Social Worker

The Institute of Health Programs and Systems (IHPS) is a South African non-profit company (NPC) born out of the PEPFAR CDC Track 1 transition of the ICAP, Columbia University, Multi-country AIDS Program (MCAP) in South Africa in 2010. IHPS was established with a mission “to strengthen health and development systems through program implementation and partnerships” and, the vision is to ensure “optimal and sustainable health and development outcomes”. IHPS is a current Global Fund (GF) Subrecipient (SR) under the National Department of Health (NDoH), tasked to implement the Tuberculosis (TB) Program in the Johannesburg (JHB) Health District in Gauteng Province (GP) and Kenneth Kaunda District in the Northwest (NW) Province starting April 2022 ending March 2025. As such, IHPS seeks to recruit for the position outlined below, to support both Johannesburg Health District and Kenneth Kaunda District.
Full Time
  • Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract
  • Start Date: November 2022
  • Remuneration: R48 653
  • Level of Effort: 100%
  • Closing Date: 3 November 2022
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social worker
Job Purpose The purpose of this role is to provide psychosocial and counselling services, including Enhanced Adherence Counselling, and to strengthen collaboration and referral of TB/HIV patients to relevant stakeholders e.g., Department of Social Development. He / She will be part of the multi-sectoral case management team across sub-districts.
Key Performance Areas:
  • Conducting psychosocial Assessments of TB/HIV patients, clinical and non-clinical health care workers. 
  • Providing psycho-social support, including supportive debriefing and counselling to patients, families, and workers (clinical and non-clinical).
  • Strengthen re-engagement and linkage of TB/HIV patients back to care.
  • Mentor and supervise the Social Auxiliary Workers, other teams based at the facilities on their daily activities.
  • Conduct training needs analysis of the Social Auxiliary Workers, other teams based at the facilities 
  • Provide allocation of duties and report compilation of the Social Auxiliary Workers, other teams based at the facilities activities.
  • Maintains relations with health facility managers, and other gate keepers/stakeholders for TB prevention.
  • Collaborate with sub-district, district, and other district support partner, social workers to reinforce retention of TB-HIV patients to care.
  • Establish and strengthen inter-departmental patient referral system. 
  • Outline all referral pathways for psychosocial support activities.
  • Provide reports to all relevant supporting departments
  • Provide community-based psychosocial support sessions to both DS- and DR-TB clients.
  • Ensure that all TB clients are taken through treatment journey, outlining adverse effects and how to deal with them.
  • Collaborate with direct service delivery teams to provide appropriate interventions aimed at retaining TB/HIV patients to care.
  • Provide onsite and/or telephonic post-initiation and adherence counselling to link clients to treatment and retain them in care
  • Support the formation and facilitation of support groups in the community, to improve treatment adherence.
  • Collaborate with the Pharmacist to implement Multi Month Dispensing (MMD) strategy for TB/HIV patients.
  • Engage with early childhood development centers with TB index cases, on receiving consent for the children to undergo Mantoux skin test and TPT initiation.
  • Record and maintain accurate and detailed client information and interventions, as well as keep statistics, for timeous submission as required.
  • Monitor working hours and attendance of Social Auxiliary Workers, other teams based at the facilities (time sheets, annual leave etc.)
  • Recruitment of employees by participating in interviews
  • Participate in the disciplinary processes of employees
  • Organize and conduct in-service training for employees and external stakeholders
  • To promote good working relationship between community and facility based IHPS staff, ensuring attainment of programme goals
Qualifications and Experience:
  • Grade 12
  • Bachelor’s degree of Arts in Social Work or Bachelors of Social Science
  • Three (03) years’ experience as a social worker, and exposure to a TB and HIV programme
  • Computer literacy – intermediate level in MS Office programmes
  • Proficiency in English, Sotho, Xhosa, and isiZulu languages.
  • Valid code driver’s license.

Behavioral and Technical skills:

  • Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build relationships with stakeholders, external partners, and funders
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • Presentation and report writing
  • Data interpretation and analysis
  • Project management skills
  • Facilitation skills for coaching, training, and development.
  • Problem-solving skills and results driven
  • Decision making ability
  • Good interpersonal skills

Employer’s Rights

This position description may not list all the duties of the job. If an offer is made, you will be presented with a detailed job description. Applicants will be evaluated based upon their demonstrated ability to perform the tasks listed above, their education and work experience. The employer reserves the right to revise this posting at any time.

How to Apply

Qualified candidates should apply by e-mail only to HR@ihps-sa.org.Subject line should be the Position and District you are applying for, and a cover letter and resume or curriculum vitae (CV) should be attached. Submissions which do not follow the above instructions will not be considered. 

Due to the extremely high volume of CVs expected, only those selected for interviews will be contacted.  NO PHONE CALLS about these positions will be accepted.

 

Closing Date: 03 November 2022