What are the responsibilities and job description for the Sustaining Families NSW Social Worker position at Northern Sydney Local Health District?
The ideal candidate will have experience and advanced social work practice skills to support families where there are more complex psychosocial vulnerabilities to develop secure lifelong relationships with their infants. hey will be open to integrated teamwork that facilitates and builds on the different roles, strengths, and characteristics inherent within the SNF team and while the program is based on a nurse led engagement model the social worker enhances whole family functioning using their social work skills and knowledge.
Why Join NSLHD
Position Classification: Social Worker Level 3
Remuneration: $61.31 - $63.30 per hour
Hours Per Week: 24
Requisition ID: REQ685823
Who we are: We are a health service that touches thousands of lives across the Northern Sydney Local Health District, together as a team of like-minded people. We are passionate, driven and have the skills and knowledge to care for our patients whilst creating the best services possible. Our teams have meaningful, interesting and rewarding work everyday. We challenge and nurture each other, sharing our knowledge and experience so that we can deliver better care for everyone. There’s a real sense of belonging here because we value and respect our patients, employees, and teams’ voices. You’ll feel a real privilege being a trusted caregiver in our patients, their families, their carers, and our communities’ lives.
Where you'll be working
Macquarie Hospital North Ryde
What You'll Be Doing
The Senior Social Worker (SW) works collaboratively as a senior member of the interdisciplinary Sustaining NSW Families (SNF) Team who provide antenatal and postnatal support and intervention to vulnerable families in a home and community settings, in-keeping with the NSW Health Supporting Families Early, Maternal and Child Health Home Visiting Policy. Eligible families are primarily identified in the antenatal period and intervention continues until children reach 2 years old. This Child and Family Health (CFH) nurse-led SNF team offers families, who are experiencing psychosocial stressors ongoing nurse home-visiting and structured nurse-led interventions from mid-pregnancy until their child is two years old. SNF aims to support healthy parent-child relationship development and support new parents' capacity to optimise their infant's health, well-being, physical, emotional, cognitive, communication, and social development in the first 2000 days of life - to give children the best possible start to life, and before they start school.
The SNF SW holds specialist expertise and advanced practice skills in parent-child attachment, infant development, family work and counselling. They offer high-level SW clinical consultancy, clinical advice and guidance to allied health and nursing colleagues on the team to enhance care for families. The SW actively contributes to team case reviews and family case conferences and provide clinical supervision for social work students and some nurses The role works collaboratively with the SNF nursing team to engage families, to conduct assessments and offer psychosocial support for families with complex needs. They provide counselling and therapeutic interventions to assist family/carers to develop healthy and secure relationships within families and to enhance whole family functioning. Interventions include individual and parent counselling, psychoeducation, brief family therapy, solution-focused case work, case management, referral facilitation and parent group work.
SNF is part of the Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD) Child, Youth and Family (CYF) Community Health Service and collectively our philosophy of care revolves around providing child-centred, safe, culturally sensitive, trauma and evidence-informed, neurodiversity affirming and integrated care that optimises outcomes for children and families.
People of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background are encouraged to apply.
Candidates Will Need To Meet The Following Criteria
This is a NSW Health Category A position which requires immunisation and screening for certain diseases. The full list of requirements are outlined in the NSW Health OASV Policy (Page 11). You will be required to complete the OASV Undertaking/ Declaration Form and TB Assessment Tool during the recruitment process. Please upload this with your application along with any other vaccination evidence that you may have.
NSW Health is committed to implementing the Child Safe Standards.
The team enriching health in millions of ways every day.
Applications Close: 26 August 2026
Tentative Interview Dates: Week commencing 7 September 2026
Why Join NSLHD
- Access generous staff benefits including salary packaging, fitness passport and more.
- A challenging, inspiring and rewarding role with the opportunity to make a difference.
Position Classification: Social Worker Level 3
Remuneration: $61.31 - $63.30 per hour
Hours Per Week: 24
Requisition ID: REQ685823
Who we are: We are a health service that touches thousands of lives across the Northern Sydney Local Health District, together as a team of like-minded people. We are passionate, driven and have the skills and knowledge to care for our patients whilst creating the best services possible. Our teams have meaningful, interesting and rewarding work everyday. We challenge and nurture each other, sharing our knowledge and experience so that we can deliver better care for everyone. There’s a real sense of belonging here because we value and respect our patients, employees, and teams’ voices. You’ll feel a real privilege being a trusted caregiver in our patients, their families, their carers, and our communities’ lives.
- Innovation is at our core, with opportunities for research driven evidence based practice, ensuring our work remains engaging and fulfilling.
- Clear pathways for career progression, supported by training secondments, recognition and mentorship, empower employee and leaders alike to reach their professional goals.
- Join us on a journey to a place where every achievement is celebrated and every opportunity is embraced.
Where you'll be working
Macquarie Hospital North Ryde
What You'll Be Doing
The Senior Social Worker (SW) works collaboratively as a senior member of the interdisciplinary Sustaining NSW Families (SNF) Team who provide antenatal and postnatal support and intervention to vulnerable families in a home and community settings, in-keeping with the NSW Health Supporting Families Early, Maternal and Child Health Home Visiting Policy. Eligible families are primarily identified in the antenatal period and intervention continues until children reach 2 years old. This Child and Family Health (CFH) nurse-led SNF team offers families, who are experiencing psychosocial stressors ongoing nurse home-visiting and structured nurse-led interventions from mid-pregnancy until their child is two years old. SNF aims to support healthy parent-child relationship development and support new parents' capacity to optimise their infant's health, well-being, physical, emotional, cognitive, communication, and social development in the first 2000 days of life - to give children the best possible start to life, and before they start school.
The SNF SW holds specialist expertise and advanced practice skills in parent-child attachment, infant development, family work and counselling. They offer high-level SW clinical consultancy, clinical advice and guidance to allied health and nursing colleagues on the team to enhance care for families. The SW actively contributes to team case reviews and family case conferences and provide clinical supervision for social work students and some nurses The role works collaboratively with the SNF nursing team to engage families, to conduct assessments and offer psychosocial support for families with complex needs. They provide counselling and therapeutic interventions to assist family/carers to develop healthy and secure relationships within families and to enhance whole family functioning. Interventions include individual and parent counselling, psychoeducation, brief family therapy, solution-focused case work, case management, referral facilitation and parent group work.
SNF is part of the Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD) Child, Youth and Family (CYF) Community Health Service and collectively our philosophy of care revolves around providing child-centred, safe, culturally sensitive, trauma and evidence-informed, neurodiversity affirming and integrated care that optimises outcomes for children and families.
People of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background are encouraged to apply.
Candidates Will Need To Meet The Following Criteria
- Degree in Social Work from an accredited course providing eligibility for membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) (overseas qualifications must supply the AASW Overseas Assessment number) and an eligible NSW Driver Licence and willingness to travel for work. A demonstrated understanding of the current AASW Practice Standards as they relate to the position and a commitment to updating professional skill and knowledge.
- Demonstrated extensive experience as a Level 2 Social Worker and advanced skills in working in therapeutic partnership with families who have multiple psychosocial stressors and understanding of how psycho-social issues, including trauma, impact pregnancy, child development, parent-child relationships, and parenting capacity. Knowledge of and experience undertaking therapeutic Page 5 of 9 interventions with, including individual, family and relationship counselling, solution-focused interventions, care coordination and casework skills.
- Demonstrated experience and advanced level skills and ability to independently undertake comprehensive psychosocial family assessments, with ability to exercise high-level professional judgement and critical thinking in all aspects of clinical practice.
- Click here for the Position Description
- Find out more about applying for this position
This is a NSW Health Category A position which requires immunisation and screening for certain diseases. The full list of requirements are outlined in the NSW Health OASV Policy (Page 11). You will be required to complete the OASV Undertaking/ Declaration Form and TB Assessment Tool during the recruitment process. Please upload this with your application along with any other vaccination evidence that you may have.
NSW Health is committed to implementing the Child Safe Standards.
The team enriching health in millions of ways every day.
Applications Close: 26 August 2026
Tentative Interview Dates: Week commencing 7 September 2026
Salary : $61 - $63