The posting
Job Description
Position Title: Social Worker – MSW LCSW
Location: Riley Hospital
Department: Peds Palliative Care Dv-Riley
Shift: Full-Time Days; Monday-Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Position Overview: The Social Worker provides face-to-face support to patients and families at Riley Hospital, conducting psychosocial assessments, crisis intervention, mental health assessments, and complex discharge planning. This role serves as a resource and role model for students, interns, LBSWs, and LSWs, and partners with the clinical team to develop treatment plans that address psychosocial needs, including consulting with other providers on mental health diagnoses.
The Social Worker serves as the point person for abuse, neglect, and domestic violence cases, acting as liaison with state and county protective teams. The position also provides intervention in guardianship, foster care, adoption, and end-of-life situations, and supports patients through acute crises using de-escalation techniques to promote safety.
Key Responsibilities:
Meet face-to-face with patients and families for psychosocial assessments and therapeutic interventions.
Assist in the development of educational materials for team members, patients, and families.
Serve as a resource and role model for students, interns, LBSWs, and LSWs.
Collaborate with the clinical team to develop treatment plans that resolve psychosocial issues and meet psychosocial needs, including consulting with other providers on mental health diagnoses.
Communicate and collaborate with all members of the health care team to ensure safe, timely care and that patients and families receive all necessary resources and education.
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 coping ability.
Counsel patients and families regarding the emotional, social, and financial impacts of illness and 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.
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.
Maintain principles and practices of crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques to manage acute crises and potentially dangerous situations.
Take a leadership stance in providing clinical intervention during dangerous or potentially dangerous situations.
Provide intervention in guardianship (temporary/permanent), foster care, adoption, and mental health level II placements.
Offer specialized mental health services, including crisis intervention, addiction assessments, and recommendations for psychiatric referral or community resources.
Support patients and families through end-of-life care.
Utilize effective interviewing principles with alleged victims, perpetrators, family members, and significant others.
May be scheduled for on-call and holiday rotations.
Qualifications & Requirements:
Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW) required.
Permanent licensure as an LCSW in Indiana 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 in relation to health-related social needs.
Strong skills in complex discharge planning to ensure safe transitions to the next level of care.
Knowledge of state and county legal mandates for child and adult protective services.
Familiarity with principles of growth and development across the lifespan, including end-of-life care.
Ability to identify decision-makers and coordinate goals-of-care conversations to support excellent care and patient throughput.
Experience adapting services to geographically, culturally, and financially diverse populations.
Ability to develop and maintain strong working relationships with hospital administrators, medical teams, law enforcement, APS/DCS, schools, probation, and community agencies.
Proficiency in electronic medical record documentation and general computer literacy.
Flexibility to work on-call and holiday rotations as scheduled.
About IU Health
IU Health is Indiana’s largest and most comprehensive healthcare system, with nearly 40,000 team members, 16 hospitals, and $8.64 billion in operating revenue. Our programs in cancer, cardiovascular, neuroscience, orthopedics, pediatrics, and transplants are nationally recognized. In partnership with the Indiana University School of Medicine, IU Health combines research, education, and clinical excellence to improve health outcomes for Indiana communities.
To learn more about our benefits, visit: IU Health Benefits
About Us
- Indiana University Health has nearly 40,000 team members, including more than 3,600 physicians and 1,200 advanced practice providers, and we’re home to the largest nursing network in Indiana with more than 9,000 nursing team members at over 800 sites of care.
- IU Health is ranked No. 1 in Indiana by U.S. News & World Report, Riley Children's Health is ranked among the top children's hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
- A unique partnership with the Indiana University School of Medicine – one of the nation’s largest medical schools – gives patients access to groundbreaking research and innovative treatments, and it offers team members access to the latest science and the very best training – advancing healthcare for all.
- With 15 hospitals, including seven with Magnet designation and eight with Pathways to Excellence designation, our team members are leading the way through excellence.
- At Indiana University Health, your personal and professional growth is a top priority. You will have access to many diverse opportunities to learn and develop in meaningful ways that matter most to you, such as advanced clinical training, leadership development, promotion opportunities and cross training development.
- Indiana University Health is invested in the lives of Hoosiers, leading the transformation of healthcare to make Indiana one of the nation’s healthiest states.
Indiana University Health is Indiana’s most comprehensive health system, with 15 hospitals and nearly 40,000 team members serving Hoosiers across the state. We’re looking for team members who are inspired by challenging and meaningful work for the good of every patient. People who are compassionate and serve with a purpose. People who aspire to excellence every day.
