SOCIAL WORKER IV

at Department of Human Services in Alton, Illinois, United States

Job Description

Position Overview

Alton Mental Health Center is seeking to hire a Social Worker IV to perform professional social work services involving the advanced application of social work principles and practices. This candidate has the ability to gather comprehensive clinical information, assess, evaluate, and document complex emotional and psycho-social disorders, communicate an understanding of a wide-range of patient problems, develop treatment goals and objectives, and implement appropriate treatment interventions for patients on a forensic unit. Candidate will advocate for their patients and act as a resource to members of the treatment team. Candidate will interview and communicate with patients and their natural supports. Candidate will work closely with multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary teams to facilitate the course of treatment for their assigned case load. Candidate will testify in court proceedings regarding patients.

• Performs professional social work services involving the advanced application of social work principles, techniques, and evaluations, as well as clinically sophisticated diagnostic recognition and implementation of appropriate treatment interventions of adults on a forensic unit manifesting complex emotional and psycho-social disorders. 


• Interviews patients, family members and/or significant others to obtain pertinent psycho-social data to identify, evaluate and develop treatment goals and objectives. 


• Serves as an advocate for patients and resource for other members of the treatment team. 


• Serves as qualified examiner. 


• Serves as a patient liaison to coordinate and recommend varied courses-of-action to an interdisciplinary team related to treatment concerns. 


• Serves as a mental health resource for non-professional direct care staff. 


• Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above. 

• Requires a master’s degree in social work from a recognized school of social work supplemented by three (3) years of supervised post master’s clinical social work practice and possession of a clinical social worker’s license from the Department of Professional Regulation. 

• Requires the ability to physically restrain patients as necessary to prevent injury to patient and others.


• Requires the ability to obtain and maintain Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certificate.


• Requires the ability to stoop, bend, lift or exert up to 20 pounds of force in performance of job duties.


• Requires the ability to physically access various worksites throughout the hospital for administrative and clinical duties.


• Requires the ability to travel in the performance of job duties.


• Requires ability to pass the IDHS background check.


• Requires ability to pass a drug screen for drugs prohibited from recreational use under Illinois Law.

*All conditions of employment listed are incorporated and related to any of the job duties as listed in the job description.