Bereavement Care Provider

HEALTH FEDERATION OF PHILADELPHIA•Philadelphia, PA

About The Position

The Bereavement Care Provider (BCP) is responsible for addressing the bereavement needs of families who have experienced a loss that falls under the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office (MEO) jurisdiction – with a special emphasis on sudden death of the young (SDY). The BCP will address the families’ bereavement needs through a combination of telephonic counseling as well as home or community visits. This position will also take on a macro component by spending up to 30% of work time assisting the unit’s director - and requires a high level of clinical responsibility, integrity, and initiative.

Requirements

Must possess either (1) a Master of Social Work (or equivalent) degree at an accredited college or university or (2) a Bachelor of Social Work at an accredited college or university with a minimum history of four years’ experience in clinical social work.
Social and cultural factors that contribute to attitudes and behaviors common to trauma and grief
Principles, practices and techniques related to working with bereaved individuals
Principles, practices and techniques as they relate to working with parents, children and families within a community setting
Ability to observe, recognize, and analyze individual’s and families’ self-identified behavioral health, grief-related, and social service needs as well as help provide useful information and links for future support
Ability to function under the direct supervision of an administrative supervisor and within the scope and standards of the provision of bereavement care
Able to handle multiple tasks and manage project timelines with a high degree of organizational skill
Interest in public health efforts
Fluency in English, excellent phone skills, sound writing skills, and an ability to clearly communicate information both orally and in writing
Sound computer skills and good experience in the use of Microsoft Office Suite
Ability to work with a variety of cultures and diverse audiences

Nice To Haves

One or more years experience in providing bereavement services is preferred
One or more years experience in practicing social work (or a related field) in a community or home-visiting environment is preferred.
Experience working with clients in a health-related setting (hospital, community health center, reproductive justice organization, or public health organization) is a plus.

Responsibilities

Offer bereavement counseling to Philadelphia families who have experienced the sudden, unexpected, non-homicide death of an infant, child or youth (ages 21 and below) when the case falls under the jurisdiction of the Philadelphia MEO
Offer longitudinal in-home and telephonic bereavement services to select families, with an emphasis on families who have experienced an SDY
Provide support to the SDY Case Registry grant team by consenting families for participation in the SDY Case Registry, assisting in data collection/entry, other
Participate in the Child Death Review non-homicide team
Provide support to other death review teams, such as the Maternal Mortality Review team, through the use of family interviews and/or limited grief counseling
Participate in Philadelphia’s Study of Associated Risks of Stillbirths through the use of informant interviews and meeting participation
Offer bereavement outreach via telephone to additional select cases as assigned
Enter all case notes into the MEO database in a timely fashion
Identify any bereavement, health-related or social service needs of grieving families and help connect them to the proper community resources
Help collect health-related and social service resources within Philadelphia
Maintain and regularly update database of bereavement materials and create new handouts as appropriate to ensure families are receiving accurate information
Help train any new bereavement staff hires and help supervise any student interns
Provide cross-coverage for other MEO bereavement support staff as needed
Closely collaborate with all Fatality Review Program and MEO staff
Complete all tasks as assigned, including related duties not specified above.