Social Worker, Family Advocacy & Support Services

Mental Health Advocacy Services

The Mental Health Advocacy Services has a vacancy. This job title has an assigned pay grade of SS-415.

Our mission is to ensure that our clients’ voices are heard and that they receive every right and remedy afforded them under law.

Our goal is to provide high‑quality legal counsel and representation to our clients, address systemic issues that affect the rights of more than one client and require a remedy, act as a clearinghouse for information relative to adults and children with mental health diagnoses and children in need of care, and provide training to various individuals/agencies.

This position was created within the MHAS Child Advocacy Program to institute a multidisciplinary team approach to children’s legal representation. National child welfare representation organizations have conducted extensive empirical research to determine that the multidisciplinary model is the best practice for children’s legal representation. This allows MHAS staff to make tailored recommendations and advocate to increase the rate and speed of reunifications from foster care, decrease the time spent in foster care for youth who get adopted or live permanently with a relative, and effectuate a successful transition to adulthood for those teenage clients aging out of the system.

Possession of a current Louisiana license to practice as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) plus a master’s degree in social work followed by three years of social services experience is required. Official job specifications for this role, as defined by the State Civil Service, can be found here.

Is a primary anchor on a Social Worker‑Attorney collaborative team:

• Acts as a consultant on social work matters to the attorneys and the multidisciplinary team. Assists the attorney in client engagement and case evaluation.
• Conducts general assessments when each case is first opened in the office: assesses what services may benefit the client, what supports the client may have, and if the client is in a state of crisis, what immediate treatment might be needed. Makes recommendations based on this assessment.
• Assists the attorney in understanding the client’s mental health needs and familiarizing them with social service providers. Helps the client prepare to testify. Advocates for clients in court, testifying as needed; or out of court, with service providers and DCFS representatives.
• Conducts an investigation, assists with client visits, background research, records requests, subpoenas, and other investigative and case assistant tasks. Checks in on every new case, then provides recommendations to the attorney. For cases involving complex clinical issues that could benefit from the ongoing involvement of a social worker, the attorney can refer the case for social work brief advice, social work consultation (ongoing advice and some case tasks, though often behind‑the‑scenes), or social work collaboration (the full integration of the MHAS social worker into the representation).
• Prepares required social work reports such as assessments, case summaries, and social histories for the attorneys and other members of the multidisciplinary staff, as well as for use in gaining productive services and court orders on behalf of the child‑clients.
• Visits/interviews clients, caretakers and others involved in Child in Need of Care proceedings to establish and maintain an adequate and professional relationship with our clients and to identify particular problems or complex issues. Manages assigned caseload as part of team to represent CINC clients; prepares reports and documents regarding clients; assists with correspondence with clients; documents work on case through case management system (Prime);
  
  assists with both in‑court and out‑of‑court advocacy.
• Conducts, and/or participates in, special projects related to child welfare, particularly those from Louisiana’s Pelican Center for Families and our federal partner programs through the ABA, NACC, and FJI.

Performs case management on an interdisciplinary, inter‑agency team:

• Conducts evaluations of clients in cases involving complex clinical issues, aimed at identifying…