Clinical Social Worker Senior (LICSW) - Pediatric Bereavement Program

Site: The General Hospital Corporation

 

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Job Summary

SIGN ON BONUS AVAILABLE for eligible Non-MGB employees:
$10,000 for LICSW

This position is responsible for performing social work assessments and interventions as needed for inpatients, outpatients, and emergency department patients. The Clinical Social Worker Senior provides support to those who are dedicated to patient and family-centered care that values personal self-determination, are skilled at managing multiple priorities at once, and engaging in creative, compassionate, and ethical problem-solving. As a member of a multidisciplinary health team, they perform comprehensive assessments and develop treatment plans that integrate the medical, social, and resource issues that impact individual patients, families, and at-risk populations. They work collaboratively with all healthcare team members to develop and implement treatment plans that support patient-centered plans of care for both individual patients and the medical community.

Does this position require Patient Care? Yes

Essential Functions

-Provides psychosocial assessments of patients and families with social, emotional, interpersonal and/or environmental issues.
-Formulates biopsychosocial assessment, disposition and treatment plans.
-Provides mandated assessments when abuse is suspected (child, disabled adult, elder) and specialized safety assessment when violence is suspected Plan discharge from care facility to home or other care facility.
-Collaborate with other professionals to evaluate patients' medical or physical condition and to assess client needs as part of the interdisciplinary team.
-Monitor, evaluate, and record client progress according to measurable goals described in treatment and care plan.
-Screen, address, and manage social determinants of health.
-Prepares and maintains all pertinent records, statistics, and progress notes.

Bereavement Services, Duties and Responsibilities

I. Coordinates Bereavement Services.
• Contact families after the death of a patient, introduce role and commit to follow families for at least one and ideally 2 years, or until family is connected to alternate support source, if the family so desires
• Provide parent mental health and social functioning assessment at defined intervals for 1 and up to 2 years after the death of child
• Identify and connect families to appropriate resources in their community for ongoing support (care tailored to each family)
• Provide direct mental health care to a subset of parents who demonstrate high psychological distress for whom an alternate local provider cannot be identified with back up from medical director
• Arrange post-mortem meetings between family and providers to offer the opportunity to review the child’s care and any questions or concerns of the family
• Send cards or emails on days that are special to parents, such as birthdays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day
• Coordinate/develop memorial services commemorating the lives of the children who have died at MGBfC
• Assist in the development and implementation of new programs and services, as needed
• Keep up to date with best practices, including technology integration

II. Resource Management
• Maintain database of bereaved families
• Update and maintain the library of grief resources in the form of information about support groups, books, videos and making them available to families and staff.
• Participate in annual budget development for program operations and complete required documentation, supported by program leadership
• Assist in securing additional program funding when needed, with support from development and medical director

III. Staff Education and Support
• Notify members of the medical team caring for patients about patients’ deaths
• Provide education and support to providers who wish to reach out to a family for whose child they have cared

IV. Quality Improvement
• Provide education and outreach to the broader MGHfC community, such as PCP offices, about the bereavement program
• Participate in completion of annual written report for administrative review
• Participate in writing grant proposals to secure continued funding for bereavement activities
• Participate in ongoing program evaluation and assessment of next steps in growing a comprehensive bereavement program for MGBfC

Pediatric Supportive and Palliative Care, Duties and Responsibilities

I. Psychosocial Assessment and Family Support
• Provide comprehensive psychosocial assessment, counseling, and emotional support to children with serious illness and their families receiving pediatric palliative care services.
• Assess family coping, psychosocial needs, social determinants of health, caregiver stress, and barriers to care throughout the illness trajectory.
• Provide supportive counseling and crisis intervention during periods of medical uncertainty, disease progression, hospitalization, and end-of-life care.
• Offer anticipatory grief support to patients, parents, siblings, and caregivers as families navigate complex illness and potential loss.
II. Outpatient Care Coordination and Resource Navigation
• Serve as a primary social work resource for the outpatient pediatric palliative care team, supporting families across medical, emotional, financial, and practical domains.
• Identify, coordinate, and connect families with community-based resources, including home care, hospice, mental health services, financial assistance programs, respite services, educational supports, and other community resources.
• Advocate for patients and families to reduce barriers to care and promote access to appropriate services.
III. Interdisciplinary Palliative Care Team Collaboration
• Collaborate closely with interdisciplinary team members to develop and implement family-centered care plans.
• Participate in interdisciplinary team meetings and care planning discussions to address the psychosocial needs of patients and families.
• Provide consultation and recommendations regarding psychosocial concerns, family dynamics, coping, and resource needs.
IV. Inpatient Support and Continuity of Care
• Partner with inpatient teams as needed to provide psychosocial support and care coordination for hospitalized patients and families.
• Support families whose child is approaching end of life, including providing emotional support, anticipatory grief counseling, and assistance with care planning during hospitalization.
• Collaborate with inpatient care teams to facilitate a compassionate transition from end-of-life care to bereavement support services.
V. Program Development
• Participate in the development, implementation, and evaluation of pediatric palliative care initiatives and services.
• Provide education and consultation to healthcare providers regarding psychosocial aspects of serious illness, family-centered care, communication, and grief support.
• Maintain knowledge of best practices in pediatric palliative care, psychosocial oncology, serious illness communication, and community resource navigation.
• Participate in quality improvement, program evaluation, research, and other initiatives that advance pediatric palliative care services.

 

Education
Master's Degree Social Work required

Can this role accept experience in lieu of a degree?
No

Licenses and Credentials
Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker [LICSW - State License] required

Experience
Clinical social work experience 3-5 years required

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Demonstrates a mastery of a range of specialized clinical diagnoses and interventions.
- Conducts clinically competent complex and high-risk assessments, treatment plans and interventions.
- Demonstrates mastery in problem solving abilities, conflict resolution, efficiency, and communication skills.
- Formulates advanced psychosocial assessments and treatment plans.
- Supports other staff in developing assessments and plans in complex cases.
- Demonstrates advanced clinical judgment and innovation in advocating for clients.
- Demonstrates advanced working knowledge of internal and external resources and refers appropriately.
- Demonstrate ability to identify problems in order of urgency and initiate treatment plans towards timely solutions and appropriate time management skills.
- Demonstrates the ability to articulate SW clinical perspective in team meetings, effectively collaborates with the interdisciplinary team to comprehensively problem solve and optimize a plan of care.
- Escalates to Social Work leadership all operational issues and high risk and complex cases.
- May provide clinical supervision based on department need (MSW students and/or social work staff).
- Seeks opportunities in the department and hospital or may be asked by SW leadership to participate in initiatives, projects, quality reviews, and commit