Social Worker-MSW LSW

Social Worker – MSW LSW

Position Title:

Social Worker – MSW LSW

Location:

Riley Hospital Department:
Social Services Shift: Full-Time Days

Schedule:

6:00 AM – 6:00 PM, 3 days per week, every other weekend

Position Overview:

The Social Worker provides face-to-face support to patients and families at Riley Hospital, conducting psychosocial assessments, crisis intervention, counseling, and complex discharge planning. Working closely with the multidisciplinary care team, this role interprets and communicates complex patient and family needs, mobilizes family and community resources, and models caring practices for other caregivers to ensure every patient receives safe, timely, and well-coordinated care.

This role serves as the point person for child and adult abuse/neglect, institutional abuse, and domestic violence cases, acting as the liaison between IU Health and state and county protective agencies. The Social Worker also provides intervention in guardianship, foster care, adoption, end-of-life, and mental health placements, and takes a leadership stance in acute crisis and potentially dangerous situations, using de-escalation techniques to promote safety.

Key Responsibilities:

Meet face-to-face with patients and families to complete psychosocial assessments and provide therapeutic interventions. Collaborate with all members of the health care team to facilitate the episode of care and ensure patients receive services safely and on time. Interpret and communicate complex patient and family needs, modeling caring practices for other caregivers. Assess psychosocial risk factors, including prior functioning, adequacy of support systems, reaction to illness, and ability to cope.

Counsel patients and families regarding the emotional, social, and financial impacts of illness and/or disability. Access and mobilize family and community resources to meet identified needs. Provide mental health assessments upon physician referral. Provide therapeutic intervention to facilitate complex discharge planning and safe transitions to the next level of care. Serve as the point person for child abuse/neglect, adult/elderly abuse/neglect, institutional abuse, and domestic violence cases.

Act as liaison between IU Health and state and county child and adult protective teams. Provide intervention in guardianship (temporary/permanent), foster care, adoption, end-of-life, and mental health Level II placements. Offer specialized mental health services, including crisis intervention, addiction assessments, and recommendations for psychiatric referral or community resources. Assist in dangerous and potentially dangerous situations, taking a leadership stance to provide clinical intervention.

Support patients in acute crisis, using de-escalation techniques to prevent episodes of physical violence; respond with or in lieu of the Department of Public Safety as needed. Apply effective interviewing principles with alleged victims, perpetrators, family members, and significant others. Develop and maintain strong working relationships with hospital administrators, medical teams, law enforcement, APS/DCS, schools, probation, and other community agencies.

Document all clinical activities accurately in the electronic medical record. May be scheduled for on-call and holiday rotations.

Qualifications & Requirements:

Master's Degree in Social Work (MSW) required. Permanent LSW licensure required. Certification in Crisis Prevention Intervention or an equivalent de-escalation training required within 6 months of hire. Knowledge of evidence-based psychosocial assessment, short-term therapeutic counseling, and crisis intervention for common mental health and substance use disorders. Understanding of disease processes and human behavior…