Licensed Social Worker

Social Worker

The social worker supports the Developmental and Behavioral pediatric practice in two outpatient settings:
Woodlawn Social Services Center and Comer Children's Hospital. At Woodlawn, the social worker will coordinate the Early Intervention Medical Diagnostic Assessment Team assessing children referred through Early Intervention. At Comer Children's Hospital, the social worker will consult as needed on patients seen by the Developmental and Behavioral Pediatricians on various issues, which include but are not limited to school Individual Education Plan referral and modification, referral to social services including social security insurance, care coordination services through the Division of Specialized Care for Children, permanency planning, and obtaining services through insurance.

The social worker will also lead a care coordination clinic where they will engage with telemedicine or in-person visits with the parent(s) to support obtaining recommended services, coping with disability diagnoses, planning for transition to adult care or alternative living arrangements, or discrete behavioral concerns such as potty training. The social worker may also be involved in long-term projects that support the Section as a whole, such as developing resource lists for common referrals.

The social worker may provide behavioral or emotional crisis intervention services or refer as needed for assessment elsewhere. The social worker will document care rendered and act as a resource to other Section personnel.

Responsibilities include developing and updating resource lists to refer families for therapies, adult mental health and counseling services, and tips for commonly encountered challenges. The social worker will document developmental care in records, attend all virtual and/or in-person appointments of the Early Intervention Medical Diagnostic Team, coordinate the multidisciplinary visits of the Early Intervention Medical Diagnostic Team, conduct intake process on each patient prior to their appointment, compile all the reports at the end of each appointment within expected deadlines, facilitate any communications with service coordinators at the Child and Family Connections (CFC) centers pertaining to Early Intervention (EI), requesting all necessary paperwork, handle billing for all patients for EI program through Qclaims, interprets, monitors, and record client progress according to measurable goals described in treatment and care plan, complete a social work assessment when consulted by a Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician in the Section, analyze potential problems in home or clinic environments, have moderate level of authority to refer patient, client, or family to community resources to assist in recovery from mental or physical illness and to provide access to services such as financial assistance, legal aid, housing, job placement or education, assess the needs of individuals, perform adaptive tests and psychological screening, provide family counseling, and participate as a member of a developmental team.

The social worker will also use broad knowledge and experience to develop and coordinate programs related to emotional, social, and financial care, serve as a liaison between schools, families, and community agencies, deliver emergency and crisis intervention services, and perform other related work as needed.

Minimum qualifications include a college or university degree in a related field and knowledge and skills developed through 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline. Preferred qualifications include an advanced degree or higher in Social Work from an accredited institution, 5 years of work experience as a Social Worker, experience working in a social service program utilizing evidence-based practice, experience working with children and/or families, Early Intervention program experience and certification, and licensed in the State of Illinois, LSW or LCSW.

Preferred competencies include being bilingual in Spanish.