Social Worker-MSW LSW

IU Health•Indianapolis, IN

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Social Worker meets face-to-face with patients and families to provide psychosocial assessments, counseling, discharge planning, and crisis intervention within a pediatric endocrinology outpatient setting. This role involves collaborating with healthcare teams, community agencies, and protective services to ensure safe, timely, and resource-rich care. The Social Worker also manages complex cases such as abuse, neglect, guardianship, and high-risk crises, employing de-escalation and safety techniques as needed.

Requirements

Master’s Degree in Social Work required.
Permanent LSW licensure required.
Certification in Crisis Prevention Intervention or equivalent de-escalation training required within 6 months of hire.
Knowledge of evidence-based psychosocial assessments, short-term therapeutic counseling, and crisis intervention techniques for mental health and substance use disorders.
Understanding of disease processes and human behavior in relation to health-related social needs.
Strong discharge planning skills to ensure safe transfers of care.
Knowledge of state and county legal mandates for child and adult protective services.
Understanding of growth and development principles across the lifespan, including end-of-life care.
Experience in adapting services to diverse populations geographically, culturally, and financially.
Ability to develop and maintain collaborative relationships with hospital staff, law enforcement, social services, schools, and community agencies.
Responds effectively to violence or threats, including de-escalation and safety measures.
Computer literacy and proficiency in documentation within an electronic medical record system.
No on-call, holiday, or weekend rotations.

Responsibilities

Meet face-to-face with patients and families to assess psychosocial needs and coordinate care.
Communicate and collaborate with all members of the healthcare team to facilitate safe, timely services and resource provision.
Interpret and communicate complex patient and family needs, modeling caring practices for team members.
Conduct psychosocial risk assessments evaluating prior functioning, support systems, reactions to illness, and coping strategies.
Counsel patients and families regarding 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 and deliver therapeutic interventions, including crisis and addiction assessments.
Support complex discharge planning, including guardianship, foster care, adoption, and mental health placements.
Serve as the primary point person for cases involving child abuse/neglect, adult/elderly abuse/neglect, institutional abuse, and domestic violence.
Act as liaison between IU Health, protective teams, law enforcement, and community agencies.
Assist with dangerous and potentially dangerous situations, providing clinical intervention and de-escalation.
Support patients in acute crises, utilizing de-escalation techniques to prevent violence.
Support and lead decision-making and goals of care conversations to ensure excellent care.
Develop and maintain strong working relationships with hospital administrators, medical teams, law enforcement, APS/DCS, schools, probation, and other community agencies.
Respond to or support response efforts in de-escalating violence, including in accordance with the Department of Public Safety protocols.
Provides Clinical Supervision for LCSW hours.
Document all assessments and interventions accurately within the electronic medical record system.