Social Services Professional - Hospital Placement and Diversion Liaison
- Summary
The Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) values diverse perspectives and life experiences. The Department encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, veterans and those with lived experience.
The Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) provides equitable opportunities for people to be healthy, happy, self-reliant, and connected to community.
This position assures the appropriate use of King County Behavioral Health Administrative Services Organization's (KCBH-ASO) allocated beds at Western State Hospital (WSH) by screening and attempting to divert admissions to WSH and providing comprehensive and timely discharge planning services. This position reviews and authorizes all Level of Care assessments for clients referred to the BH-ASO's residential and housing continuum of care. This position is a member of a team responsible for diversion and discharge planning efforts for King County BH-ASO at WSH, local psychiatric hospitals, and County funded residential and supported housing resources. This position will split time between Western State Hospital, Seattle, and community based providers within King County.
Who May Apply: The Department of Community and Human Services values diverse perspectives and life experiences. The Department encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, veterans, and those with lived experiences.
Required Materials: Candidates who wish to be considered for this position must submit an online King County application and respond to the supplemental questions. Your application may be rejected as incomplete if you do not include the requested and relevant information in the online application and supplemental questionnaire. Applications and/or supplemental questionnaires that state, "see my resume" are considered incomplete and will not be considered to be competitive.Work Schedule: This position is scheduled to work 40 hours per week, Monday - Friday, 8am - 5pm. This position meets the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act, and is overtime eligible with supervisory pre-approval.
Recruiter: Annette.Coleman@kingcounty.gov- Job Duties
- Screen King County residents for admission to WSH and develops diversion strategies for each potential admission whenever possible.
- Work within a multidisciplinary team to determine an individual's readiness for discharge from the hospital, develops a comprehensive and timely plan for discharge to include facilitating referrals to the appropriate treatment resources in the King County BH-ASO.
- Demonstrate and maintains excellent diagnostic and assessment skills for all adults and young adults in hospital systems.
- Support clients in their efforts towards recovery, providing services promoting recovery principles.
- Develop, maintain and share knowledge of a variety of behavioral health, social services, and housing resources within King County and creatively develops community discharge plans utilizing that knowledge.
- Coordinate and track residential Level-of-Care referrals. Conduct Level-of-Care interviews as needed to determine service needs of clients.
- Monitor residential and supported housing and intensive team (such as Expanding Community Services, PACT, and forensic teams) openings and provides appropriate referrals to all programs in a timely manner.
- Monitor community placements for all individuals discharging to King County who are committed under HB 1114 statutes.
- Develop and maintain excellent working relationships with providers and colleagues working for allied systems, excellent and current knowledge of the system of resources available to those with behavioral health disorders, and excellent abilities to communicate clearly with a variety of individuals.
- Remain current on best practice research and philosophy related to behavioral health disorders, hospital discharge planning, forensic mental health, and diversion strategies from institutional settings.
- Attend and participate in assigned meetings, treatment conferences, and committees relevant to performance of job functions.
- Ensure billing and documentation meet and follow King County BH-ASO policies and procedures. Maintain King County BH-ASO and WSH client records in accordance with County, State and Federal guidelines.
- Maintains a system of tracking relevant clinical, financial, legal, and behavioral aspects to each individual's case and utilizes that information to effectively advocate for that individual's needs.
- Track admissions and discharges, daily census, system trends, and relevant data, as required by King County and Western State Hospital.
- Maintain adherence to King County BH-ASO's Policies and Procedures, the WSH/BH-ASO Working Agreement, and WSH procedures.
- Demonstrate and maintain excellent knowledge of processes, programs and resources for individuals with behavioral health disorders encountering the criminal justice and forensic mental health systems; and
- Perform other duties as assigned.
- Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills
- Bachelor's Degree in Social Work, Psychology, Behavioral Services or related field and/or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Experience working with publicly funded behavioral health service systems.
- Knowledge of, and experience with, psychiatric hospital discharge planning services.
- Experience forming clinical rapport with individuals with behavioral health disorders utilizing best practice methods, such as Motivational Interviewing.
- Ability to provide functional assessments, clinical formulations consistent with DSM diagnostic manual, and develop comprehensive community-based discharge plans justified by each individual's unique needs based upon principles of recovery.
- Ability to work with a variety of individuals representing allied systems, such as hospital personnel, behavioral health providers, courts and judicial staff, and System of Care such as Developmental Disabilities Administration, Aging and Disability Services, Department of Corrections, and other entities.
- Knowledge of utilization management strategies and quality management practices.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Experience gathering and utilizing data and generating reports for presentation to management staff and others.
- Computer skills: knowledge of MS Outlook, Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
- Valid Washington State Driver's License, or the ability to travel around the County in a timely manner.
- Must be able to pass a criminal background check on a post offer/pre-employment basis.
- Knowledge of and experience with the behavioral health services system in Washington State.
- Master's Degree in related field.
King County offers a highly-competitive compensation and benefits package designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and support our employees' health and well-being. Eligible positions receive the following benefits and have access to the following programs:
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage: King County pays 100% of the premiums for eligible employees and family members
- Life and disability insurance: employees are provided basic coverage and given the opportunity to purchase additional insurance for both the employee and eligible dependents
- Retirement: King County employees are eligible to participate in a pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems and a 457(b) deferred-compensation plan
- Transportation program and ORCA transit pass
- 10 paid holidays each year (plus 2 personal holidays)
- Generous vacation and paid sick leave
- Paid parental leave, family and medical leaves, and volunteer leave
- Flexible Spending Account
- Wellness programs
- Onsite gyms and activity centers
- Employee giving program
- Employee assistance programs
- Flexible schedules and telecommuting options, depending on position
- Training and career development programs
This is a general description of the benefits offered to eligible King County employees, and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. If any information on this document conflicts with the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the CBA prevails. Also, in the event of any incorrect information in this document, applicable laws, policies, rules, CBAs, or official plan documents will prevail.
NOTE: Benefits for Term Limited Temporary (TLT) or Short Term Temporary (STT) positions, including leave eligibility and/or participation in the pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems, will vary based upon the terms and details of the position. Short Term Temporary positions are not eligible for an ORCA transit pass.
For inquiries about the specifics of this position, please contact the recruiter identified on this job posting.
-
01Please describe your experience working with publicly funded behavioral health service systems.02Please describe your experience forming clinical rapport with individuals with behavioral health disorders utilizing best practice methods, such as Motivational Interviewing.03Equity and social justice are integral to the work we do in King County. How do you define equity? How have you worked to incorporate an equity lens in your current or previous jobs?
Required Question