Senior Social Worker

Summary This Senior Social Worker acts as the Suicide Prevention Coordinator (SPC) for the facility. SPC facilitates the implementation of suicide prevention strategies at a local level through education, monitoring, and coordination activities.

The SPC functions as a coordinator for care of veterans at suicide risk and an advisor to Mental Health Leadership, facility leadership, program managers, and staff concerning suicide prevention strategies for individual patients.

Responsibilities Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career- Social Work: The Suicide Prevention Coordinator is responsive to direction and guidance from the Suicide Prevention Program Manager and coordinates actions and tasks with Suicide Prevention Program team members; these include social worker case managers and administrative program support staff.

Services include assessing veterans for high risk for suicide, diagnosing mental health and high risk factors related to suicide and suicide prevention, and providing treatment options.

The SPC tracks appointments and coordinates enhanced care as needed, educating providers, veterans, families, and members of the community about risk factors and warning signs for suicide.

The SPC is capable of practicing at the advanced level and has specialized knowledge of practice typically related to suicide (causes and prevention).

The work of this position is highly complex, involving a combination of mental health administrative skills and intensive clinical services both of which require the exercise of mature professional judgment and the flexible use of a wide range of professional abilities.

The SPC is able to provide clinical services in serious and complicated cases and carries full professional responsibility for those cases presenting with a wide range of psychosocial and environmental problems.

Clinical services are provided as time and resources allow; administrative programmatic responsibilities are primary.

Responsible for tracking and reporting all suicide attempts and completions at their facility, including the submission of a monthly report to the National Suicide Prevention Coordinator Controls the Category I Patient Record Flag as it relates to suicide and limits its use to patients who meet the criteria of being placed on the facility high risk list.

Responsible for the input of information into the National data base (SPAN) on all suicides via the Behavioral Health Autopsy Program (BHAP) and Behavioral Health Autopsy Program- Family Interview Protocol (BHAP-FITC).

Involved in the Environment of Care (EOC) Safety Survey.

The incumbent assists the EOC Safety Survey team in determining actions that should be taken to improve the mental health inpatient environment.

Establishes relationships with local and state suicide prevention organizations, local crisis line organizations, and local Veteran Service Organizations (VSO's).

Develop partnerships with their facility Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) Coordinators, Patient Safety Managers (PSM), Healthcare for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Coordinators, local Vet Center staff, residential care teams and local mental health teams.

This partnership is to assure that patients are assessed and evaluated for suicide risk as appropriate and preventative interventions are in place.

Responds to emergencies related to suicide risk and safety for patients flagged as high risk when providers are unable to manage the emergency and request assistance.

Is responsible for monitoring Veterans Health Administration (VHA) performance monitors and measures related to Suicide Prevention Program to assure they are met or exceeded via monitoring, reporting and committees assignments as directed by the Suicide Prevention Program Manager.

Work Schedule:
8:00 am - 4:30 pm Monday - Friday; Subject to change based on the needs of the facility Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus):

Not Authorized Pay:
Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of existing pay, higher or unique qualifications, or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade)

Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year 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 $ 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)

Telework:

May Be Available Virtual:
This is not a virtual position

Functional Statement #:
00076-F Permanent Change of Station (PCS):

Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report:
Not required Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. You may be required to serve a probationary period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation.

Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications 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 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 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:

Social Worker (Senior Social Worker), GS-12 In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates Experience and 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, the candidate 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.

Reference:
VA HANDBOOK 5005/120 September 10, 2019 PART II APPENDIX G39

Preferred Experience:
Mental Health experience and experience working with multi-disciplinary team

Physical Requirements:

Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position.

May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, pulling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12.

Education IMPORTANT:
A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education

Note:
Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment.

You can verify your education here:
If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education

For further information, visit:
Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation)

Leave:

Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee.

Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions.

Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply.

The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

Pursuant to VHA Directive , VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy).

VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations.

If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date.

The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act (or the Act) prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from requesting applicant criminal history record information before extending a conditional or tentative offer of employment.

In accordance with 5 U.S.C § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Act.

Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Act, may submit a written complaint within 30 calendar days of the date of the alleged non-compliance to VA at Applicant written complaints should include the following: Administration name: Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Office name, employee name and contact information or contractor who made contact (if known).

Date of contact.

Details regarding the job opportunity announcement applied to, and copies of any documents or other evidence related to the complaint.

Visit Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO) for more information.

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