Licensed Social Worker

Overview

Legacy Residential Homes is seeking a compassionate and dependable Licensed Social Worker (LSW) to support adolescent boys in a residential group-home setting. The LSW will provide trauma-informed, youth-centered services while coordinating service planning, behavioral supports, family and custodial-agency communication, community resources, and discharge planning.

The ideal candidate will have experience working with youth who may have behavioral health, trauma, juvenile justice, or placement-related needs. This position requires strong case coordination, crisis intervention, documentation, and communication skills. Candidates must hold a current Ohio Licensed Social Worker credential in good standing.

If you are passionate about helping young people develop stability, confidence, and the skills needed for long-term success, we invite you to apply and join the Legacy Residential Homes team.

Position Summary

The Licensed Social Worker provides trauma-informed, youth-centered social work services to boys residing in Legacy Residential Homes. The position coordinates admissions, service planning, behavioral supports, family and custodial-agency communication, community resources, discharge planning, and required documentation. The LSW helps ensure that services are individualized, culturally responsive, developmentally appropriate, and delivered in accordance with applicable Ohio law, Ohio Administrative Code, licensing standards, and agency policy.

Responsibilities

• Participate in referral screening and admission planning to help determine whether the facility can safely and appropriately meet each youth's identified needs and whether the proposed placement is consistent with the facility's certified criteria and admission policy.
• Develop, coordinate, and approve each youth's written service plan within thirty days before or after admission, as required by OAC 5180:2-9-12.
• Invite and obtain input from the youth, family when applicable, placing or custodial agency, guardian ad litem, court-appointed special advocate, probation officer, OhioRISE care coordinator, direct-care staff, and other authorized team members when developing and reviewing the service plan.
• Ensure service plans address measurable goals, anticipated discharge placement, education, counseling, recreation, vocation, religion, health care, specialized services, progress-report frequency, visitation, behavioral interventions, de-escalation strategies, coping supports, and required supervision levels.
• Conduct and document service-plan reviews no later than ninety days after initial approval and every ninety days thereafter; assess the youth's adjustment, progress, continuing placement needs, risks, strengths, and needed plan amendments.
• Provide timely copies of service plans and reviews to the placing or custodial agency, document delivery, and ensure current plans and behavior plans are accessible onsite to staff responsible for the youth's care.
• Provide counseling, psychosocial interventions, prevention services, evaluation, advocacy, crisis support, and intervention planning within the LSW's education, competence, and lawful Ohio scope of practice.
• Do not independently diagnose or treat mental or emotional disorders, provide social psychotherapy, or perform clinical supervision unless appropriately authorized and supervised under Ohio law. Obtain required clinical supervision and signatures when applicable.
• Develop or coordinate individualized, trauma-informed behavioral supports using positive interventions, known triggers, effective de-escalation techniques, preferred coping strategies, developmental needs, placement history, and medical or psychological restrictions.
• Respond to crises, assess immediate safety needs, coordinate emergency services when necessary, and support staff in using the least restrictive and agency-approved interventions.
• Immediately report suspected child abuse or neglect and complete all required incident, law-enforcement, custodial-agency, and internal notifications within applicable timelines.
• Coordinate medical, behavioral-health, psychiatric, educational, vocational, recreational, cultural, spiritual, and community services; monitor referrals and follow through on recommendations.
• Collaborate with youth, families, guardians, placing agencies, courts, probation, schools, healthcare providers, OhioRISE partners, and community resources while maintaining appropriate releases and confidentiality.
• Support visitation and communication arrangements consistent with the family case plan, service plan, court orders, custodial direction, youth rights, and safety needs.
• Prepare progress notes, assessments, treatment or service summaries, referrals, meeting records, discharge plans, aftercare recommendations, and other documentation accurately and within agency and regulatory deadlines.
• Plan for safe, timely discharge beginning at admission, including permanency goals, family or caregiver readiness, continuity of care, medication and appointment coordination, records transfer, and community supports.
• Consult with and educate DSPs and other residential staff on service plans, supervision levels, trauma-informed approaches, behavioral supports, youth rights, confidentiality, and required documentation. This duty does not include clinical supervision unless the employee is legally authorized to provide it.
• Promote each youth's dignity, normalcy, cultural identity, family connections, education, life skills, community participation, and age-appropriate independence using the reasonable and prudent parent standard when applicable.
• Participate in quality-assurance reviews, audits, staff meetings, case conferences, policy implementation, and corrective-action planning related to clinical services and youth records.
• Performs all other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Current, active Ohio Licensed Social Worker credential in good standing through the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board.
• Bachelor's degree or higher in social work from an appropriately accredited program. A master's degree in social work is preferred for positions involving advanced clinical coordination.
• At least five years of professional social-work, child-welfare, behavioral-health, or residential-services experience; experience serving adolescent boys and youth with trauma, behavioral, mental-health, juvenile-justice, or placement-related needs is strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of OAC Chapters 5180:2-5 and 5180:2-9, mandated-reporting requirements, youth rights, service planning, trauma-informed care, and professional ethics.
• Ability to complete and maintain all background checks, registry checks, medical statements, training, and other eligibility requirements applicable to work in an Ohio youth residential facility.
• Valid driver's license, acceptable driving record, and insurability under the agency's automobile policy when transportation or travel is required.
• Current first aid and age-appropriate CPR certification, or ability to obtain it within the timeframe required by law and agency policy when the position includes direct-care responsibilities.

Required Knowledge and Competencies

• Trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and developmentally appropriate engagement with adolescent boys.
• Service-plan development, behavioral support planning, case coordination, documentation, discharge planning, and community-resource linkage.
• Crisis assessment, verbal de-escalation, safety planning, professional boundaries, and mandated reporting.
• Clear written and verbal communication with youth, families, courts, placing agencies, schools, providers, and residential staff.
• Sound judgment, confidentiality, organization, collaboration, conflict resolution, and the ability to manage multiple deadlines.
• Competence with electronic records, email, word processing, virtual meetings, and other systems used by the agency.

Training and Compliance Requirements

The employee must complete and maintain all training required for the assigned functions, including as applicable:

• Agency orientation, emergency and safety procedures, principles and practices of child care, program structure, and applicable residential-facility rules.
• Initial and annual trauma-informed-care training, unless the employee maintains a qualifying current trauma-informed certificate recognized by the applicable rule.
• Behavior management, crisis management, de-escalation, discipline restrictions, emergency medical procedures, universal precautions, and procedures for reporting suspected abuse or neglect.
• Reasonable and prudent parent standard, community-engagement procedures, incident response, and adolescent independent-living needs when serving youth age fourteen or older.
• Restraint or alternatives-to-restraint training when required by the employee's duties and agency policy.

Physical and Work Requirements

• Ability to work in residential, office, school, court, healthcare, and community settings and to travel between assigned locations.
• Ability to sit, stand, walk, use stairs, communicate effectively, operate a computer, and respond promptly during emergencies.
• Ability to work occasional evenings, weekends, holidays, or on-call hours based on youth needs and program operations.
• Reasonable accommodations may be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with applicable law.

Professional Standards

The Licensed Social Worker is expected to maintain an active license, practice only within documented competence and lawful scope, protect confidential information, maintain professional boundaries, avoid conflicts of interest, use nondiscriminatory practices, and follow the Ohio CSWMFT Board's ethical and supervision requirements.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Legacy Residential Homes provides equal employment opportunities to qualified applicants and employees and prohibits unlawful discrimination and retaliation. Employment decisions are based on legitimate job-related qualifications, performance, and organizational needs.

Pay: $60,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Vision insurance

Application Question(s):

• Do you currently hold an active Ohio Licensed Worker (LSW) or Licensed Independent Worker (LISW) license in good standing?
• Describe your experience working with adolescent youth who have experienced trauma, behavioral challenges, mental-health concerns, or placement-related needs.

Education:

• Bachelor's (Preferred)

Experience:

• LSW: 5 years (Preferred)

Ability to Commute:

• Cincinnati, OH 45246 (Preferred)

Work Location: In person