The incumbent serves as the Senior Social Worker / CEPC for a VISN 10 facility, reporting directly to the Director or Supervisor of Suicide Prevention at that facility. The Senior Social Worker is responsible for outreach and coalition-building aimed to promote evidence based practices in suicide prevention in the community. VA is promoting this public health strategy in an effort to more effectively work toward eliminating Veteran suicide. 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 SW Licensure Summary by State. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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. Preferred Experience: Some experience with community outreach is preferred. References: VA Handbook 5005/120 Part II, Appendix G39 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Work will require walking, standing, bending and carrying light items in conjunction with travel and attendance at meetings and conferences away from the work site. The work is performed in an office setting with adequate lighting and other facilities with no unusual health hazards. The incumbent observes normal safety precautions. The incumbent must have a driver's license without restriction. This is necessary for ensuring attendance at face to face meetings. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services. ["Total Rewards: Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Social Work: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Social-Worker-Career-Flyer.pdf The CEPC will work to deploy best practices which are evidence based into the community by engaging stakeholders in coalitions to support this shared mission. This position requires professional administrative expertise, mature judgment, tact, discretion, and the ability to interact with a variety of contacts in an effective and professional manner. The incumbent must be able to understand a wide variety of issues and policies in order to ensure program goals and objectives are met. The incumbent must understand the gravity and responsibility of the position, and be able to prioritize, problem solve, and monitor processes so that efficiency, accuracy, and VA compliances are maintained. He or She must also understand the utility of professional consultation and will be someone who has demonstrated an ability to use it successfully. The incumbent must successfully interface with individuals and groups with a wide variety of educational levels, socioeconomic backgrounds, divergent opinions, and priorities. The incumbent has responsibilities that include, and skills that involve: Assessing Veteran risk for suicide Identifying appropriate clinical interventions for intervening to prevent suicide - and understanding that these may vary based on individual Veteran needs Be well versed in evidence based strategies for reducing suicide risk Understand the difference between modifiable and non-modifiable (static) risk factors Understand and be experienced in delivery of front-line clinical MH interventions including, but not limited to: Cognitive behavior therapies, motivational interviewing, safety planning, safety planning Be knowledgeable about VA programs and treatment options Be well versed in scopes of practice for disciplines commonly involved in provision of MH care Experience participating in an RCA, knows how to create a treatment timeline, summarizing clinical care and social circumstance Draft and review Issue Briefs in accordance with VISN and VACO guidelines Able to function with a high degree of autonomy, self-driven Detailed knowledge of co-occurring disorders such as substance use disorders, mood disorders, psychotic disorders, poly-trauma, and chronic pain syndromes, as these can significantly impact on suicidal risk Familiarity with clinical and administrative principles and practices related to VA Systems. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 0700-430pm. Some evening and/or weekend hours may be required. Schedule subject to change based on the needs of the Agency. Term Appointment: Appointment for a period of more than1 year but not for more than 4 years for positions where the need for an employee's services is not permanent; such as project work, extraordinary workload, uncertainty of future funding. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Compressed/Flexible: May be Authorized Telework: May be authorized as determined by agency policy. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 91181-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]

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