Req #: 220799 Department: DEPT. OF PSYCHIATRY AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES Job Location: Seattle - Other Posting Date: 05/18/2023 Closing Info: Open Until Filled Salary: $5449 - $7250 per month Other Compensation: Shift: First Shift Benefits: As a UW employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work/life programs. For a complete description of our benefits for this position, please visit our website, click here.
As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.
UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.
The School Mental Health, Assessment, Research, and Training (SMART) Center, part of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, has an outstanding opportunity for a social worker with experience working in schools and certification as an Educational Staff Associate (ESA).
The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (PBSCI) within the UW School of Medicine is the third largest clinical department with 285 full-time faculty members, 280 clinical faculty members, and over 300 staff. Department faculty provide clinical services in 5 hospitals, 14 primary care locations, and several outpatient sites in addition to telepsychiatry consultations to more than 150 clinics in Washington and beyond. As the only academic psychiatry department serving the five state WWAMI region (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho), the Department’s highly competitive residency training program is largely responsible for developing the mental health workforce in the Pacific Northwest. The Department’s robust research portfolio totals $35 million in grants and contracts per year for projects ranging from clinical neurosciences to treatment development to health policy and population health. The Department is recognized as an international leader in developing, testing, and implementing Collaborative Care, an integrated care model increasingly seen as a solution for population-based mental health care. Other areas of excellence include Addictions, Autism, High Risk Youth, Neurosciences, and Trauma, and the Department is developing innovative new programs in Technology and Mental Health, Global Mental Health, Maternal and Child Mental Health, and Targeted Intervention Development.
The University of Washington (UW)School Mental Health Assessment, Research, and Training (SMART) Centeris a transdisciplinary collaboration among faculty and staff in the UW College of Education, School of Social Work, and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Sciences, UW School of Medicine.
The SMART Center aims to promote high-quality, culturally responsive programs, practices, and policies to meet the full range of social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) needs of students in both general and special education contexts. To accomplish this, we use innovative and practical research methods to, develop contextually appropriate, low-burden programs that prevent or ameliorate SEB problems; develop strategies for communities, districts, and schools to increase the use of effective SEB programs, practices, and policies; support indigenous providers such as teachers and school-based mental health providers in their roles; and enhance the interconnections across school, home, and community contexts. UW SMART supports schools and districts in integrating best and evidence-based practices across the multiple tiers of school support (MTSS), such as school-wide social-emotional learning (SEL) and positive behavior supports, individual and group interventions that address the needs of youth with targeted and intensive needs, and other strategies.
The SMART Center has a growth mindset culture, that aims to bridge the gap between offering training and technical assistance and conducting applied research. It also aims to influence state policy and National Recommendations on School-Based mental health. The SMART Center is committed to the examination of itself as an inclusive, safe, and engaging place for all its members. In service of this goal, we actively take responsibility for building structures and support to dismantle systems of oppression and hold ourselves accountable to follow through with our commitments. To date, we have pursued this through avenues such as (but not limited to) continually reviewing and revising our policies and procedures to center equity and improve transparency; establishing a professional development and mentoring program for BIPOC staff; ongoing equity-oriented training for supervisors, leaders, all center members; developing a Racial Equity and Social Justice Impact Assessment for SMART projects; forming multiple workgroups devoted to addressing issues related to diversity and equity; and conducting a series of intergroup dialogues. Through this, we strive to provide an environment focused on the strengths of all SMART Center members and the identities they bring to our shared initiatives. We hope to continually grow our community with individuals who are similarly committed to this work.
POSITION PURPOSE
The (SMART) Center is recruiting for a social worker with experience working in schools and certification as an Educational Staff Associate (ESA).This person will be the project manager for the SMART Center’s new U.S. Department of Education-funded, five-year Workforce for Student Well-being (WSW) Initiative. The aim of this initiative is to develop a pipeline for MSW trainees to be trained and supported to become school social workers. As one strategy among many to better develop and diversify the school mental health workforce, WSW will provide conditional scholarships to Master’s level social work students across Washington’s five schools of social work in exchange for commitment to completing their clinical practicum in a high-need school district, followed by a minimum of two years of employment in a high-need school district.
The person in this role will be involved with all aspects of the project, including (1) recruiting students enrolled in the five schools of social work across the state, (2) leading a community of practice for recruited students and district staff in consultation with the SMART Center team, (3) providing supervision to selected students while they are in their MSW practicum placement, and (4) planning and leading an annual retreat for students in the program and alumni. The program manager will draft communications for the initiative, contribute to evaluation activities, and ensure all grant deliverables are met.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The person in this role will be involved with all aspects of the project, including:

Recruiting students enrolled in the five schools of social work across the state. (10%)

Leading a community of practice for recruited students and district staff in consultation with the SMART Center team.(30%)

Providing supervision to selected students while they are in their MSW practicum placement. (20%)

Planning and leading an annual retreat for students in the program and alumni. (20%)

The program manager will draft communications for the initiative, contribute to evaluation activities, and ensure all grant deliverables are met. (20%)
Lead Responsibilities
Direct work of program support staff.
Supervisory Responsibilities
May supervise students in practicum placements; no direct reports.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Master's degree in Social Work

Minimum of 2 years of experience employed by a school district or education service district (ESD)
Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Ability to serve as a practicum instructor by supervising MSW students.

Ability to convene, engage, and communicate with external stakeholders including policymakers, school districts staff, institutions of higher education, state agency staff, and potential funders.

ESA certification.

Strong written and oral communication skill.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Thrives in a start-up situation.

Familiarity with Multi-Tiered System of Supports, Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports, and the Interconnected System Framework.

Completion of MSW at a Washington School of Social Work.

Teaching and/or training experience on topics such as effective social work and/or school-based mental health strategies and interventions.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

Remote or Hybrid work environment.

This position may occasionally need to work outside of regular business hours, such as on weekends or in the evenings, to attend conferences and trainings or to accommodate the scheduling needs of the community we serve.
Application Process:The application process may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process. These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment, you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.