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

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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