| The Caregiver Support Coordinator (CSC) is a Social Work Program Coordinator whose primary responsibilities are to provide clinical evidence based services and interventions; program development; caregiver, Veteran and staff education on caregiver issues; community outreach; resource development; continuous quality improvement activities; and evaluation/consultation. The Caregiver Support Coordinator is practicing at the advanced level and has specialized knowledge of practice that can be differentiated from the independent practice social worker by the ability to expand clinical knowledge in the profession, administer a facility program, provide consultation and guidance to colleagues, role model effective social work practice skills, teach or provide orientation to less experienced social workers, develop innovations in practice interventions, and provide clinical supervision for social work licensure or certification. The Caregiver Support Coordinator requires advanced knowledge and understanding of the services and benefits available for caregivers from both federal, state, and private sector resources. As an advanced practice level clinical social worker, the Coordinator is assigned to work independently with multiple VA healthcare services and with community agencies, leaders, and organizations where he/she has no access to direct social work clinical supervision. The Coordinator is responsible for developing and establishing linkages and collaborates on VA caregiver support efforts with community healthcare and social service agencies. The Coordinator is administratively responsible and accountable for the clinical and program development and effectiveness of the facility Caregiver Support Program. The Coordinator will function in support of caregivers, Veterans, and family members throughout the Medical Center and in the community and will support the development and implementation of General Caregiver services. The Coordinator must be a skilled communicator capable of developing effective partnerships with local, state, and federal agencies as well as non-governmental organizations. Some of the roles and responsibilities of the Coordinator include: Administrative responsibility for clinical programming and daily operations of the Program of General Caregiver Support Services and may serve as back-up to the facility CSP Program Manager. Assist with the development of policies and procedures for program operation and prepare reports and statistics for facility, VISN, and national use. Develop and implement information systems to track service activities including visits, referrals, caregiver demographics, equipment utilization and caregiver and Veteran satisfaction. Develop, implement, and evaluate clinical guidelines and protocols to establish appropriate utilization of services. Provide education and in-service training to VAMC employees, Veterans, families, and caregivers. Serve as the major consultant for information on negotiating the complex processes caregivers, Veterans, and families encounter when interacting with government and community agencies. Collaborate with the VA Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT), mental health and geriatric primary care clinicians to provide Veteran and staff education on caregiver issues. Develop a library of caregiver support information materials for distribution through the various inpatient/outpatient and specialty clinic settings. Educational materials must be specific to the age group serviced in the clinic, i.e. Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson disease in the general and geriatric settings and PTSD and TBI information in the general, OEF/OIF, post-deployment and Polytrauma Center settings. Participate in caregiver support activities in the local community and state to promote and recognize the role of the caregiver. Invite state and community caregiver related agencies to participate on the local VA Caregiver Support Advisory Board. Promote the VA Caregiver Support Program in coordination with the local VA Public Affairs Officer through interviews with local print, voice and television media. Coordinate the events and programs for the annual National Family Caregivers Month every November that includes announcement and advertising of month-long activities, mobilization of participants, educational sessions, caregiver recognition events and caregiver support programs. Work Schedule: Mon - Fri, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required. |
