Forensic Social Worker - Torrance State Hospital

As a Forensic Social Worker 1 with Torrance State Hospital, you will help guide patients toward safer, healthier futures. This role supports individuals who are working through significant challenges in a secure and structured setting while also building your own professional abilities as part of a dedicated multi‑disciplinary care team. Your mission is to provide all persons committed to our care with the opportunity for growth, recovery, and inclusion in their community.

This position provides a full range of social services and therapeutic support to forensic patients with a mental illness who have been placed through the criminal justice or correctional system for diagnosis, evaluation, and intensive treatment. You will play a key role in helping individuals work toward improved social functioning and more satisfactory social and emotional adjustment. As a Forensic Social Worker 1, you will perform the following duties:

• Assess Patients: Gather information from patients, their families, agencies, and others; identify patients’ social, emotional, environmental, and other needs
• Provide Therapeutic Support: Deliver social services, counseling, and case management services, including individual and group therapy, to help patients recognize challenges and learn beneficial behaviors
• Plan Collaboratively: Communicate with other facility‑and forensic psychiatric unit staff as a multi‑disciplinary treatment team to help develop and implement a comprehensive and effective individualized care and treatment plan for each patient
• Document Progress: Record patient responses and progress toward treatment goals and objectives
• Encourage Social Support: Maintain regular contact with patients’ families and other interested parties to share patient progress and encourage their support and input
• Ensure Current Commitments: Maintain accurate records to ensure all patients are under a current court commitment, prepare recommitment petitions, attend hearings, and record court outcomes

Interested in learning more? Additional details regarding this position can be found in the position description.

• Full‑time employment
• Work hours are 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday‑Friday, with a 30‑minute lunch.
• Telework: You will not have the option to telework in this position.
• Salary: Some cases the starting salary may be non‑negotiable.
• You will receive further communication regarding this position via email. Check your email, including spam/junk folders, for these notices.

• A bachelor’s or master’s degree in social work or social welfare.
• Applicants will be considered to have met the educational requirements once they are within three months of graduating with a qualifying degree.

• You must meet the PA residency requirement. For more information on ways to meet PA residency requirements, follow the link and click on Residency Guidelines.
• You must be able to perform essential job functions.

• A conditional offer of employment will require a medical examination and drug screening.
• This position falls under the provisions of the Older Adult Protective Services Act.
• Under the Act, a conditional offer of employment will require submission and approval of satisfactory criminal history reports, including but not limited to PA State Police and FBI clearance.

If you are contacted for an interview and need accommodations due to a disability, please discuss your request for accommodations with the interviewer in advance of your interview date.

The Commonwealth is an equal employment opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse workforce. The Commonwealth values inclusion as we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most qualified people to serve the citizens of Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, ancestry, union membership, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, AIDS or HIV status, disability, or any other categories protected by applicable federal or state law.

All diverse candidates are encouraged to apply.