Responsibility

Provides a well-focused psychosocial and discharge planning assessment of patient and family to develop a treatment plan and goals, appropriate to the age of the patient.

Standards

• Engages and communicates with patients and families in a direct, empathic manner adapting approaches as necessary according to their age specific sensory, cognitive, and social abilities/needs.

• Can gather, assess and interpret psychosocial data demonstrating awareness of age specific factors such as signs of abuse, educational needs, functional deficits, etc.

• Completes discharge planning and psychosocial assessment resulting in an identification of the patient’s current and as appropriate past life crisis and probable discharge plan needs.

• Completes appropriate intervention plans on the interdisciplinary treatment plan within 72 hours.

Responsibilities and Standards-Master Level

Responsibility

Demonstrates thorough knowledge base of clinical practice through written documentation and contributions at team meetings and patient related meetings.

Standards

• Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of psychopathology.

• Can advocate and communicate the family’s expectations and perspectives and the impact of stress and illness on their individual and family functioning.

• Identifies and contributes knowledge of the impact of ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic, gender and lifestyle issues

• Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of different therapy modalities depending on the age of the patient by written and verbal contributions to treatment and discharge planning.

Responsibilities and Standards-Bachelor Level

Responsibility

In collaboration with team, contributes to defining the need for further resources or services.

• Is able to communicate data to the treatment team in a clear and concise manner

• Participates in team meetings and huddles as needed

• Demonstrates understanding of the impact of ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic, gender and lifestyle issues

• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of concrete services and discharge planning needs for adolescence, adults and geriatric population

• Is able to advocate and communicate the family’s expectations and perspectives and the impact of stress and illness on their individual and family functioning.

• Responsibilities and Standards – Master Level

Responsibility

Implements the treatment plan to achieve the treatment goals relative to age specific needs

Standards

• Provides information, education and support to patients, families, and other involved professionals in the treatment process to enhance their under-standing of the patient’s illness, prognosis, treatment and recommendations, e.g., ability to provide age-specific data to other caregivers, e.g., knowledge of how to access community resources, knows eligibility criteria, types of services and clinical information necessary for referral, key diagnostic and psychosocial data

• Demonstrates a consistent ability to use a variety of modalities effectively including crisis intervention, individual, family, group and couple treatment-should not be for BSW

• Demonstrates a consistent ability to focus, structure, and time interventions according to a dynamic understanding of the patient and family

Implements the treatment plan to achieve the treatment goals relative to age specific needs

Bachelor level

Responsibilities and Standards

Responsibility

Implements the treatment plan to achieve the treatment goals relative to age specific needs

• Provides information, education and support to patients, families, and other involved professionals in the treatment process to enhance their under-standing of the patient’s illness, prognosis, treatment and recommendations, e.g., ability to provide age-specific data to other caregivers, e.g., knowledge of how to access community resources, knows eligibility criteria, types of services and clinical information necessary for referral, key diagnostic and psychosocial data

• Demonstrates a consistent ability to focus, structure, and time interventions.

Responsibility

Coordinates with treatment team in facilitating an optimal discharge plan for patients demonstrating knowledge of general and age specific resources including availability, eligibility, cost factors and types of service

Standards

• Assists team to identify appropriate resources that meet patient/family level of care needs that are within patient’s financial, transportation or other constraints

• Takes an active role in providing continued communication and information between the treatment team and community agencies and professionals (unless delegated to another team member).

• Keeps current knowledge of community resources as demonstrated by providing accurate information on the availability of resources to staff, patients, and families including what is not available due to restrictions, costs suitability or lack of resource

• Demonstrates patient and family involvement in the discharge planning process via written documentation

• Advocates for the patient and family within the hospital and community.

Responsibility

Completes appropriate documentation in a timely fashion.

Standards

• Completes documentation of, releases, assessment, and other appropriate forms within prescribed time frames.

• Documents significant patient and family encounters as well as contacts with other professionals and community agencies.

• Completes Social Services record forms promptly and accurately.

• Documents the discharge plan in the EMR

Responsibility

Participates in the training and in-service education of Social Services staff and other health professionals providing consultation, supervision and teaching as assigned.

Standards

• Does a case presentation at regular scheduled social services case conferences to assist in the maintenance of staff clinical and concrete service competencies especially as they relate to the age specific and specialty population of their primary assignment.

• Participates in unit level in-service and program development efforts, providing social service perspectives and expertise to planning.

• Provides useful consultation to colleagues and other health care co-workers and community professionals as needed and appropriate on areas of own expertise, as indicated by positive feedback.

• As assigned by Director provides clinical supervision for social services staff and/or trainees and other health care staff to facilitate their learning of clinical skills and promote their professional growth.

• Supervises and consults with non-licensed staff in the formulation and completion of the psychosocial assessment.

• When assigned to supervisees, demonstrates the ability to evaluate their clinical skills and document the supervisee’s level of performance.

• Identifies and makes appropriate suggestions and provides input on program and departmental needs.

Responsibility

In collaboration with treatment team, performs utilization review functions and serves as the primary liaison with ERO's.

Standards

• Performs all initial reviews of all (100%) cases within 24 hours.

• Performs all concurrent review procedures: pre-admission, admission, continued stay and discharge utilizing established hospital criteria as well as criteria set by ERO.

• Manages the process of expedited reviews and appeals according to department policy and external requirements.

• Manages the process of denial of benefits according to regulatory agency requirements and insures notification of both internal and external customers.

• Maintains accurate and up to date written and computerized records of all cases and all cases in review.

• Regularly provides feedback to clinical team on benefits and utilization issues related to case.

• Maintains computer skills necessary to complete all work.

Responsibility

Demonstrates commitment to professional career growth and maintains core age specific and specialty competency for all patient populations.

Standards

• Attend supervision on regular basis, takes responsibility for seeking supervision or consultation when necessary.

• Participates in own performance appraisal by reviewing progress with Department Head or designee and by identifying own individual goals in any areas needing improvement.

• Reviews current literature in the field as demonstrated by sharing knowledge at patient care, department and hospital meetings.

• Participates in the following activities as appropriate:

-continued professional education

-involvement in professional organizations

-research activities

-community mental health activities such as serving on committee

-publishing on subjects in the field

-demonstrates consolidation of own learning through in-service presentations and/or supervision and teaching of others

Responsibility

Observes relevant hospital and department policies and procedures including risk management, infection control and safety.

Standards

• Regularly reviews department Policy and Procedure Manual.

• Attends yearly educational fair.

• Is knowledgeable about risk management, safety and infection control procedures demonstrated by compliance with requirements.

• Consistently adheres to Butler Hospital service standards.

Position: Social Services Clinician

I. Job Relationships

• Reports to: Director of Social Services, and Operations Manager,

• Supervises: None, or Social Work Volunteers or social work students as assigned by Director of Social Services

• Other Relationships: Other Social Services staff, clinical unit based staff, Unit Chief, other team members

II. Qualifications - MSW

• Education: MSW or master’s degree in counseling

• Training and Experience:

Training and clinical experience in behavioral health required and necessary case management experience.

Qualifications - BSW

Education: Bachelor’s degree in social work or other behavioral health specialty.

Training and Experience: Training and clinical experience in behavioral health required and necessary case manager experience.

• Mental Demands- Able to tolerate the stress of multiple demands of working in a fast-paced environment and dealing with multi-disciplinary staff and difficult patient population

Schedule: 40/80 Full Time Day Float

Care New England Health System (CNE) and its member institutions, Butler Hospital, Women & Infants Hospital, Kent Hospital, VNA of Care New England, Integra, The Providence Center, and Care New England Medical Group, and our Wellness Center, are trusted organizations fueling the latest advances in medical research, attracting top specialty-trained doctors, and honing renowned services and innovative programs to engage in the important discussions people need to have about their health.

EEOC Statement: Care New England is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status

Ethics Statement: Employee conducts himself/herself consistent with the ethical standards of the organization including, but not limited to hospital policy, mission, vision, and values.

Americans with Disability Act Statement: External and internal applicants, as well as position incumbents who become disabled must be able to perform the essential job-specific functions either unaided or with the assistance of a reasonable accommodation, to be determined by the organization on a case-by-case basis