Senior Social Worker

Summary

The Suicide Prevention Coordinator (Senior Social Worker) serves as a clinical expert within the Mental Health Service Line - responsible for coordinating and implementing suicide prevention strategies for Veterans identified as high risk. The incumbent provides direct clinical care - case management - crisis intervention - and program oversight to ensure timely - high-quality services that promote Veteran safety and recovery.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
• English Language Proficiency - You must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f) 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 to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work
• NOTE: You must submit transcripts (unofficial is sufficient) AND a license with your application
• 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
• 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)
• Grade Determinations: Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities: In addition to the experience above - candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Knowledge of program coordination and administration which includes consultation - negotiation - and monitoring
• Knowledge and ability to write policies - procedures - and/or practice guidelines for the program
• Ability to supervise multidisciplinary staff assigned to the program
• Skill in organizing work - setting priorities - meeting multiple deadlines - and evaluating assigned program area(s)
• Ability to provide training - orientation - and guidance within clinical practice
• Assignments: For all assignments above the full performance level - the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope - complexity (difficulty) - and variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time
• Program coordinators at the GS-12 grade level are administratively responsible for a clinical program providing treatment to Veterans in a major specialty area - such as but not limited to: Spinal Cord Injury - Homeless Continuum Veteran Program - Hospice and Palliative Care Program - Suicide Prevention Program - Veterans Justice Outreach - Caregiver Support Program and Community Nursing Home Program
• The program coordinator may be the sole practitioner in this specialty at the facility and typically provide direct patient care services in the program area
• The program coordinator oversees the daily operation of the program - develop policies and procedures for program operation - and prepare reports and statistics for facility - VISN - and national use
• They may be responsible for the program's budget - developing and monitoring staff compliance with practice - standards and guidelines on documentation - workload - data entry - ethical practice and service delivery
• The program coordinator provides analysis and evaluation of clinical program data and computerized programs to identify system-wide trends and needs to enhance the quality of service
• They may be responsible for - or contribute to - the program's resource and fiscal management - monitoring control points developing the annual budget - operating within that budget - and accounting for appropriated funds
• The program coordinator is administratively responsible for the clinical programming and prepares reports and statistics for facility - VISN - and national use
• They provide 14 leadership - direction - orientation - coaching - in-service training - staff development - and continuing education programs for assigned staff
• They initiate and conduct a variety of program or service audits and complete designated clinical practice audits and reports - including productivity assessments
• They oversee program operations and evaluations - identifying areas for improvement - gathering relevant data - assessing the data - developing and implementing ideas for improvement and evaluating efficacy of improvement efforts.] Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

Duties

• Duties include - however - not limited to: Conduct comprehensive suicide risk assessments and psychosocial evaluations for Veterans identified as high risk
• Develop - implement - and manage individualized safety plans and treatment interventions
• Provide crisis intervention - stabilization - and clinical management for Veterans experiencing acute mental health crises
• Respond to alerts and referrals from the Veterans Crisis Line and other sources - ensuring timely follow-up and continuity of care
• Coordinate care with interdisciplinary teams - including mental health providers - primary care - and community partners
• Maintain and manage a registry of high-risk Veterans - ensuring ongoing monitoring - outreach - and engagement
• Conduct proactive outreach to Veterans to support treatment adherence and reduce suicide risk
• Provide education to Veterans - families - and caregivers regarding suicide prevention - warning signs - and available resources
• Serve as a subject matter expert on suicide prevention - offering consultation to clinical staff and leadership
• Develop and deliver training to staff on suicide prevention strategies - risk identification - and intervention techniques
• Participate in program development - evaluation - and quality improvement initiatives
• Ensure compliance with VA policies - accreditation standards - and suicide prevention protocols
• Collect - analyze - and report program data to support performance improvement and leadership reporting
• Document all clinical encounters and interventions in the electronic health record in accordance with VA standards
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday - 8:00AM-4:30PM
• Work schedule may change due to agency need
• Telework: Ad-hoc
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 60247F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.

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The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.

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