Location: Perth Children's Hospital, Nedlands Unit/Division: Perth Children's Hospital > Service Unit 5 - Allied Health Work Type: Casual, Fixed Term - Full Time, Fixed Term - Part Time, Permanent - Full Time, Permanent - Part TimeShape the future of our service in providing evidence-based clinical care to children and families.Share your wisdom - develop and grow the professional capability of our team. This is a Recruitment Pool for Permanent Full Time, Permanent Part Time, Fixed Term Full Time, Fixed Term Part Time, and Casual appointments with the possibility of extension(s) and/or permanency. We have one Fixed Term opportunity while the substantive occupant is on a period of Long Service Leave with the possibility of extension and permanency. CRVCID No.662542 Position Profile Perth Children's Hospital (PCH) is seeking a leader with vision, clinical expertise, and a deep commitment to team wellbeing and service excellence, to join CAHS as Head of Department - Social Work. This is an exciting opportunity to lead a key clinical service and deliver high-quality, patient and family-centred social work services across inpatient, outpatient, and emergency department settings. Reporting to the Director Allied Health, you will lead a team of Social Workers, Aboriginal Health Liaison Officers, Welfare Officers, and Translation & Language Services. Your strong leadership skills will be key in navigating and maturing our workforce strategy and planning in alignment with hospital priorities and evolving service needs. This includes strengthening opportunities for professional and leadership development, and implementing informal and formal mechanisms that maintain staff wellbeing, build resilience, and enable and empower each person to manage the complexity of their work as part of a multi-disciplinary team within a medical specialty (such as oncology, haematology, ICU, and ED) with professionalism. You will apply your advanced practice skills to coach and mentor your team in supporting patients and families through complex health and social situations including acute and chronic illness, crisis intervention, support for bereavement and loss, child protection, family domestic violence, and ethical decision-making, with a focus on provision of family-centred, culturally safe, and inclusive care. Key responsibilities include:Providing clinical supervision and taking responsibility for the development, maintenance, and evaluation of professional standards of clinical care within the department.Overseeing the planning and coordination of social work services, ensuring a high standard of professional services and the effective and efficient use of allocated human and physical resources within the social work service.Fostering a culture of clinical and professional excellence, promoting social work as a vital hospital service and a cohesive part of the multidisciplinary teams we work within.Leading research and quality improvement initiatives to advance our service and maintain clinical excellence.Collaborating with medical, nursing, and allied health professionals to maintain best practice and enhance patient care.Fostering leadership development and clinical education programs to advance social work practice and enhance workforce sustainability by supporting the professional growth, excellence, and mentorship of social workers at all levels (P1, P2, P3).Advising, consulting, and representing the hospital with external agencies on welfare and social work matters including the development of community resources for the benefit of hospital patients and their families. This is an exciting opportunity to lead a highly skilled team in a challenging yet rewarding environment. If you are a compassionate, forward-thinking leader with extensive experience in hospital-based social work, we encourage you to apply. Please note a tertiary qualification in Social Work and eligibility for full membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers is a requirement for this role. Relevant experience in working with children and families will be highly regarded; however, applicants with relevant experience in adult care will be provided the opportunity for support and education to translate your knowledge to a paediatric setting. About our Department: Based at Perth Children's Hospital and comprising over 40 individuals including Social Workers, Aboriginal Liaison Officers, and Welfare Officers, our team provides compassionate support, expertise, and guidance as families navigate life with a child's health condition or injury. This includes diagnosis of a health condition, child protection, trauma and bereavement, and managing the practical, personal, and emotional impacts of long-term illness, disability, and hospitalisation. As part of a multidisciplinary team, we work with medical, nursing, and allied health professionals to assess needs and offer specialist counselling and crisis assistance, advocacy for patient needs, education, liaison and other services, and referral to community-based resources. We provide services to children aged from birth to 16 years, including inpatients, outpatients, and those in the emergency department, often following a family or child throughout their health journey. We believe that every child deserves the best possible start in life, and at times we continue to work with some families even after they leave the hospital, which includes travelling to support rural and regionally based outpatients. How to apply We welcome your application via the 'Apply for Job' button at the bottom of this page. Your ability to meet the work-related requirements will be assessed throughout the recruitment process. For your written application, please provide the following:A statement addressing the selection criteria in no more than 2-3 pages.A current resume which summarises your experience and how you are able to meet the position requirements.Evidence of a Tertiary qualification in Social Work and eligibility for full membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers OR evidence from the AASW of assessment of an overseas social work qualification and AASW membership eligibility. For Further Job Related Information: We encourage you to contact Rachel Resuggan, Director of Allied Health on or with any specific questions related to this role. Help in submitting your application: If you experience technical difficulties while applying online, please contact Employee Services on for immediate assistance during business hours. Selection Criteria: Please see the attached Job Description Form. Eligibility to Apply: To be eligible for appointment, applicants must have a valid working visa (for fixed term appointments) or be an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or have a visa to live and work indefinitely in Australia (for permanent appointments). This position is subject to a Western Australian Working With Children (WWC) Check. For further information please refer to the WWC website at: Other Conditions: WA Health engages staff in positions of trust and responsibility. WA Health policies require applicants to undertake criminal records screening and integrity checking as part of the appointment process. Referees may also be asked to comment on an applicant's integrity and past demonstration of ethical behaviour. WA Health is committed to eliminating all forms of discrimination in the provision of our service. We embrace diversity and strongly encourage applications from people from culturally diverse backgrounds and people with disabilities. In addition, we are committed to growing our Aboriginal workforce as part of WA Health Aboriginal Workforce Policy. As a measure to achieve equality, Section 51 of the Equal Opportunity Act 1984 applies to this position and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are encouraged to apply. Suitable applicants will be placed in a pool from which appointments may be made when similar vacancies occur. Appointments may be made from this pool until 31 July 2026. About CAHS: The Child and Adolescent Health Service (CAHS) is proud to be the leading service provider for paediatric healthcare in Western Australia, as the State's only dedicated health service for infants, children, and young people. CAHS comprises four service areas: Neonatology, Community Health, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), and Perth Children's Hospital (PCH). With over 6500 employees, our services are delivered at PCH and King Edward Memorial Hospitals (KEMH), as well as across a network of more than 160 community clinics across the Perth metropolitan area. For further information about the benefits of working for CAHS, please click here and for further information regarding CAHS' services, please click here. CAHS is committed to providing a workplace culture that is driven and shaped by our values of Compassion, Collaboration, Equity, Respect, Excellence, and Accountability. During the selection process, you may be assessed on your ability to fulfil the responsibilities of this position in accordance with the values. For further information about the benefits of working for CAHS, please click here and for further information regarding CAHS' services, please click here click apply for full job details