Senior Social Worker (HCHV Outreach)

Summary

The Senior Social Worker practices in the Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Program and serves a patient population with highly complex health and mental health problems. The HCHV program is based at a Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC), but social workers provide services to clients primarily in the community.

Duties

Major duties include, but are not limited to: Functions as an outreach specialist and case manager for Veterans in the HCHV program, performing duties to facilitate transition to independent community living by coordinating mental health and community care. Collaborates with other members of the HCHV team, the Grant and Per Diem programs, the VA Supportive Housing (VASH) program and other professional specialty clinics to provide comprehensive care to Veterans in the HCHV program. Screens and assess Veterans with multiple high-risk factors, and identifying treatment needs which may impact the Veteran's adjustment to their environment, and established treatment goals. Provides outreach at CBOC, community agencies where homeless congregate and on inpatient units at the VA Medical Center. Interviews the Veteran and their family members or significant others, to assess high risk factors and establish facts about the Veteran's situation, presenting problems and their causes, and the impact of such problems on the Veteran's functioning and health. Develops psychosocial treatments plans, actively involving the Veteran and their family or significant others, in coordination with other team members, based on the assessments, including goals for clinical treatment. Refers Veterans to appropriate VA and other government/community services including local shelters, food banks, employment services, and Veteran's benefits. Coordinates with community agencies, organizations, and groups to learn of services of resources available for homeless Veterans, as well as provide current information on VA services and benefits. Provides advice, guidance, emotional support and other assistance and provides individual and group counseling services as well as crisis management services needed to maintain the Veteran safely in their community. Conducts home visits and community-based visits to maintain and encourage community integration. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 7:00AM to 3:30PM. Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized. Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Education: Have a 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. 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. Licensure. Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-0185 series in VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. Current state requirements may be found by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Grade Determinations: Senior Social Worker, GS-12 Experience/Education: The candidate must have 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. Senior social workers 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. Licensure/Certification: Senior social workers must be licensed or certified by a state 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. 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. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.