.

WHY JOIN VANCOUVER COASTAL HEALTH?

VCH is a world class innovator in medical care, research and teaching, delivering service to more than one million BC residents. At VCH, we embrace thinking boldly, taking smart risks, and "going first" when we believe it will lead to the best possible outcomes for patients and their families. We invite you to join us in creating healthy lives in healthy communities by showcasing our passion for care, connection to the communities we serve and our culture of teamwork that makes VCH a great place to work.

• Comprehensive health benefits package, including MSP, extended health and dental and municipal pension plan
• Grow your career with employer-paid training and leadership development opportunities
• Wellness supports, including counselling, critical incident and innovative wellness services are available to employees and their immediate families
• Award-winning recognition programs to honour staff, medical staff and volunteers
• Access to exclusive discount offers and deals for VCH staff

At Vancouver Coastal Health, our vision of healthy lives in healthy communities inspires us and our values and pillars guide us. We support equitable practices, diverse teams and inclusive environments, which are vital to creating welcoming spaces where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and feel supported. We encourage applications from equity-deserving communities, including Indigenous Peoples and members of racialized groups, people with disabilities and people of all gender identities and expressions and sexual orientation.Vancouver Coastal Health is proud to be recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers, BC’s Top Employers, Canada’s Best Diversity Employers and Canada's Top Employers for Young People in 2026.Only short-listed applicants will be contacted for this posting. ***Employees of VCH must apply online via the Internal Career Portal on CareerHub, you are currently viewing the External Career Portal. Refer to the https://my.vch.ca/working-here/job-postings site for instructions on how to view internal job postings and how to apply as an employee. Current VCH employees who apply to this posting using this external site will be considered as an external candidate. Seniority will not apply.***Thank you for your interest in Vancouver Coastal Health.