Social Worker-MSW LSW

IU Health•Fort Wayne, IN

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Social Worker provides face-to-face psychosocial support to patients and families at Riley Hospital, conducting assessments, crisis intervention, counseling, and complex discharge planning. The role works closely with the multidisciplinary care team to interpret and communicate complex patient and family needs, mobilize family and community resources, and model caring practices to support safe, timely, and well-supported episodes of care. The Social Worker serves as the point person for child abuse or neglect, adult or elderly abuse or neglect, institutional abuse, and domestic violence cases, and acts as a liaison between IU Health and state and county protective teams. The role also provides intervention in guardianship, foster care, adoption, end-of-life care, and mental health placements, and takes a clinical leadership stance during acute crises, using de-escalation techniques to promote safety and prevent violence. The position is full-time, day shift, and may include scheduled on-call and holiday rotations.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Social Work (MSW).
Permanent Indiana licensure as an LSW.
Certification in Crisis Prevention Intervention or equivalent de-escalation training within six months of hire.
Knowledge of evidence-based psychosocial assessment, short-term therapeutic counseling, and crisis intervention for common mental health and substance use disorders.
Understanding of disease processes and human behavior related to health-related social needs.
Strong skills in complex discharge planning for safe transitions to the next level of care.
Knowledge of state and county legal mandates for child and adult protective services.
Familiarity with growth and development across the lifespan, including end-of-life care.
Ability to identify decision-makers and coordinate goals-of-care conversations to support care and patient throughput.
Ability to adapt services to geographically, culturally, and financially diverse populations.
Ability to develop and sustain working relationships with hospital administrators, medical teams, law enforcement, APS/DCS, schools, probation, and community agencies.
Ability to maintain principles and practices of crisis intervention and de-escalation.
Proficiency in electronic medical record documentation and general computer literacy.
Flexibility to work on-call and holiday rotations as scheduled.

Responsibilities

Meet face-to-face with patients and families to provide psychosocial assessments and therapeutic interventions.
Collaborate with health care team members to support safe, timely services and provide families with resources and education.
Interpret and communicate complex patient and family needs, modeling caring practices for other caregivers.
Assess psychosocial risk factors, including prior functioning, support systems, reaction to illness, and coping ability.
Counsel patients and families about the emotional, social, and financial impacts of illness or disability.
Access and mobilize family and community resources to meet identified needs.
Provide mental health assessments upon physician referral.
Provide therapeutic intervention to facilitate complex discharge planning.
Serve as the point person for child abuse or neglect, adult or elderly abuse or neglect, institutional abuse, and domestic violence cases.
Act as liaison between IU Health and state and county child and adult protective teams.
Provide intervention in temporary or permanent guardianship, foster care, adoption, and mental health level II placements.
Provide specialized mental health services, including crisis intervention, addiction assessments, and recommendations for psychiatric referral or community resources.
Assist with dangerous and potentially dangerous situations and provide clinical intervention.
Support patients and families through acute crises, using de-escalation techniques to prevent physical violence.
Respond with or in lieu of the Department of Public Safety to de-escalate violence.
Use effective interviewing principles with alleged victims, perpetrators, family members, and significant others.
Provide intervention for end-of-life care, guardianship, foster care, and adoption cases.
Accurately document clinical activities in the electronic medical record.
Participate in on-call and holiday rotations as scheduled.