SOCIAL WORKER

Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens - Nationwide

A GS-0185-12, SOCIAL WORKER:

• Supports the psychological health team in developing & executing the annual BH program strategy; determines priorities, gaps, & methods to meet goals.
• Assists with development & annual review of SOPs for the BH system of care.
• Leads psychological health promotion, BH program implementation, & evaluation.
• Designs strategies to increase interest, acceptance, & participation among organizational/community partners & NG Soldiers/families; serves as primary advisor on stigma reduction & marketing of psychological health programs.
• Develops relationships with military & community groups to enhance prevention & expand BH resources.
• Builds networking processes & a community provider directory.
• Maintains a broad array of BH resources & partnerships to support NG Soldiers & families. Participates in community activities to build prevention, influence community problem-solving, & promote psychologically healthy lifestyles within the NG.
• Attends relevant committees to provide input & obtain information on psychological health.
• Collaborates with programs addressing family support, resiliency, suicide prevention, sexual assault, & substance abuse. Conducts community outreach & prevention initiatives & coordinates key findings with the State Surgeon & leaders to keep them informed on BH issues.
• Coordinates & implements prevention & education programs.
• Conducts needs assessments & SWOT analyses to drive program development.
• Creates action plans to meet service member needs & address emerging BH concerns.
• Develops & provides primary prevention services educating leadership & the NG community on psychological illness. Briefs commanders & senior leaders on prevention issues & activities.
• Educates stakeholders on life skills, coping, & wellness.
• Expands access to secondary prevention & psycho-educational skill-building (e.g., parenting, stress/change/anger management, financial management, support groups, couples communication).
• Develops formal evaluation processes to monitor prevention/outreach programs & resource access.
• Performs clinical screening, evaluation, & consultation.
• Applies social work principles in line with DoD guidance.
• Screens records/personnel & provides recommendations for security clearances & POSTA. Conducts annual BH, pre-/post-mobilization screenings to determine readiness.
• Provides BH consultation to Soldiers, leaders, & partners.
• Completes assessments using DSM criteria & biopsychosocial history; uses & interprets psychological measures; prepares written evaluations with clinical impressions. Determines readiness & completes profiles per AR 40-501.
• Provides timely feedback to providers & commanders & advises commands on supporting BH treatment plans.
• Builds efficient BH referral & case management processes, ensuring timely Soldier contact, documentation, follow-up, connection to services, & quality assurance feedback.
• Uses BHDP, MEDCHART/eCase, Behavioral Health Reporting Tool, E-profile, DoDSER, & other ARNG systems.
• Continuously improves case management & supports the surgeon's office as SME on BH readiness & return-to-duty determinations.
• Conducts population-based BH surveillance to identify trends & shape targeted prevention/mitigation strategies.
• Works with the State Surgeon team to monitor BH metrics, including provider utilization, service member experience, & psychological health outcomes.
• Collects population data (demographics, service & deployment characteristics) & process/utilization data (contacts, referrals, briefings, presenting problems, client demographics).
• Tracks mental health encounters, positive screens, interest in assistance, mandated reporting, & suicide mitigations. Ensures metrics comply with DoD policy, Army Regulations, National Guard guidance, & policy letters.
• Provides consultation, education, & training to military & civilian health professionals on BH policy, psychological fitness, & prevention programs.
• Expands NG provider competencies on psychological health resources & interventions.
• Assesses training & professional development needs for state medical & BH teams & delivers accurate, timely training.
• Maintains professional development & awareness of emerging prevention & treatment modalities through continuing education, conferences, professional organizations, & independent study.
• Other duties as assigned.(temporary, minor, or incidental tasks)

Conditions of employment

• Federal employment suitability as determined by a background investigation.
• May be required to successfully complete a trial period.
• Participation in direct deposit is mandatory.
• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• A resume and supporting documents must be submitted (see "How to Apply").
• This position is subject to provisions of the DoD Priority Placement Program.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain the appropriate SECRET security clearance of the position, within one year of appointment.
• This position is covered by the Domestic Violence Misdemeanor Amendment (30 Sep 96) of the Gun Control Act (Lautenberg Amendment) of 1968. An individual convicted of a qualifying crime of domestic violence may not perform the duties of this position.
• Position requires ability to establish effective professional working relationships with coworkers and customers, contributing to a cooperative working environment and successful accomplishment of the mission.
• May occasionally be required to work other than normal duty hours; overtime may be required.
• Duties and responsibilities may significantly impact the environment. You are responsible to maintain awareness of your environmental responsibilities as dictated by legal and regulatory requirements, your organization, and its changing mission.
• Selective Placement Factor: Possess a current, unrestricted State license to practice clinical social work independently.
• The incumbent of this position description must have, at a minimum, a completed National Agency Check (NAC) prior to position assignment.
• A Master's in Social Work from an institution accredited by the Council on Social Work Education is required. Substitute degrees will not be accepted.
• Must have a valid state driver’s license for the state in which they live or are principally employed.

Qualifications

GENERAL EXPERIENCE: Experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE:Must have 24 months of experience in clinical social work assignments. This experience demonstrates particular competencies of knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Knowledge of social work theories, principles, techniques, and resources. Must have specialized experience in professional social work that includes interviewing people to establish the nature and extent of their problems, helping them work-out plans for improving the situation, providing assistance and services, referring them to community resources and other organizations as indicated, and assisting them to understand and modify their own patterns of behavior when appropriate. Except as stated above, no other substitution of education for specialized experience is allowed.

*Completion of the Air Force Social Work Internship Program may be substituted for 12 months of the specialized experience requirement.

or

1 year of specialized experience to at least the next lower grade level. ***You must provide an SF50 showing you meet this requirement***

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Once the announcement has closed, your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine if you meet the qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. Your responses must be supported by your application package or you may be excluded from consideration for this position. You may also be excluded from consideration if you indicate that you are unwilling to accept the lower grade and determination is made that you are not qualified at the higher grade. If you are found to be among the top qualified candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

Verbiage displayed on your resume or application must contain your own words. You may refer to position descriptions, as well as the general and specialized experience located within the vacancy announcement, to assist with describing work experiences; however, resumes or applications received in verbatim will not be considered. In your resume you will need to address the general and specialized experience listed above. Please use as much detail as needed, giving dates (months and years) of the experience, position title and how the experience was gained. This information is needed to determine if you are qualified for the position.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics). NOTE: You do not have to respond to the KSA's separately but your resume should contain sufficient information to demonstrate possession of the KSA's.

• Knowledge of social work principles, theories, procedures, and practices (GS-0185) applied in clinical and program settings.
• Knowledge of behavioral health (BH) systems of care, psychological health promotion, and prevention (primary, secondary, tertiary).
• Knowledge of DoD/DoW, Army, and National Guard policies and regulations related to BH.
• Knowledge of population health surveillance methods, program metrics, and outcome measurement (provider utilization, experience of care, psychological health outcomes).
• Knowledge of community resources and BH providers, including how to build and maintain a community provider directory and referral network.
• Knowledge of programs touching family support, resiliency, suicide prevention, sexual assault, substance abuse, and related NG support programs.
• Knowledge of training and adult education principles to design and deliver BH-related training to medical and non-medical personnel.
• Knowledge of ethical, legal, and mandated reporting requirements (e.g., suicide risk, domestic violence, security clearance issues).
• Skill in clinical assessment and diagnosis.
• Skill in screening and readiness determinations.
• Skill in program development and planning.
• Skill in building and managing referral and case management processes.
• Skill in data collection, analysis, and reporting.
• Skill in training and consultation.
• Skill in community outreach and partnership building.
• Ability to develop and execute an annual BH program strategy.
• Ability to formulate and implement stigma-reduction and engagement strategies that increase participation in BH services.
• Ability to communicate effectively (oral and written).

To apply for this position, you are required to submit a complete application package. If you fail to provide this documents/information, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and will not be considered any further. Resumes must be in your own words. Resumes that are verbatim, from this announcement, will not be considered.

A complete application package includes:

1. Resume must NOT exceed two (2) pages, IAW Merit Hiring Plan and must include:
   • Contact information
     • Full Name
     • Email Address
     • Phone Number
   • Relevant work history that demonstrates specialized experience for the position you are applying to
     • Position Title
     • Organization/Department/Unit
     • Hours worked per week
     • Dates (format must include Month and Year) you were/are employed and physically performing the work.
       • Omit extended leave from your employment history. For example, if you hold a federal job but were on military leave for two years, do not list those two years under that position.
     • Duties performed
     • Series and grade for federal positions, if held
   • Resumes exceeding 2 pages will not be considered. For more guidance please see new resume guidance.
   • If your resume includes the below listed content, it will not be used to make an eligibility/qualification determination, and you will not be considered for this vacancy.
     • Classified or government sensitive information
     • Social Security Number (SSN)
     • Photos of yourself
     • Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc.
2. Do not include encrypted and/or digitally signed documents because they become corrupted and you will not receive credit for submitting them.
3. If you are claiming Military Spouse Preference, you MUST include a copy of the Military Spouse PPP Self-Certification Checklist along with the documents identified on the checklist to verify your eligibility for MSP.
   • Acceptable documentation of your preference eligibility includes at a minimum:
     • A copy of the PCS orders
     • Military Spouse PPP Self-Certification Checklist
     • Your marriage certificate or license (if you are not on the PCS Orders).
4. If you believe you are eligible for Veteran's Preference in hiring, you must claim preference and provide supporting documentation.*** To determine if you qualify for Veteran's Preference in hiring, please use the following link provided by the U.S. Department of Labor.***
   • Completed SF15, etc. (SF15 is required for 10-point preference) You will not receive 10 point preference without a completed SF15. The SF15 will indicate additional required documents, that you MUST provide with your application to receive 10 point preference.
5. Other support documentation (optional or required based on the vacancy announcement)
   • Cover Letter
   • SF-50 (latest non-award SF-50)
   • Transcript (s)

***For current National Guard/Reserve members, please document your military work experience as follows: (You may adjust the format, so that you do not exceed the two (2) page resume limit, as long as your resume clearly reflects your military employment history.)

List month joined (to/from) based on your enlistment contract (DD4) or (Oath) for Officers. If you have gaps in service, list them separately.

Example:04 Sep 2019 to 03 Sep 2023
Washington Air National Guard
Traditional Member
20 hours per month
POSITIONS TITLE MOS/AFSC
Personnel Superintendent 3S091
Duties

Military Orders During this period: (list multiple periods if everything else is the same: Order Type, Duties, & Purpose

04 Nov 2019 to 03 Dec 2019
40 hours per week
15 Mar 2020 to 14 May 2020
40 hours per week
Type of Order: ADOS/AT/ST/AGR
Order Purpose:
Duties:

***If there are multiple purposes on a single order (ie. BMT then Tech Training/AIT), list specific periods. Example: Order cover 02 Sep 2020 to 12 Mar 2021:

List 02 Sep 2020 to 01 Nov 2020 as BMT and 02 Nov 2020 to 12 Mar 2021 as Tech Training/AIT

Next steps