Job Overview
Overview:
Provides direct and indirect services to patients and families. The core functions of social work include: assisting patients and families through their adjustment to illness or hospitalization; protective services for children and families at risk; assisting patients and families with understanding and adhering to treatment plans; and linkage to community agencies and services.
Responsibilities:
1. Coordinates service delivery with families and appropriate team members across the continuum. Makes necessary referrals to other team members and/or community resources. Collaborates with the family to assist them in utilizing community service linkages.
2. Meets daily with the inpatient floor case manager to review inpatient census, as well as to proactively identify and address any potential barriers to discharge, should this social worker be assigned to an inpatient unit.
3. Identifies, assesses, and responds to child/family needs; includes in this process (identification, assessment, response) age-specific developmental needs, psychosocial needs, cultural needs, and spiritual needs. Particularly focuses on addressing the social and emotional needs of families that impact on a patient’s medical treatment and outcome. These needs may include, but are not limited to, adjustment to illness, poor coping abilities, impairment in parental functioning, guardianship issues, adherence to treatment plan, need for additional resources due to poverty or compromised financial status, substance abuse, cultural differences, death/dying/bereavement, and family welfare (including child abuse and neglect and domestic violence).
4. Develops relationships with families that are caring, trusting, reliable, and beneficial. Utilizes these relationships for the patient’s well-being and treatment.
5. Provides timely and effective intervention for families in emergency/crisis situations. This includes dying/death/bereavement; protective services and domestic violence issues, codes, deterioration of child’s health status, or other situations deemed emergent by the family or health care team.
6. Documents in a thorough and timely manner in accordance with professional standards (see assessment/documentation policies).
7. Communicates with members of the health care team, through formal and informal means of transmitting information, in order to provide optimal care of patients and families. Informs health care team of the role of community and other internal providers in impacting a social and emotional status of a child and family. Assists case managers in discharge planning and community linkages for families with complex social and emotional needs.
8. Maintains and role models professional boundaries within social work and health care teams.
9. Addresses the psychosocial/spiritual/developmental/cultural needs of the child and family throughout the continuum of care. Particularly collaborates closely with assigned team in addressing the social and emotional concerns of families served. Participates regularly in the team’s interdisciplinary rounds.
10. Participates in the team’s group problem-solving and program planning. Collaborates with team to develop programs that target high-risk families and to maximize opportunities for preventive health care for all families served. Educates interdisciplinary team regarding how social and emotional issues impact on a family’s coping with illness and response to treatment. Leads team and other family service professional in establishing family services goals for team care delivery.
11. Recognizes that response to the customer and the changing environment may involve going beyond the confines of the traditional job description. Maintains an environment that reflects pride and ownership and shows a willingness to care for the surroundings.
12. Performs administrative and project management duties, as assigned. May precept social work students. Maintains appropriate records and statistics. Participates in hospital-wide social work intake system. Participates in hospital-wide social work on-call system. Maintains and enhances information and referral lists for staff use. Communicates with team on changing hospital, community agency, and governmental policies that impact on the treatment and care of children and their families.
13. Performs job functions adhering to service principles with customer service focus of innovation, service excellence and teamwork to provide the highest quality care and service to our patients, families, co-workers and others.
Qualifications:
1. Master’s degree in social work from a university approved by the Council for Social Work Education. Current Illinois State Social Work licensure (LSW) required. LCSW preferred.
2. Work or internship experience in a health care, child welfare or mental health setting preferred. Experience working with children and families.
3. Ability to think proactively, creatively, and take initiative appropriately. Demonstrates excellent communication, critical-thinking, and interpersonal skills. Demonstrates ability to work as a part of multiple teams. Spanish language abilities and skills strongly preferred.
4. Stamina and energy to maintain direct patient contact on a regular basis with seriously ill persons, to coordinate multiple demands made on time, and to fulfill on-call requirements as assigned.
