Description
Provide children, adolescents, and their families with psychosocial support to cope with acute, chronic, or life-limiting pediatric conditions. Offer caregiver guidance, counseling, and age-appropriate education; connect families to community, school, and health resources; and coordinate care across settings. May provide case management and interventions that promote child health, reduce risk, and remove barriers to timely, developmentally appropriate care.
- • Collaborate with pediatricians, nurses, child life, and school staff to assess psychosocial needs alongside the child's medical condition.
- • Assess and report suspected child abuse or neglect, and coordinate with child protective services and hospital teams.
- • Refer families to community resources such as financial aid, housing support, legal assistance, early intervention, and special education services.
- • Provide developmentally appropriate counseling to children and caregivers to support coping, adjustment, adherence, and behavior change.
- • Facilitate parent, caregiver, and sibling support groups and education.
- • Advocate for children and families during crises, hospitalizations, or care transitions.
- • Identify social determinants and family stressors affecting the child's health through interviews and chart review.
- • Use assessments and team input to develop and coordinate pediatric care plans and follow through to ensure services are effective.
- • Adjust psychosocial care plans as the child's medical status, development, or family circumstances change.
- • Track and document progress toward goals in the child's treatment and care plan.
- • Supervise social work interns or case aides involved in pediatric care as assigned.
- • Contribute to child health policy initiatives and community programs that enhance pediatric well-being.
- • Assist families with Medicaid/CHIP applications, authorizations, and hospital documentation.
- • Participate in pediatric social work research or quality improvement projects.
- • Design or deliver prevention programs on injury prevention, mental health, substance use, or adolescent risk behaviors.
- • Plan pediatric discharges and coordinate home health, equipment, transportation, school reentry, and community follow-up.
- • Support pediatric palliative and end-of-life care by educating families on options and helping with informed decision-making.
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Healthcare & Human Services
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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Last reviewed: Jan 2026
