The Caregiver Support Coordinator (CSC) is a Social Worker Program Coordinator who functions in support of caregivers, Veterans, and family members throughout the medical center and in community settings. This program is a component of the Caregiver Support Program within the Social Work service at the New Jersey VA HCS - East Orange Campus and reports to the Caregiver Support Program Manager who reports to the Chief of Social Work Services.
Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g in VA Policy). Education: Have a master's degree in social work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Graduates of schools of social work that are in candidacy status do not meet this requirement until the School of Social Work is fully accredited. A doctoral degree in social work may not be substituted for the master's degree in social work. Verification of the degree can be made by going to http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work. Licensure: Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-0185 series in VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. Current state requirements may be found by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/. Exception. VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations. This exception only applies at the GS-9 grade level. For the GS-11 grade level and above, the candidate must be licensed or certified. At the time of appointment, the supervisor, chief social work or social work executive will provide the unlicensed/uncertified social worker with the written requirements for licensure or certification, including the time by which the license or certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed or certified by the deadline. Loss of Licensure or Certification. Once licensed or certified, social workers must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Creditable Experience. The candidate must have knowledge of current professional social work practices. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics associated with current professional social work practice. The experience or education must be post-Masters of Social Work (MSW) degree. Experience and education satisfying this requirement must be active professional practice, which is paid/non-paid employment as a professional social worker, as defined by the appropriate state licensing board. Quality of Experience. Experience is only creditable if it is obtained following graduation with a master's degree in social work and if it includes work as a professional social worker directly related to the position to be filled. Qualifying experience must also be at a level comparable to social work experience at the next lower level. Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time work week. For example, one week of full-time credit is equivalent to two weeks of part-time work. Fellowships or Post-Graduate Training. Fellowship and post-graduate training programs are typically in a specialized area of clinical practice, i.e., group or family practice. Training as a fellow or post-graduate may be substituted for creditable experience on a year-for-year basis. Practicum in a VA Setting. A VHA practicum experience may not be substituted for experience, as the practicum (field placement) is completed prior to graduation with a master's degree in social work. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Experience and Education. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency. Candidate may have certification or other post-master's degree training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship, or equivalent supervised professional experience. Licensure/Certification. Individuals assigned as social worker program coordinator must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of program coordination and administration which includes consultation, negotiation, and monitoring. (b) Knowledge and ability to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the program. (c) Ability to supervise multidisciplinary staff assigned to the program. (d) Skill in organizing work, setting priorities, meeting multiple deadlines, and evaluating assigned program area(s). (e) Ability to provide training, orientation, and guidance within clinical practice. The Caregiver Support Coordinator must possess a valid driver's license to travel to homes of Veterans and families throughout VA NJ HCS catchment areas for assessments and interventions as needed limitedly. The incumbent will also need to travel for outreach activities and meetings with local, state, federal and community partners and stakeholders. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12 which is the grade at which an applicant may be selected for. Physical Requirements: Work is sedentary but also demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, and carrying light items. Must be in overall good health, able to sit at a desk working at a computer, engage in light to moderate physical activity including sitting, walking, bending, and carrying supplies. The Social Worker must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands, exercise patience, and control emotions, with reasonable accommodation if necessary, without endangering the health and safety of the social worker or others. Position requires walking throughout the clinic and/or Medical Center, standing for extended periods of time, and involves sitting at a computer and in counsel and consultation with Veterans and interdisciplinary teams. Position may require travel into the community to meet with community agencies and partners who assist and support to the Caregiver Support Program, its Veterans, and caregivers. There will be home visits in the community as an expectation of this position. This position also requires close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading; and repetitive motions of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers. Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations. Field Work in the home is an expectation of the position.
VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU VA Careers - Licensed Clinical Social Worker: https://youtube.com/embed/U_xC25QsN0w Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The incumbent is a skilled communicator capable of developing effective partnerships with local, state, and federal agencies as well as non-governmental organizations. As an advanced practice level clinical social worker, the incumbent is assigned to work with multiple VA healthcare services and with community agencies, leaders, and organizations. The Caregiver Support Coordinator's primary responsibilities are to provide clinical evidence-based services and interventions; program development; caregiver, Veteran, and staff education on caregiver issues; community outreach; resource development; continuous quality improvement activities; and evaluation/consultation. The incumbent develops policies and procedures for program operation and prepares reports and statistics for facility, VISN, and national use. The incumbent manages and controls the use of data related to day to day functioning and program evaluation. In conjunction with the CSP Manager, the incumbent plans, organizes and directs administrative, operational, caregiver, Veteran, and personnel activities for the service. The incumbent may have supervisory duties assigned under the direction of the Caregiver Support Program Manager. The CSC assists in the development of the strategic plan and implementation of policies and procedures for local expansion of the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Primary Family Caregivers. The incumbent develops and implements systems to track service activities including visits, referrals caregiver demographics, equipment utilization and caregiver and Veteran satisfaction. The incumbent administers information and analytical systems to evaluate and enhance the quality of service provided to caregivers, families and Veterans and is responsible for meeting performance metrics for assigned area. As assigned, he/she develops, implements, and evaluates appropriate utilization of services. The incumbent conducts caregiver and family clinical interventions to facilitate the identification of caregiver stress, psychiatric illness, emotional distress, and social needs as treatment issues. Professional judgment, including the knowledge of normal and abnormal behavior is an inherent competency applied in daily interactions with caregivers and the Veterans they care for. The incumbent provides referral to VA medical and mental health treatment and other services including VA benefits, as well as community-based social services and other non-VA entitlement programs. The incumbent, in collaboration with the Caregiver Support Program Manager works with other clinical staff and program managers and establishes caregiver support protocol (resources, education and training) sensitive to the issues of the caregivers who are providing care to our youngest returning Veterans. The incumbent practices independently, exercising initiative and independent judgment in day to-day activities. Supervision/ consultation is of an administrative and professional nature, with the supervisor providing guidelines as to the general policy and direction of Social Work or the area of the Caregiver Support Program the incumbent coordinates. In conjunction with the Caregiver Support Program Manager, the Social Worker assists in coordinating events and programs for the annual National Family Caregivers Month in November, which includes announcements and advertising of month-long activities, mobilization of participants, educational sessions, caregiver recognition events and caregiver support programs. The Caregiver Support Coordinator will utilize and assist in maintaining a data monitoring system to measure the efficacy of the program. The incumbent will become knowledgeable with national CSP IT databases (CARMA). He/she will evaluate program progress and outcomes and utilize data to continuously modify and improve the program and processes. The Caregiver Support Coordinator will develop resources to further enhance the general caregiver support program to meet the unique needs of the caregivers located in the catchment area. The incumbent may be asked to host organize or present programs offsite or travel to locations within VA NJ HCS catchment area to represent the Caregiver Support Program or provide educational trainings on the program or VA caregiver resources in partnership with other social service organizations. The Caregiver Support Coordinator may have other duties as assigned by the Caregiver Support Program Manager or Chief of Social Work Service that benefit Veterans and caregivers dyads. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Some tour flexibility required for infrequent weekend and evening activities and appointments. Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 21S34-A