Licensed Social Worker

Department
BSD PED - Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics

About the Department
The Section of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (DBP), within the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Chicago and at the Comer Children's Hospital is a Center of Excellence in developmental diagnosis, biomedical management, and family supports for children with motor, communicative, sensory, developmental, genetic, neurological, learning, and behavior disorders. The Section includes 3 Developmental and Behavioral Pediatric faculty members, two childhood trauma psychologists, 3 DBP subspecialty fellows, and nursing support. The Section provides interdisciplinary assessment and biopsychosocial management practices to optimize child functioning, support families, and maximize prevention strategies across health, education, and community care systems. The Section serves as a resource for primary care practitioners, subspecialists, and community professional agencies for children at high risk for having suboptimal educational outcomes and those with complex medical and/or behavioral challenges. Their collective clinical expertise is coupled with research, educational endeavors, advocacy, and public policy activities geared to ensuring that children receive the information and supports for long-term success. The faculty's clinical expertise, research contributions, and leadership roles within communities and professional organizations are recognized at the local, regional, national, and international levels. The clinical services provided by the Section include, but are not limited to, interdisciplinary diagnostic assessment of children enrolled in Early Intervention and diagnostic and treatment for children with a diverse array of childhood delays and disabilities (autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, learning disorders, feeding disorders, etc.).


Job Summary
The social worker supports the Developmental and Behavioral pediatric practice in two outpatient settings: Woodlawn Social Services Center and Comer Children's Hospital. At Woodlawn, the social worker will coordinate the Early Intervention Medical Diagnostic Assessment Team assessing children referred through Early Intervention. At Comer Children's Hospital, the social worker will consult as needed on patients seen by the Developmental and Behavioral Pediatricians on various issues, which include but are not limited to school Individual Education Plan referral and modification, referral to social services including social security insurance, care coordination services through the Division of Specialized Care for Children, permanency planning, and obtaining services through insurance. The social worker may also refer parents for services and report cases of concern for child abuse or neglect. The social worker will also lead a care coordination clinic where they will engage with telemedicine or in-person visits with the parent(s) to support obtaining recommended services, coping with disability diagnoses, planning for transition to adult care or alternative living arrangements, or discrete behavioral concerns such as potty training.


The social worker may also be involved in long-term projects that support the Section as a whole, such as developing resource lists for common referrals. The social worker may provide behavioral or emotional crisis intervention services or refer as needed for assessment elsewhere. The social worker will document care rendered and act as a resource to other Section personnel.

Responsibilities

• Develops and updates resource lists to refer families for therapies, adult mental health and counseling services, and tips for commonly encountered challenges. (e.g. applying for Social Security Insurance, requesting an Individualized Education Plan, etc.).
• Documents developmental care in records.
• Attend all virtual and/or in-person appointments of the Early Intervention Medical Diagnostic Team.
• Coordinate the multidisciplinary visits of the Early Intervention Medical Diagnostic Team.
• Conduct intake process on each patient prior to their appointment.
• Compile all the reports at the end of each appointment within expected deadlines.
• Facilitate any communications with service coordinators at the Child and Family Connections (CFC) centers pertaining to Early Intervention (EI), requesting all necessary paperwork.
• Handle billing for all patients for EI program through Qclaims.
• In individual care coordination clinic visits, interprets, monitors, and record client progress according to measurable goals described in treatment and care plan.
• Completes a social work assessment when consulted by a Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician in the Section. The majority of consultations will be for Comer patients.
• Analyzes potential problems in home or clinic environments.
• Interprets, monitors, and record client progress according to measurable goals described in treatment and care plan.
• Has moderate level of authority to refer patient, client, or family to community resources to assist in recovery from mental or physical illness and to provide access to services such as financial assistance, legal aid, housing, job placement or education.
• Assesses the needs of individuals, performs adaptive tests and psychological screening, provides family counseling, and participates as a member of a developmental team. Identifies community and University resources and makes appropriate referrals. Documents developmental care in records.
• Uses broad knowledge and experience to develop and coordinate programs related to emotional, social, and financial care. Programs may involve family-centered services, treatment and education of youth, employment and financial support, or health insurance and provider services.
• Serves as a liaison between schools, families, and community agencies. Maintains relationships with various social worker departments within the University as well as community agencies at the local and state levels.
• Delivers emergency and crisis intervention services.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:
Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:
Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Advanced degree or higher in Social Work from an accredited institution.

Experience:

• 5 years of work experience as a Social Worker.
• Experience working in a social service program utilizing evidence-based practice.
• Experience working with children and/or families.

Licenses and Certifications:

• Early Intervention program experience and certification.
• Licensed in the State of Illinois, LSW or LCSW.

Preferred Competencies

• Bilingual in Spanish.

Working Conditions

• Direct patient contact or clinical care setting.

Application Documents

• Resume (required)
• Cover Letter (preferred)

The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.

When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family
Healthcare & Medical Services

Role Impact
Individual Contributor

Scheduled Weekly Hours
40

Drug Test Required
Yes

Health Screen Required
Yes

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
No

Pay Rate Type
Salary

FLSA Status
Exempt

Pay Range
$75,000.00 - $100,000.00
The included pay rate or range represents the University's good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible
Yes
The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call View phone number on click.appcast.io or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

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