Social Work Intern

Job Description

About Company

The job is for an organization involved in Human Services, specifically operating a Senior Nutrition Program. This implies a focus on community welfare, particularly supporting the elderly. The organization coordinates various social services, including providing meals, conducting assessments, and offering support and referrals to community resources. It operates within the framework of state and federal laws, program rules, and professional ethics.

Job Description, Detailed

Job Title: Social Work Intern

Nature of the Role: This is an unpaid, advanced professional level internship, requiring current enrollment in a Master’s degree program. The intern will perform casework under general supervision, taking on significant responsibilities that impact program participants’ well-being.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Client Assessments: Conduct advanced professional level casework, including completing assessments (via phone interviews or home visits) to determine an individual’s eligibility for the Senior Nutrition program.
• Referral Management: Receive referrals through various channels (phone, email, voicemail), document them meticulously in the ServTracker database, and initiate contact with potential participants.
• Service Continuity: Ensure there are no gaps in services by completing timely reassessments of participants.
• Participant Welfare Checks: Make monthly contact via phone with meal recipients to confirm meal receipt and evaluate any changes in participants’ health or living conditions.
• Program Coordination: Coordinate monthly and/or quarterly trainings specifically for congregant participants of the program.
• Crisis Intervention/Decision Making: Analyze complex situations to determine and implement appropriate courses of action immediately or within short timeframes, often under very stressful conditions.
• Role Flexibility: Depending on the department’s size and structure, the intern may have combined investigative and treatment roles or separate functions.

Essential Functions (Detailed Breakdown):

• In-home & Telephone Assessments: Perform required assessments of Senior Nutrition Program (SNP) participants, adhering to state and program policies.
• Needs Identification & Service Planning: Identify client needs, assess the safety of their home environment, and develop appropriate service plans to help clients manage issues, maintain independence, and preserve health.
• Supportive Counseling & Referrals: Provide supportive counseling to clients to address their needs. Refer clients to a wide range of community services and resources as needed, assisting them in accessing these services and following up to evaluate outcomes.
• Mandatory Reporting: Make appropriate reports to Adult Protective Services when necessary.
• Resource Knowledge: Maintain up-to-date knowledge of governmental and private organizations and resources within the community to effectively refer clients for financial, psychological, emergency, emotional, or other needs.
• Professional Knowledge: Stay current with social work theory, techniques, and practices, including individual and group behavior, social problems, the aging process, medical and mental illness, family dynamics, coping behavior, crisis intervention, and treatment of various medical/mental diseases and social issues.
• High-Risk Client Engagement: Routinely communicate via phone with clients identified as high-risk through screening processes.
• Inquiry Management: Answer phone calls from clients and/or their family members regarding meal service inquiries and available resources.
• Documentation & Data Management: Document all direct client interactions, service development, and referrals in accordance with agency requirements. Maintain case data and documentation using various computer programs.
• Stress Tolerance: Perform duties under occasional stress and may be confronted by individuals who are themselves acting under stress.
• Compliance & Ethics: Adhere strictly to all guidelines, including state and federal laws, program rules, directives, policies, regulations, professional ethics, and quality assurance standards.
• Team Collaboration: Serve as an active member of inter/multi-disciplinary teams.
• Meal Delivery: Deliver meals to homebound participants when required.
• Other Duties: Perform other related duties as assigned to support program operations.

Qualifications:

• Education:
• Required: Current attendance in a Master of Social Work (MSW) program from an accredited university.
• Alternatively Accepted: A Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited school of social work, OR a four-year degree in a human services field.
• Licenses or Certifications:
• Required: A Valid Driver’s License with a safe driving history.