Post on 16-Aug-2020
Oncology Social Worker
Competencies
OSWANZ Conference 2019
Nick Hobbs
November 2019
Overview
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Why?
Development of the competencies
The Competencies Framework
Implementation examples
Discussion
Why Competencies
“Unique Footprints: recognising the biopsychosocial implications of the cancer site”.
• the ripple effects of a cancer diagnosis, across physical, psychological, spiritual, social and cultural domains.
• A dynamic interaction of multiple factors inevitably affects people in different ways.
• how do we as social workers tailor the way we work with people based on our understanding of the meaning each person’s cancer has for them?
• What do we need to know about cancer types that will influence the approaches, resources we use?
•
3
From a management perspective….
4
Staff with differing levels of understanding, not only due to less years of experience
Mistrust in the team
Anecdotal understanding of knowledge and experience gaps within the team
Complaints identified learning needs
Staff needed guidance with writing learning plans
No assumption of quality
The team agreed something was needed
What was needed
-A framework to assist both social workers and patients to implement and received high quality care in the cancer site.
-More than anecdotal understanding of staff learning needs
-Opportunity for assessment and building trust
-Guidance on areas for professional development
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A loaded term - competencies
6
No issue within the team Social Work Managers
Term seen as threatening
Competent or incompetent?
Agreement in the end to use the term
Sense that loading put on the term competency was from peoples own feeling of
inadequacy
Setting the context for the competencies was critical for its positive use
Development of the competencies framework
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OSWANZ Experience
Literature Review
Competencies and
Standards in Social Work
Workforce Standards
Oncology Social Work Competencies
• Distinct emotional, spiritual or socio-cultural challenges related to the cancer site
• The challenges of recurrent disease
• Psychosexual issues and interventions
• Living with the effects of physical, cognitive and functional impairment as a result of treatment or disease progression
• Culture, Gender and age specific needs and interventions
• Self-esteem, self-concept and identity in relation to diagnosis and physical changes
• Grief and loss as it relates to cancer type and site
• The social and cultural implications of physical changes that occur within the dying process
• Specific issues arising for carers and families related to the cancer site
• Quality improvement
• General skills and orientation
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Key areas
General Skills
Orientation to
Oncology Social
Work
Referral Skills Intervention Modes
Working with
Specific
Populations
Theoretical
Approaches
Quality
Improvement
Client /Patient
Presenting Issues
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COUNSELLING
Face to face individual counselling
Read chapter three of Clinical Practice Guidelines for Psychosocial Care of Adults with Cancer.
HP1- 2 Read material that has been determined with supervisor (counselling skills).
HP1: Shadow a competent social worker at individual counselling sessions for three months.
HP1: Be shadowed by a competent social worker for three months.
HP2: Shadow a competent social worker in three individual counselling sessions and then be shadowed for three individual counselling sessions.
HP3 Attend a course on counselling. Discuss with supervisor. HP2 – 3: Previous recognition given to meet HP1 requirements
on discretion from Supervisor based on experience and understanding.
Student, AHA N/A HP1 - 2 Practice skills from reading and observations with
supervisor. HP1: Complete six months of shadowing arrangements to meet
competency for basic counselling skills. HP2: Complete shadowing arrangements to meet competency
for counselling. HP3: Attend Counselling course and meet specialisation
requirements for a listed approach under theories HP3: Supervision record reflects discussion of key elements of
individual counselling HP3 Conduct five face to face individual counselling sessions
with supervisor or manager present.
____
____ ____
____ ____
____ ____
Face to face couple/family counselling
HP1 – 3: Read material that has been determined with supervisor on couple/family counselling skills.
HP1: Shadow a competent social worker at couple/family counselling sessions for three months.
HP1: Be shadowed by a competent social worker doing couple/family counselling for three months.
HP2: Shadow a competent social worker in three couple/family counselling sessions and then be shadowed for three individual counselling sessions.
HP3 Attend a course on couple/family counselling. Discuss with supervisor.
HP2 – 3: Previous recognition given to meet HP1 requirements on discretion from Supervisor based on experience and understanding.
Student, AHA: N/A HP1 - 2 Practice skills from reading and observations with
supervisor. HP1: Complete six months of shadowing arrangements to meet
competency for basic counselling skills. HP2: Complete shadowing arrangements to meet competency
for counselling. HP3: Attend couple/family counselling course and meet
specialisation requirements for couple/family therapy under theories
HP3: Supervision record reflects discussion of key elements of individual counselling
HP3 Conduct five face to face individual counselling sessions with supervisor or manager present.
_____
____ ____
____ ____
____ ____
Telephone counselling Read statement on telephone counselling in Orientation manual. Discuss with supervisor challenges that present in telephone
counselling.
Student, AHA, HP1: N/A HP2 – 3: Conduct 5 telephone counselling sessions with
supervisor / manager or experienced senior in telephone counselling present and have peer reviewed.
HP2 – 3: Supervision record reflects discussion on telephone counselling and sighting of peer review summary.
____
____ ____
DOMAIN PRE-REQUISITE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS COMPETENCY MET LEVEL/SIGN
Example
Implementation
• Trialled with the team
• HP1 New Graduate Social Worker
• Roll out to all team
– No-one wanted to see grandparenting of competency
• Expansion to other areas (Rehabilitation and Aged Care Services)
• Student Placements
• More importance now the team is now a Supportive Care Team
– Manager a nurse
– Provides understanding of social work role
– Provides understanding of expectations at different roles to feed into workforce planning
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Feedback
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• ‘This framework articulates the profession’
• ‘It gave me a structure for planning my professional development’
• ‘I felt I had more control over identifying my learning needs and putting plans in place’
• ‘I use it to help guide topics for supervision’
• ‘I used it to help with writing my learning plan’
• ‘I can use it to advocate for training in areas I need development with’
• ‘I think I can use it to help with my next job application!’
• ‘It’s not true you get better by practice. You get better by reflection and focus and translating this into work. This framework is intentional on demonstrating the importance of supervision and reflection’
Feedback
• Used to advocate for social work role in new structure
• ‘As a manager, I was less stressed thinking about quality as I knew staff were working through standardised approaches to care’
• What didn’t work in one team:– Manager handing to social worker and telling them to do this
• Had to interpret
• Needed context to understand
• Need good supervision arrangements in place
• 2019 Version– New format with check boxes
– Further refined wording so more clarity
– Clearer instructions at the front to help managers and social workers understand the context
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Student Example
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Placement MSW Grad Dip Csl RAAF/Lifeline
Referral Skills
Practical Support
Post hospital support
Residential care
Carer Support
NDIS X
My Aged Care
Community support agencies/ groups
X
Financial and Legal
Financial fund sources
Guardianship X X
Referral skills
Travel and Accommodation
Accommodation
Transport
IPTAS/IPTAAS
Intervention mode
Implementation
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Available to all to useAdapt to own context i.e. different policies, learning opportunities
Where changing, acknowledge source and advise author of changes
Contact Toni Ashmore for an electronic copy
Thank you