PSYCHIATRIC CASEWORKER 2

Job Summary

The Nevada Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) is recruiting for a Psychiatric Caseworker 2, with the Wraparound in Nevada (WIN) Program in Las Vegas. WIN is a community-based program that provides intensive tiered care coordination/targeted case management to children/youth with serious emotional disturbances who have complex needs across multiple domains. WIN utilizes a screening/assessment process in partnership with youth and families to determine their needs and the appropriate level of care coordination. WIN provides tiered care coordination that includes both High Fidelity Wraparound (HFW) and FOCUS. Both models are embedded in the System of Care values and principles and place the child/youth and their family at the center of all planning. This position performs a variety of duties across community-based settings including youth and family homes. Duties include developing, coordinating, and monitoring plans of care, coordinating, and collaborating with community service providers, and partnering with youth and their families to develop and facilitate child and family team meetings Psychiatric Caseworkers perform casework duties; monitor the progress of clients in treatment; assess and reassess the clients' level of functioning by interviewing clients, family members, and other community contacts; evaluate clients' needs and resources to determine the level of assistance needed; and refer clients to appropriate services according to the service/care coordination plan in order to meet clients' emotional, behavioral, social, financial, health, vocational, transportation, and basic living needs. Incumbents in this series often work in a team to provide service coordination, make referrals to other service providers and community resources, and discuss mental and emotional conditions, illnesses and disorders, family issues, and developmental delays.

Essential Qualifications

Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in social work, psychology, or closely related human services field and two years of experience in a mental health or intellectual disabilities setting, one year of which must have included professional casework experience providing psychosocial rehabilitation services for a caseload consisting predominantly of individuals with mental illness or developmental disabilities; OR one year of experience as a Psychiatric Caseworker I in Nevada State Service; OR an equivalent combination of education at or above the Bachelor's degree and experience as described above.

Job Duties

Interview clients for psychosocial rehabilitation program placement; determine needs in terms of training and assign to appropriate groups/classes; prepare written evaluation of client and a service/care coordination plan for each service; enter progress notes; and advise clients of their service related rights and responsibilities. Develop treatment plans and participate in the development of service/care coordination plans by attending multidisciplinary team meetings in which client goals are determined and appropriate strategies and plans are developed and modified as necessary; integrate and analyze information from all available sources and systems; coordinate and integrate services among members of multidisciplinary teams and client support systems; monitor treatment plans and evaluate effectiveness; document quality of care and ensure information is available to other members of the multidisciplinary team. Provide on-going individual and family management and education regarding issues of daily living, coping skills and employment; provide information to clients' family members or other caretakers regarding clients' rights and actions necessary to obtain optimal benefits of active treatment; assist clients, family members, and care providers in understanding the nature and treatment of clients' illness or condition. Develop and implement discharge plans; prepare required documentation; schedule appointments such as in the medication clinic; obtain information from clinical professionals concerning clients; make referrals to appropriate clinician; refer to community resources and make housing referrals. Write client housing contracts according to established procedures; monitor supported housing arrangements; monitor delivery of services and quality of care to ensure compliance with the terms and conditions of the contract. Monitor follow-up services specified in the treatment plan including attendance at medication clinics, day treatment programs, outpatient appointments, vocational/rehabilitation services and housing arrangements to reduce the incidence of readmission; arrange and provide transportation for clients to various appointments and community assistance services issuing bus tokens or using State vehicles as necessary; assist clients with court appearances. Locate, coordinate, and develop resources to meet clients' needs; develop, implement, and monitor programs to assist clients in developing daily living skills such as preparing a budget, obtaining public transportation attending self-help groups, shopping for food and clothing, and developing reminders to take medication at prescribed times. Conduct classes and provide individual skill training for clients; compile or develop relevant materials and curriculum; evaluate client's baseline status and progress using objective assessment measurements. Adhere to all regulatory standards for documentation, charts, and progress notes; document client contacts and progress in case records; write required reports at established intervals; complete billing forms and other documentation according to established policy and procedure. Attend staff, committee, task force and other scheduled meetings to discuss and provide input concerning critical client issues and problems; attend and participate in in-service training, workshops, seminars, and continuing education programs to enhance knowledge, skills, and abilities related to job performance; may provide in-service training to other staff related to de-escalation, management of aggressive behaviors, wraparound case management delivery model, and other topics. Provide crisis intervention to include appropriate behavioral and environmental controls for clients who may be hostile, combative, aggressive, or assaultive; follow established protocols and policy to protect clients, staff, family, and others potentially at risk due to client behavior or family dynamics; engage in client restraint if needed. Supervise and evaluate the performance of lower level professional, technical, and paraprofessional staff, university students, and interns as assigned. Perform related duties as assigned. Under general supervision, incumbents perform the full range of service coordination duties described in the series concept. This is the journey level in the series.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

This job specification lists the major knowledge, skills and abilities of the job and is not all inclusive. Incumbent(s) will be expected to have knowledge, skills and abilities from a previous level. Working knowledge of: crisis intervention techniques; documenting client progress; assessing client needs and resources available; case management practices and procedures; laws governing abuse and neglect of clients; treatment planning and implementation; educating clients and their families on issues of daily living, coping skills and employment. General knowledge of: psychotropic medications and common side effects; behavior modification techniques to include contingency management and cognitive behavior interventions. Ability to: make appropriate referrals to community resources and health care providers; develop contracts for services and monitor services provided; establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with clients, staff, community resource providers, community agency staff and the public; monitor follow up services according to the service/care coordination plan.

The State of Nevada is an equal opportunity employer dedicated to building diverse, inclusive, and innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them. All applicants are considered without regard to race, color, national origin, religion or belief, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, domestic partnership, genetic information (GINA), or compensation and/or wages.

Please send direct Inquiries or correspondence to the recruiter listed on this announcement.

Benefits include:

• Health Insurance: Medical, dental, life, and disability insurance programs for employees and their dependents/family are offered through the Public Employees' Benefits Program (PEBP).
• Vacation: Accrual of three weeks of annual leave each year.
• Sick Leave: Accrual of three weeks of sick leave each year.
• Holidays: 12 paid holidays per year.
• Retirement: Participation in the Nevada Public Employees Retirement System (PERS). Employees do not contribute to Social Security but will contribute to PERS if their position is at 50% or more full-time equivalency. For more information on how PERS service may impact Social Security benefits, visit the SSA publication.
• Deferred Compensation: The State offers a voluntary Deferred Compensation Program.
• No Nevada state income tax.
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness: Eligible due to public sector employment.
• Longevity Payments Eligibility: Employees who have received a performance rating of "standard" or better and have completed eight (8) or more years of continuous service are eligible for longevity pay.

Additional benefits may apply to employees covered under a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), depending on their designated bargaining unit. For more information, visit the Labor Relations Unit (LRU).

For more details about your rights and responsibilities as a State of Nevada employee, please review the State of Nevada Employee Handbook.

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