Senior Social Worker (Caregiver Support Coordinator)

Summary

The Caregiver Support Program Coordinator provides advanced clinical services, program development, education, outreach, and resource coordination for the Program of Comprehensive Assistance to Family Caregivers (PCAFC) at the West Los Angeles Medical Center or the Sepulveda Ambulatory Care Center. The role oversees daily operations, conducts need assessments, facilitates support services, builds community partnerships, manages data and reporting, and ensures high-quality caregiver support.

Duties

Duties include but are not limited to: Develops, implements, and manages the PCAFC program, ensuring alignment with local facility and VA Central Office caregiver support initiatives. Administers and evaluates information and analytical systems to track services, monitor quality, and enhance program effectiveness. Conducts caregiver and family clinical interventions to assess stress, mental health concerns, and social needs. Provides education, training, and consultation to VAMC staff, caregivers, families, and Veterans on caregiver-related issues. Advises and collaborates with interdisciplinary teams throughout the medical center on caregiver needs and program requirements. Serve as the primary consultant and liaison to help caregivers and Veterans navigate VA and community programs and systems. Develops and maintains community partnerships; participates in outreach, committees, and caregiver support activities. Collects, analyzes, and reports program data to evaluate outcomes and guide continuous improvement. Provides referrals and coordinates access to VA medical, mental health, and community-based services, including specialized VA programs. Leads or facilitates caregiver support groups, conducts need assessments, completes wellness contacts, and provides ongoing support. Work Schedule: Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Yes, per supervisor discretion and VA approved guidelines Travel: Up to 50% may be required. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Must be a United States Citizen English Language Proficiency. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. Master's degree in Social Work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Graduates of schools of social work that are in candidacy status do not meet this requirement until the school of social work is fully accredited. Note: A doctoral degree in Social Work may NOT be substituted for the master's degree in Social Work. Verification of the degree can be made by going to http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work. Licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the advanced practice level which included an advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless they are grandfathered by the state in which they are licensed to practice at the advanced practice level (except for licenses issued in California, which administers its own clinical examination for advanced practice) and they must be able to provide supervision for licensure. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements stated above, the following qualification criteria must be met for each grade. The candidate's qualifications must clearly demonstrate the level of competence required for the grade. Experience: At least two years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure and should be in a specialized area of social work practice of which, one year must be equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Senior social workers have experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment and are experts in their specialized area of practice. Senior social workers may have certification or other post-masters training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship or equivalent supervised professional experience in a specialty. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations. This includes individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial and/or case management. Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. Knowledge in developing and implementing methods for measuring effectiveness of social work practice and services in the specialty area, utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services and to design system changes. Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients in the service delivery area, as well as role modeling effective social work practice skills. Ability to expand clinical knowledge in the social work profession, and to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area. Performance Level: The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12 Preferred Experience: Work experience with caregivers or the VA Caregiver Support Program Specialized knowledge of practice typically related to the adult and geriatric population Experience with coordinating tasks, resources and timelines Versatile with strong ability in working with multiple databases and applications Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: Light lifting (under 15 pounds); light carrying (under 15 pounds); reaching above shoulder; use of fingers; both hands required; walking; standing; hearing (aid permitted).

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.