Bereavement Care Provider

Equal Opportunity Employer

The mission of the Health Federation of Philadelphia is to promote health equity for marginalized communities by advancing access to high-quality, integrated, and comprehensive health and human services.  Health equity is at the heart of all our work. We believe in and are firmly committed to equal employment opportunity for employees and applicants. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, religion, disability, sex or gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, military or veteran status.  This commitment applies to all aspects of the Health Federation of Philadelphia’s employment practices, including recruiting, hiring, training, and promotion.

Cover letter required

JOB SUMMARY

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.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS

                Responsibilities/Duties

  • 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.

Required Skills:

Education

  • 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.

Skills/Experience

  • 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;
  • 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.

Work Environment:  Standard office setting as well as home visits to private houses and apartment complexes.

Position Type and Work Schedule:  Fulltime position, typical business hours – but with flexibility.

Travel:  Home visits are a mandatory part of the job and could comprise as much as 30% of the work week. Employees will be compensated for their home visits through a transportation stipend.

Other Requirements:  None.

Physical Demands:  None apart from standard office work and home visits.

Salary and Benefits:  $68,831, with a comprehensive benefits package that can include:

  • Medical with vision benefits
  • Dental insurance
  • Flexible spending accounts
  • Life, AD&D and long-term care insurance
  • Short- and long-term disability insurance
  • 403(b) Retirement Plan, with a company contribution
  • Paid time off including vacation, sick, personal and holiday
  • Employee Assistance Program

Eligibility and participation are handled consistent with the plan documents and HFP policy. 

DISCLAIMER

The Health Federation reserves the right to modify, interpret, or apply this job description in any way the Company desires. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by an employee assigned to this position. This job description in no way implies that these are the only duties, including essential duties, responsibilities and/or skills to be performed by the employee occupying this position. This job description is not an employment contract, implied, or otherwise. The employment relationship remains “at will.” The aforementioned job requirements are subject to change to reasonably accommodate qualified disabled individuals.