Social Worker

• Hillmorton Hospital, Christchurch
• Permanent, full-time 1FTE position with East Ward
• Work closely with an experienced multidisciplinary team
• Strengthen your therapy skills within Mental Health
• New Zealand registration with the New Zealand Social Workers Registration Board

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is firmly grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is committed to building a health system that serves all New Zealanders.

About the role

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Social Worker to join the team in East Ward.

Te Awakura is a 64-bed adult acute inpatient unit that provides 24-hour care for consumers with mental illness. Our model of care focuses on integrated multidisciplinary teams, providing excellent care for consumers in the least restrictive manner. There are four wards that form Te Awakura: North, East, South and West.

East inpatients services the east quadrant of the city. We are a close-knit team and have a good relationship with our Outpatient Team. We have a strong emphasis on providing high quality care, ensuring the consumer, family and whanau are at the centre of all we do.

This may include:

• tāngata whaiora who are presenting to services for the first time that may require extended assessment and support around management of their symptoms.
• tāngata whaiora that have an identified discharge pathway on admission - i.e. home or supported accommodation - but may require some additional assessment and upskilling to safely and successfully transition into the community.
• tāngata whaiora who may have limited social supports and require support to increase their engagement in their local communities.

The goals of the service include:

• Provision of a safe and supportive environment to provide extended assessment, treatment and rehabilitation following an admission to the adult acute service
• Teaching skills to help support illness management and to support consumers to live the life they want to live
• Support development of structure and meaningful routines
• Support safe discharge into a community setting

About You

In this role, you will be responsible for:

• Completion of thorough social histories
• Completing assessments of consumers and formulating interventions to meet individual needs in collaboration with our multi-disciplinary team (MDT)
• Supporting family/ whanau engagement
• Working alongside consumers on complex areas including debt consolidation, welfare guardianship and PPP&R matters
• Supporting consumers with integration into the community and the ability to develop strong relationships with community providers.

Your skills will include:

• The ability to triage and prioritise consumer input in a timely manner is essential;
• A minimum of 2 year' experience in a mental health setting is preferable;
• A current NZ driver's license is essential (including ability to drive manual vehicles);
• New Zealand Registration as a Social Worker with Annual Practicing certificate is essential.

Working at Health New Zealand

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of New Zealand. We embrace a workforce that is diverse and inclusive so that we are better positioned to understand and service our community. We welcome applications from our diverse Māori, Pacific, disabled, and rainbow communities.

How to Apply

To apply please click 'apply now.' All applications must be submitted through our online careers' portal by Friday 21st November. If you have any questions about the role, please contact

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

Whilst Health New Zealand is undergoing change, affected employees will be given preference and priority for this position.