Under the direction of the Senior Psychologist, Supervisor or Supervising Psychiatric Social Worker and/or the Chief of Mental Health (CMH), the Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), provides mental health services to mentally ill inmates/wards. Clinical social workers maintain order and supervise the conduct of patient-inmates/youths, protect and maintain the safety of persons and property, and do other related work. The LCSW must be able to work in conditions that require all of the following essential functions:



a. Periodically serves as clinician-of-the-day by being available for on-call during scheduled work days for patient emergencies;

b. Conducts initial mental health evaluations including criminal, psychological, and substance abuse case history to assess inmate’s current needs and make treatment recommendations in the initial evaluation;

c. Conducts clinically sound suicide risk evaluations including clinical review, applying suicide risk assessment protocols, pertinent data/chart reviews, proper documentation and consultations as needed;

d. Meets with mentally ill patient-inmates/youths for crisis intervention, group psychotherapy, face-to-face interviews, etc. May be required to provide clinical, face-to-face interviews at cell fronts in inmate housing units. In some institutions, multi-tiered housing units may require the ability to climb stairs and walk long distances;

e. Identifies the relevant signs and symptoms of psychiatric disorders in orders to comprehensively assess diagnose, and manage the presenting symptoms;

f. Writes clinical reports regarding diagnoses and prognoses and develops treatment plans that reflect the standard of practice; g. Consults on complex cases with supervisor, treatment team members, and with CDCR institutional health care

personnel, and other divisions within the department;

h. Documents all care provided to the inmate, including face-to-face contacts and Interdisciplinary Treatment Team (IOTTs) meetings;

i. Monitors inmate progress using CDCR Mental Health approved documentation formatting for progress notes;

j. Effectively applies community standard of practices for non-medical treatment modalities and ethical standards;

k. Performs mental status exam (MSE) in face-to-face clinical interviews.

l. Examines prior mental health records, institutional chromos, probation reports, court records and other available documents to assist in the formulation of patient’s diagnosis and aid in the development of the inmate’s treatment plans;

m. Conducts mental health education and develops additional resources for mentally ill and sex offender patient-inmates/youths;

n. Assists patient-inmates/youths in applying for entitlement benefits (SSI), community programs, and services;

o. Facilitates patient-inmates/youths transition between various settings within the institution;

p. Performs pre-release functions for releasing patient-inmates/youths, to include patient education, while facilitating transition to county mental health and community mental health treatment programs.

q. Performs medical social functions as needed, particularly in CTC setting;

r. Participates in IDTT meetings;

s. Compiles and analyzes data from audits pertaining to the mental health program requirements;

t. Provides information (i.e. appointment documentation, no-shows, etc.) to support staff for data entry;

u. Provides written reports and consults with the Board of Prison Hearings and other CDCR staff;

v. Provides relatives/caregivers with information concerning patients in person, by phone, or by correspondence as approved by the supervisor and only after receiving the patient-inmate/wards’ signed release of information for that specific individual;

w. Develops a therapeutic relationship with the patient-inmates, families and caretakers, as assigned by the supervisor, in order to enhance effective treatment delivery;

x. Represents the Department at formal and informal settings regarding mental health matters related to clinical social work;

y. Protects and maintains safety and security of property; including documentation of unusual occurrences and inventory control of psychological testing material, reference material, computers, and other equipment.

z. Maintains order and supervises the conduct of persons committed to the correctional facility in order to prevent escapes or injury by these persons to themselves or others;

aa. Gives input and helps to implement new programs for the treatment, training or rehabilitation of patient-inmates/youths;

bb. Comprehends and adheres to CA and CDCR law, regulations, policies and procedures regarding the patient’s confidentiality, written and electronic medical record documentation and the release of patient records;

cc. When conditions are suspected, adheres to mandated reporting requirements pertaining to staff members delivering mental health services, such as reported child abuse, elder abuse, danger to self or other; Tarasoff reporting and other confidentiality mandates.



Qualification Requirements

1. LCSWs assigned to CDCR must have the minimum experience as follow: Minimum of twelve (12) continuous months of experience within the last three (3) years performing services similar in scope to those defined herein, in a public or private institution. Internship does not count 6towards the required experience.

2. All LCSWs must have the required licenses, permits and/or certifications noted herein.

3. Patient-inmate healthcare is of paramount importance. Accuracy in communications is critical to ensure timely, correct care is provided. Therefore, any LCSW providing services through this Agreement must be proficient in the English language and be able to communicate effectively with CDCR/CCHCS. All LCSWs must be able to speak understand oral and written communication and write effectively in the English language, Any LCSWs who fail to meet the minimum qualifications shall not be permitted to perform service. The Institution’s CEO/CMH or designee shall state in writing the reason(s) the LCSW does not meet minimum qualifications and submit to the Vendor Manager and the CCHCS, Medical Contracts, Contracts Management Team. After notification of failure to meet minimum qualifications has been provided, CDCR shall not pay the Vendor Worker for any additional hours worked that are identified as not meeting the minimum qualifications.