SOCIAL WORK SERVICES PROGRAM CONSULTANT - 64000737

Requisition No: 839269 

Agency: Department of Health

Working Title: SOCIAL WORK SERVICES PROGRAM CONSULTANT - 64000737

 Pay Plan: Career Service

Position Number: 64000737 

Salary:  $39,320.81 

Posting Closing Date: 11/06/2024 

Total Compensation Estimator Tool

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH - OPEN COMPETITIVE OPPORTUNITY

This is a professional social services position for the Medical Foster Care (MFC) program reporting to the Registered Nursing Supervisor or Community Health Nursing Director position. The individual in this position utilizes the social work process to provide pediatric and family social work expertise in the assessment, training, implementation, and evaluation of MFC program services.

This position is primarily teleworked within the Tampa Bay Area, however there is a touchdown space available and may be used as needed. 

Your Specific Responsibilities:

• Assessment

Completes pre-service assessment for potential MFC parent. Completes interview and written assessment of prospective MFC parents and their home environment, including a home visit for on-site observation review.

Completes annual and, as needed, written assessment of evaluative process of MFC parent providers services from the social work and administrative perspective.

Completes quarterly MFC parent and child/youth dyad assessments in context of the MFC child/youth’s specific care needs, to evaluate MFC parent strengths, skills, and needs for quality and safety in-home service provision under the MFC program. Retention of MFC parents. Completes assessments from social work perspectives. Provides, at least quarterly, comprehensive review of MFC parent provider documentation requirements. Completes documentation from social work and administrative perspectives. Completes, at least quarterly, home visits for assessment purposes and observation of the condition of the home and interaction of the MFC child/youth in the MFC home setting from the social work perspective.

Completes community visits as needed for additional assessment needs, from the social work perspective.

Assesses availability of MFC beds statewide by conducting initial and monthly statewide MFC bed searches, as requested and directed by Community-Based Care (CBC) organization and Department of Children and Families (DCF), when local MFC beds are unavailable for referred children/youth. Completes psychosocial summary information, tracks responses to requests and provides follow up information as indicated by local area offices and central office.

For fee-for-service (FFS) Medicaid clients, completes MFC child/youth social work assessments.

• Communication

Provides quality verbal and written communication with MFC and community stakeholders to ensure understanding and engagement throughout process. Facilitates coordination in the scheduling of MFC staffing’s ensuring timely notification and engagement of necessary MFC stakeholders including but not limited the MFC client’s Medicaid Managed Medical Assistance (MMA) plan and CBC representative. Engages, advocates, and supports opportunities for current or future caregiver participation, as appropriate, and family-centered approaches in the MFC program.

Provides verbal and written psychosocial and administrative education and documentation of training and technical assistance to MFC and community stakeholders.

Provides consistent messaging that aligns with statutes, rules, policies, procedures, and processes which affect decisions, determinations and management of the programs need.  Responds to regional and statewide requests for information about MFC program coordination.

Acts as the MFC program liaison in communication with other community providers and stakeholders. Serves as a liaison between the MFC provider and the MMA Plan. Disseminates assessments and reports, as appropriate, to MFC program stakeholders.

Attends and participates in other meetings as assigned.

• Education and Training

As the social services member of the MFC team, provides pre-service MFC training for foster parents considering the MFC program and provides MFC program onboarding training. Provides or coordinates and oversees annual psychosocial and administrative training requirements. Tracks program training requirements to ensure completion.

Provides training and technical assistance to MFC parent to ensure program requirements and MFC parent skill requirements are exceeded or met.

Provides community outreach and education to community stakeholders regarding the MFC program and requirements.

Provides community outreach and education to community stakeholders to identify potential families for MFC parent recruitment.

• Implementation

Coordinates all social services and administrative day-to-day operations of the MFC program.

Reviews MFC program referrals and related documentation to determine availability of MFC parent provider with the appropriate strengths, skills, and home dynamics to match individual child/youth complex medical needs. Reviews potential appropriate matches, from a medical psychosocial administrative perspective with the MFC medical director for consideration of authorization of recommendation for placement authority consideration.

Prepares and coordinates the admission of MFC child/youth into the MFC program and parent home, collaborating with necessary stakeholders. Assists in the facilitation or completion of required activities such as the MFC Plan of Care (POC); obtains necessary equipment, medications, supplies, and other client specific necessary resources and supports. Prepares and reviews the MFC in-home record and child/youth specific needs with the MFC parent, from a psychosocial and administrative perspective. Completes other admission activities as needed. Completes 2-week post admission home visit to MFC parent to ensure quality and safe admission into program. Documents activities accordingly.

Provides ongoing medical social work parent support activities and follow up for MFC parent, home and program requirements including ongoing reviews of services and documentation requirements with verbal and written guidance, feedback, or technical assistance. Ongoing medical social work support of MFC parent includes ensuring necessary competencies and resources for the quality and safety of in-home service provision, in the context of the specific parenting care needs of the MFC child/youth in their home, with a focus on retention of MFC parent and quality program outcomes. This includes arranging for temporary caregiver relief services and assistance in obtaining community resources when indicated. Accompanies MFC providers and children/youth as necessary to appointments. Requests and reviews documentation accordingly to ensure the quality provision of MFC parent services.

Prepares for and participates in the multidisciplinary MFC monthly staffing process. Provides social work and administrative perspective in the assessment review of the MFC parent and child/youth dyad, in context of the specific MFC child/youth in their home, to review status in the quality and safety with in-home service provision. Develops strengths-based strategies for resolutions with identified challenges or concerns.

Completes, at least quarterly, home visits to assess MFC provider in context of MFC child/youth admitted into home from the medical-social work perspective.

Assist MFC parents with navigating Medicaid enrollment processes as needed. Provides MFC parent with coordination to MMA plans for their credentialing and billing process.

Provides psychosocial or administrative documentation or participation in court hearings, when requested by court order, to provide input or testimony to the court.

Provides after-hours on-call program support to MFC parent, as assigned, to facilitate urgent/emergent support to MFC parent in context of the MFC program child/youth in their home.

Attend and participate in Children’s Multidisciplinary Assessment Team (CMAT) staff meetings for MFC related clients.

Documents all psychosocial and administrative program activities in electronic documentation system in accordance to program requirements.

For fee-for-service (FFS) Medicaid clients, assists in the coordination and completion of the MFC POC.

• Quality Assurance

Maintains, reviews, and monitors MFC related data and Electronic Health Record (EHR) entries.

Reviews data, assessments, and documentation entries, verifying accuracy and quality as they are being completed in the EHR.  In coordination with MFC stakeholders, such as the CBC or licensing agency and MMA plan, evaluates MFC parent skills, competencies, documentation, timeliness, quality of services provided and other indicated data points. Develops and monitors technical assistance plans for MFC parent for quality improvement. Provides continuous monitoring to assure correction and sustainability of performance with desired thresholds.

Implements organization, program, and individual quality assurance standards, in conjunction with management. Provides monitoring of program activities for quality assurance purposes. Participates in program quality assurance and improvement needs. Implements documented activities identified in the Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycles.

Participates CMS training, evaluation, monitoring, and related follow-up activities to improve MFC processes, activities, and outcomes. Provides reports from data base systems as requested by management.

• Other duties as assigned

Includes coverage of CMAT SW duties as assigned.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing. 
• Ability to plan, organize and coordinate work assignments. 
• Ability to collect and organize data. 
• Ability to access information from computer data systems and websites. 
• Ability to use a computer for word processing, spreadsheets, and database applications.
• Ability to work with families and children with special health care needs.
• Knowledge of the child welfare system/foster care system
• Knowledge of medical terminology

Qualifications:

• A Bachelor's degree or higher in the social services field preferred.
• Years of Experience: 1 Year of Pediatric Social Work or child welfare experience, and knowledge of medical terminology preferred.
• Must be able to telework remotely (from home) and independently, within the State of Florida.
• Must hold a valid, unrestricted Florida Driver’s License and have access to personal transportation.
• Travel time: Position requires up to 30% travel.
• This position has on-call duty requirement, take after hours call for the MFC program as assigned.

Florida Department of Health Mission, Vision, and Values:

Mission:

To protect, promote & improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county & community efforts.

Vision:

To be the Healthiest State in the Nation.

Values:

I nnovation: We search for creative solutions and manage resources wisely.

C ollaboration: We use teamwork to achieve common goals & solve problems.

A ccountability: We perform with integrity & respect.

R esponsiveness: We achieve our mission by serving our customers & engaging our partners.

E xcellence: We promote quality outcomes through learning & continuous performance improvement.

Where You Will Work:

Telework opportunity within the Tampa Bay area office.

Counties Covered: Hillsborough, Polk, Highlands, Hardee.

The Benefits of Working for the State of Florida:

Working for the State of Florida is more than a paycheck. The State’s total compensation package for employees features a highly competitive set of employee benefits including:

• Annual and Sick Leave benefits;
• Nine paid holidays and one Personal Holiday each year;
• State Group Insurance coverage options, including health, life, dental, vision, and other supplemental insurance options;
• Retirement plan options, including employer contributions

(For more information, please click www.myfrs.com);

• Flexible Spending Accounts;
• Tuition waivers;
• And more!

For a more complete list of benefits, including monthly costs, visit www.mybenefits.myflorida.com.

Please be advised:

 Your responses to qualifying questions for this position must be verifiable by documentation provided through the electronic application process.  

This position requires a security background check and/or drug screening and participation in direct deposit. Any misrepresentations or omissions will disqualify you from employment consideration. Note: You will be required to provide your Social Security Number (SSN) in order to conduct this background check Successful completion of a drug test is a condition of employment for safety-sensitive positions.

Male applicants born on or after October 1, 1962, will not be eligible for hire or promotion unless they are registered with the Selective Services System (SSS) before their 26th birthday, or have a Letter of Registration Exemption from the SSS. For more information, please visit the SSS website: http://www.sss.gov  

If you are a retiree of the Florida Retirement System (FRS), please check with the FRS on how your current benefits will be affected if you are re-employed with the State of Florida.  Your current retirement benefits may be canceled, suspended or deemed ineligible depending upon the date of your retirement. 

The successful candidate will be required to complete the Form I-9 and that information will be verified using the E-Verify system.  E-Verify is operated by the Department of Homeland Security in partnership with the Social Security Administration to verify employment eligibility.   

Incumbents may be required to perform emergency duty before, during, and/or beyond normal work hours or days.

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace. 

Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-877-562-7287). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation. 

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act. 

Florida has the third largest population of veterans in the nation with more than 1.5 million service men and women.  The Florida Department of Health (department) is committed to serving members of the United States Armed Forces, veterans and their families by encouraging them to apply for vacancies that fit their area of knowledge and/or expertise.  Through the Department's VALOR program, which expedites licensing for military veterans, the Department also waives initial licensing and application fees for military veterans who apply for a health care professional license within 60 months of an honorable discharge. These initiatives help ensure that the transition from military service into the workforce is as smooth as possible and reflects our appreciation for the dedication devoted to protecting our country.    

Nearest Major Market: Tampa Bay

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer, and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.

VETERANS’ PREFERENCE.  Pursuant to Chapter 295, Florida Statutes, candidates eligible for Veterans’ Preference will receive preference in employment for Career Service vacancies and are encouraged to apply.  Certain service members may be eligible to receive waivers for postsecondary educational requirements.  Candidates claiming Veterans’ Preference must attach supporting documentation with each submission that includes character of service (for example, DD Form 214 Member Copy #4) along with any other documentation as required by Rule 55A-7, Florida Administrative Code.  Veterans’ Preference documentation requirements are available by clicking here.  All documentation is due by the close of the vacancy announcement.