WHAT DOES A LICENSED SOCIAL WORKER DO?

Published: Feb 27, 2026 - The Licensed Social Worker conducts psychosocial assessments to identify patient and family needs that may affect medical care outcomes. This role coordinates referrals, community resources, and interdisciplinary collaboration to ensure continuity of care and access to essential support services. The worker also maintains required documentation, oversees workflow assignments, and performs clinical reviews in compliance with hospital policies and standards.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Licensed Social Worker

1. Licensed Social Worker Duties

  • Psychosocial Assessment: Assesses patients' and families' psychosocial needs.
  • Clinical Intervention: Conducts interventions based on needs identified during the initial assessment.
  • Patient Education: Educates the patient and family on the intent of the intervention.
  • Care Coordination: Informs the care team, patient, and family of anticipated needs.
  • Emotional Support: Provides emotional support to patients and families or groups of patients who may exhibit depression, anxiety, and stress related to adjusting to a cancer diagnosis.
  • Grief Counseling: Provides brief supportive counseling for the grief and loss process and identifies families at risk for complicated mourning.
  • Service Coordination: Coordinates complex services including Home Health, Home Infusions, Hospice, and ordering durable medical equipment.
  • Resource Management: Maintains working knowledge of community resources to ensure continuity of care.
  • Medical Documentation: Documents in electronic medical records.

2. Licensed Social Worker Details

  • Professional Consultation: Provides consultation to professional staff and employees regarding financial considerations, psychosocial concerns, risk management, and ethical issues.
  • Patient Assessment: Provides competent patient assessment by obtaining and interpreting data, making appropriate decisions based on knowledge and experience, and adapting plans accordingly.
  • Critical Thinking: Utilizes critical thinking in all interactions to identify variances or problems and apply sound decision making skills.
  • Barrier Resolution: Helps patients and families identify and remove barriers to treatment, including temporary lodging, transportation assistance, and child care issues.
  • Research Participation: Participates in education and research activities.
  • Relationship Management: Develops and maintains effective interpersonal relationships with all levels of personnel, medical staff, patients, families, significant others, and external resource personnel.
  • Complex Case Management: Identifies, assesses, counsels, and effectively intervenes with medically and psychosocially complex patients while understanding clinical dynamics.
  • Ethical Practice: Demonstrates professional practice while maintaining confidentiality and freedom of choice in accordance with the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers and the State Board of Social Work.

3. Licensed Social Worker Responsibilities

  • Needs Evaluation: Evaluates the patient's need for social services.
  • Service Coordination: Coordinates social services with the patient, staff, family members, and significant others.
  • Care Plan Implementation: Provides social services as specified in the patient plan of care and consistent with treatment goals.
  • Case Management: Performs case management or case coordination for patients.
  • Community Outreach: Contacts and coordinates patient utilization of community resources.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Provides social services in accordance with accepted standards of social work and applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
  • Staff Training: Provides specialized training to staff, family members, consultants, and other individuals.
  • Team Collaboration: Participates in clinical case conferences and in service programs to share information with the interdisciplinary team.

4. Licensed Social Worker Accountabilities

  • Child Support: Help guide children to serve to their fullest potential while in the comfort of their homes and ensure the quality of care delivered.
  • Therapy Delivery: Conduct children and family therapy.
  • Plan Support: Support the development and implementation of service plans.
  • Plan Monitoring: Monitor adherence to treatment plans.
  • Case Matching: Participate in the review and matching of new children served.
  • Agency Relations: Build and maintain positive relationships with personnel from referring and collateral agencies.
  • Education Sessions: Conduct educational sessions for children served, families, and foster parents.
  • Care Services: Provides a range of services including skilled nursing care, assisted living, post-acute medical and rehabilitation care, hospice care, home health care, and rehabilitation therapy.
  • Social Services: Responsible for providing medically related social work services so that each resident may attain or maintain the highest practicable level of physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being.

5. Licensed Social Worker Functions

  • Needs Assessment: Explores information related to the current and/or anticipated needs and problems of patients based on interviewing the patient, family, and other relevant sources.
  • Service Contracting: Contracts with patients and families to provide services to resolve environmental difficulties that interfere with obtaining maximum benefits from medical care.
  • Referral Facilitation: Facilitates referrals for public assistance, medical assistance, federal income maintenance, etc.
  • Patient Assistance: Assists patients and their families with transportation difficulties, obtaining durable medical equipment, and/or supplies.
  • Community Mobilization: Mobilizes community agencies and other support networks to assist.
  • Care Coordination: Interfaces with physicians, nurses, and other members of the health care team, ensuring delivery of services.
  • Record Maintenance: Maintains records as required by departmental procedure, as well as external agencies.
  • Work Documentation: Submits statistical documentation of work performed in conformity with departmental requirements.
  • Policy Compliance: Executes all duties in a manner consistent with hospital policies and procedures
  • Shift Assignment: Makes assignments appropriate to cover shifts.
  • Workflow Delegation: Delegates workflow to ensure timely completion of assignments.
  • Clinical Review: Performs clinical reviews of social workers’ completed assignments at the discretion of the director of the department.
Relevant Information
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