Social Services Specialist

Social Service Specialist

Sea Mar Community Health Centers, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) founded in 1978, is a community-based organization committed to providing quality, comprehensive health, human, housing, educational and cultural services to diverse communities, specializing in service to Latinos in Washington State. Sea Mar proudly serves all persons without regard to race, ethnicity, immigration status, gender, or sexual orientation, and regardless of ability to pay for services.

Sea Mar's network of services includes more than 90 medical, dental, and behavioral health clinics and a wide variety of nutritional, social, and educational services.

Position Summary

The role of the Social Service Specialist is to conduct an initial screening and provide a comprehensive integrated clinical psychosocial assessment; develop intervention plans based on that assessment; provide brief treatment toward the care plan; provide transition services for long term counseling/treatment and Infant Case Management; and consult with the interdisciplinary Maternity Support Services team on the needs of clients served.

The productivity expectation for this position is 20 or more client encounters per week for full-time work.

Duties and Responsibilities

As a mission-driven organization, the core values of, and the services offered at Sea Mar are based on the belief that everyone deserves to be respectfully treated in a way that preserves dignity and enhances self-worth. Sea Mar is an advocate for its clients and aims to achieve industry-leading, client-centered, culturally-aware services.

Sea Mar employees serve as an extension of this mission and demonstrate their commitment to an excellent client experience by:

• Understanding and empathizing with client needs
• Surpassing client expectations
• Demonstrating a high level of integrity and work ethics
• Exhibiting compassion and commitment
• Advocating for social justice
• Taking pride in individual work as well as that of the team
• Continually learning to stay current with industry standards, best practices and technology
• Utilizing AIDET skills at all times

As a Sea Mar employee, the individual in this position commits to adherence to these values to their utmost ability and endeavors to strengthen and embody this mission daily.

The Social Service Specialist:

• Exemplifies excellent customer relations with clients, visitors, and other employees; shows courtesy, friendliness, and respect.
• Introduces clients to integrated MSS services (either in home or at clinic) and performs systematic social services screening to determine current status and needs in a variety of areas.
• Based on identified client needs, makes referrals to appropriate agencies/services or provides information and assists clients for self-referral.
• Provides advocacy as needed to encourage participation in implementing the care plan or to resolve problems which are interfering with active participation in the care plan (such as transportation or language barrier).
• Charts notes of the services provided as required by the state and agency in Sea Mar's Electronic Health Records.
• Assists client in accomplishing tasks necessary to access services such as filling out appropriate forms, obtaining necessary documentation or authorization.
• Maintains regular face-to-face contact with client in order to monitor implementation of the care plan.
• Maintains professional standards and follows the treatment policies and procedures of the agency, as well as applicable federal, state and local regulations.
• Completes daily documentation as directed by the MSS Manager and First Step program guidelines.
• Reports any unusual incidents to their manager or the Preventive Health Services Director. The Social Service Specialist is a state mandated reporter, as such; he/she will report to the state any suspected case of child/elder abuse or neglect as mandated by WAC.
• Complete a thorough, culturally sensitive, psychosocial assessment which includes but is not limited to:
  Personal history (cultural background, health status, coping strategies, mental health status, substance use, abuse and violence); current family functioning; review of support…