The Veteran's Justice Outreach Social Worker provides clinical case management to justice-involved Veterans. Advocacy, case management and clinical are mostly provided in jails and courts. The position reports to Social Work Service.

Duties

Work Schedule: Full Time; Monday to Friday; 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Subject to change to meet the needs of the Agency Telework: Not authorized Virtual: Not a virtual position Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required The Veterans Justice Outreach Senior Social Worker primary responsibilities are to provide psychosocial assessments, case management services, continuous quality improvement activities, evaluation/consultation, placement services, and referral and linkage to various community agencies for Veterans who are within six months of release from correctional institutions and/or are being monitored by the courts; including treatment or problem solving courts. The Veterans Justice Outreach Social Worker is administratively responsible for clinical programming and daily operation of the program, as well as the management of program data. A recruitment/relocation incentive may be authorized for highly qualified candidates. Duties for the position may include but are not limited to: Program Coordination Attend justice system staff trainings relevant to working with offenders and high-risk populations and represents the VA at community meetings, seeking or maintaining membership on relevant boards, councils and task forces. Collaborates with other justice clinicians to support engagement in care for eligible Veterans recently discharged from correctional institutions. Conducts justice-related staff development programs for mental health and other program staff, and provides opportunities for staff to update their mental health professional knowledge and practice skills. Outreach Conduct active outreach to Veterans involved with the justice system, including those who may be participants, or candidates for participation, in treatment court programs, including Veterans Courts. May also include field interviews, assessments and referrals for Veterans contacted in community settings, courts and/or prior to release in jails or prisons, as well as those referred by VA residential programs, medical centers or outpatient clinics. Clinical Assessment Identifies and interviews justice-involved Veterans in the appropriate setting to conduct needs assessment and determine appropriate referrals, linkage and coordination for VA and non-VA services to enhance function in the community, including in transition from jail or prison. Functions as an ongoing case manager for justice involved Veterans who are being monitored by treatment courts (and as needed for Veterans released from correctional institutions) by performing duties to facilitate independent community living by coordinating mental health and community care. Serves as a consultant on the complex processes Veterans encounter when interacting with government and community agencies. Provides referral and linkage to VA medical and mental health treatment and to other VA services including VA benefits, as well as community-based social services and other non-VA entitlement programs. Collaborates with county probation officers, prosecutors, public defenders, retained defense counsel, and parole officers as appropriate to develop a post-release plan and/or community-based alternatives to incarceration. Participates as an active member of the court treatment team, providing or coordinating the provision of clinical treatment using evidence-based models appropriate to the justice-involved Veteran population. Direct Services Participates in development of a treatment plan for each Veteran contacted through outreach. The treatment plan includes individualized goals and measurable objectives based on relevant psychological, medical, and psychiatric information. Conducts individual and family clinical interventions to facilitate the identification of substance abuse, psychiatric illness, and social needs as treatment issues. Evaluation, Education, Supervision, Coaching and Mentoring Documents contacts with justice-involved Veterans using charting in progress notes in the electronic medical record and appropriate evaluation tools developed for justice outreach, and follows standard procedures regarding the transmission and storage of documents with Veterans' individually-identifiable information. Works with justice system officials to keep written justice system reporting requirements to a workable minimum (e.g. addressing attendance in treatment and providing a brief progress summary and results of court-ordered toxicology outcomes, if any) and with other VA treating clinicians to establish court reporting processes that meet these requirements. Other duties as assigned

Requirements

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 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 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. References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39, Social Worker Qualification Standard, GS-0185, Veterans Health Administration, dated September 10, 2019. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Must be in overall good health, able to sit at a desk working at a computer, engage in light to moderate physical activity including sitting, walking, bending, and carrying supplies. Social Worker must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands, exercise patience, and control emotions, with reasonable accommodation, if necessary, without endangering the health and safety of the Social Worker or others. Position requires walking throughout the clinic and/or Medical Center, court system, jail system, standing for extended periods of time, and involves sitting at a computer and in counsel and consultation with Veterans and interdisciplinary teams. Position requires regular travel into the community to meet with community agencies, jails, prisons and court systems. Must be able to lift 10 to 15 pounds, drive a GSA Vehicle, climb stairs, and regularly be out in the community in the local weather. This position also requires close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading; and repetitive motions of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.

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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Las Vegas VA Medical Center 6900 North Pecos Road North Las Vegas, NV 89086 US
• Name: Allison Hoffman
• Phone: 304-350-2062
• Email: [email protected]