Summary

The Suicide Prevention Case Manager is a Senior Social Worker who will serve to facilitate implementation of suicide prevention strategies to help ensure that all appropriate measures are taken to prevent suicide in our veteran population. Incumbent provides a full range of Social Work services within commonly accepted standards of Social Work practice, which includes case work, individual, family and group counseling, care coordination, case management, and other services as appropriate.

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/
• 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 Senior Social Workers 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
• 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
• In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA's): 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: The Suicide Prevention Case Manager Senior Social Worker must have at least two years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure and be in a specialized area of social work practice of which, one year is equivalent to the GS11 grade
• References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.

Duties

• Implements information systems to track services including visits, referrals, inpatient admissions, patient demographics, and patient satisfaction
• Responsible for data collection, administrative record keeping, monitoring of patient or program clinical indicators, and performance measurements
• Responds to consults from the National Suicide Prevention Hotline and coordinates the follow up care for these veterans and families
• Responsibility of reviewing all veterans whose charts have been flagged due to being at risk for self-harm
• Works with community resources such as VSOs and other community groups to assure that they are aware of how to recognize Veterans at risk for suicide and their options for getting these Veterans assistance
• Develops and implements an ongoing education plan for providers, veterans, families, and members of the community on risk factors and warning signs for suicide, and treatment options
• Provides referrals to VA medical and mental health treatment and to other VA services including VA benefits, as well as community-based social services or other non-VA entitlement programs
• Assesses high risk factors, acuity, and the need for services
• Participates in the assignment of veterans to treatment teams and programs
• Consults with other specialists in planning treatment for veterans and with co-morbidities
• Work Schedule: 7:45am-4:30pm Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required