Social Worker (Program Coordinator)

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 89,000 - 117,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs seeks a Social Worker (Program Coordinator) to lead suicide prevention efforts. This role entails building coalitions with various stakeholders and applying evidence-based strategies in the community to assist Veterans in crisis. Candidates must possess relevant clinical experience and a master's degree in social work.

Qualifications

• Must hold a master's degree in social work from an accredited institution.
• Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) is required.
• One year of experience at the GS-11 level in social work.

Responsibilities

• Coordinates and promotes evidence-based practices for suicide prevention.
• Engages in outreach and coalition-building activities.
• Assesses Veterans' risk for suicide and identifies clinical interventions.

Skills

Suicide prevention strategies

Coalition building

Clinical mental health interventions

Assessment of Veteran risk for suicide

Education

Master's degree in social work

Job description

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U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provided pay range

This range is provided by U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

Base pay range

$89,447.00/yr - $116,286.00/yr

Summary

The Community Engagement and Partnership Coordinator (CEPC) serves in a leadership role within their facility by working to create and support meaningful coalitions to work toward ending Veteran suicide. Stakeholders involved in these coalitions represent local government, public and private agencies, VSOs, health care providers, VA clinicians, VA Suicide Prevention Programs and the VISN MH leadership.

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Duties

Functions And Scope Of Practice

Education, Technical Assistance, and Coalition Building

• The incumbent serves as the Senior Social Worker/CEPC (Community Engagement and Partnership Coordinator) for a VISN 10 facility, reporting directly to the Director or Supervisor of Suicide Prevention at that facility. The Senior Social Worker is responsible for outreach and coalition-building aimed to promote evidence-based practices in suicide prevention in the community. VA is promoting this public health strategy to more effectively work toward eliminating Veteran suicide. The CEPC/Senior Social Worker will work to deploy best practices which are evidence based into the community by engaging stakeholders in coalitions to support this shared mission. This position requires professional administrative expertise, mature judgment, tact, discretion, and the ability to interact with a variety of contacts in an effective and professional manner. The incumbent must understand a wide variety of issues and policies to ensure program goals and objectives are met.
• The incumbent must understand the gravity and responsibility of the position, and be able to prioritize, problem solve, and monitor processes so that efficiency, accuracy, and VA compliances are maintained. They must also understand the utility of professional consultation and will be someone who has demonstrated an ability to use it successfully. They must successfully interface with individuals and groups with a wide variety of educational levels, socioeconomic backgrounds, divergent opinions, and priorities.
  
  

The incumbent has responsibilities that include, and skills that involve:

• Assessing Veteran risk for suicide
• Identifying appropriate clinical interventions for intervening to prevent suicide - may vary based on individual Veteran needs
• Be well versed in evidence-based strategies for reducing suicide risk
• Understand the difference between modifiable and non-modifiable (static) risk factors
• Understand and experienced in delivery of front-line clinical MH interventions including, Cognitive behavior therapies, motivational interviewing and safety planning
• Be knowledgeable about VA programs and treatment options
• Be well versed in scopes of practice for disciplines commonly involved in provision of MH care
• Experience participating in an RCA, knows how to create a treatment timeline, summarizing clinical care and social circumstance
• Draft and review Issue Briefs in accordance with VISN and VACO guidelines
• Able to function with a high degree of autonomy, self-driven
• Detailed knowledge of co-occurring disorders such as substance use disorders, mood disorders, psychotic disorders, poly-trauma, and chronic pain syndromes, and their impact on suicidal risk
• Familiarity with clinical and administrative principles and practices related to VA Systems.
  
  

Best Practices and Quality Improvement

• The Senior Social Worker/CEPC is responsible for helping to diffuse best practices within the facility, and beyond the facility and into the community. These will be communicated to the CEPC by the VISN 10 SP Program Manager, who will work at the VISN level to ensure all CEPCs and VISN/Facility leadership are well informed and can support the work of the CEPC.
• To drive program goals and practices forward, and to ensure buy in, they will attend all trainings and meetings assigned. This will help the Senior Social Worker/CEPC to maintain a working knowledge of suicide prevention strategies, which will help to ensure they are able to work effectively as expectations and information change.
• The incumbent will participate in ongoing program evaluation and analysis, which will support further program improvements at their own facility, and VISN-wide. Evaluations will be data driven, and adhere to the VA Management System, or PDSI format. Reports will adhere to expected format and be provided at regular intervals. The incumbent must remain organized and ensure ongoing data tracking, so that interim reporting is maintained. Ideally, the Senior Social Worker/CEPC will have a working knowledge of the MH SAIL and other nationally tracked quality metrics.
• The Senior Social Worker/CEPC will attend, participate in, and provide community-based education, representing VA work with a high degree of professionalism. Support facility level efforts of the Suicide Prevention Program and perform duties as assigned. In addition, work closely with VISN SP Program Manager maintaining VISN-level reports as expected.
  
  

Work Schedule:

• Full Time
• 0730-1600 or 0800-1630
  
  

Telework: In accordance with VA Policy and Supervisor discretion

Virtual: This is not a virtual position

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Social Work: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Social-Worker-Career-Flyer.pdf

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

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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. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
  
  

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

The basic requirements for employment as a VHA social worker are prescribed by statute in 38 U.S.C.

• 7402(b)(9), as amended by section 205 of Public Law 106-419, enacted November 1, 2000.
  
  

To qualify for appointment as a social worker in VHA, all applicants must meet the following:

Citizenship:

Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may 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 tohttp://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.

Social Worker (Program Coordinator), GS-12

Experience and Education One year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level.

Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency. Candidate may have certification or other post-master's degree training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship, or equivalent supervised professional experience.

Licensure/Certification Individuals assigned as social worker program coordinator must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure.

• Indiana requires Licensed Clinical Social Worker LCSW
  
  

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

• Knowledge of program coordination and administration which includes consultation, negotiation, and monitoring.
• Knowledge and ability to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines fort he program.
• Ability to supervise multidisciplinary staff assigned to the program.
• Skill in organizing work, setting priorities, meeting multiple deadlines, and evaluating assigned program area(s).
• Ability to provide training, orientation, and guidance within clinical practice.
  
  

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12.



Physical Requirements: The physical demands of the position involve standard office requirements such as using the telephone, retrieving files, writing reports, data entry and maintenance of computer databases, etc. Work is typically performed sitting at a desk and using a computer. This position may require occasional travel. The position requires periods of walking, standing, sitting and bending.

See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services

Whole Health Statement:

VA Healthcare System Serving Ohio, Indiana and Michigan (VISN 10) advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

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.

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.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

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• Help A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  
  

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

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