Social Work

Scope of Care

Clinically trained social workers at CDRC provide social/emotional support for children and their families seen in CDRC clinics and programs. We are part of interdisciplinary teams of professionals providing family assessments and treatment for children with special health care needs. Social workers are trained to assess family functioning, their understanding of the child's special needs, coping strategies and ability to utilize community resources on behalf of the child. We are aware of the many challenges that often accompany parenting a child with special needs.

Services We Provide

Social workers interview the families when they bring their child in to the clinic for an interdisciplinary evaluation. We assess the family's composition, health status, financial status and their understanding of their child's needs. Social workers are advocates for both the child and the family. Our role is to ensure that families are aware of and able to utilize community resources, such as medical, educational, financial and mental health agencies. Many families lack financial resources, and we can educate them about government programs available to help. We often are the main contact person for the family when they have questions after the clinic.

Service Providers

The social work department currently has three social workers to provide coverage for all the clinical programs. We work primarily in the child development, neurodevelopment, craniofacial, spina bifida and hemophilia programs. Our roles are to provide psychosocial assessments as well as case coordination or management.

How to make a Referral

A referral can be made by calling our Intake Office at 503-494-8095. If a child will be evaluated in one of our interdisciplinary clinics, a social work assessment is usually already included. If not, a social worker is on call to all the clinical programs at CDRC.

Social Work Internship Opportunities

We offer an internship for graduate level social workers, and other disciplines, through our Leadership and Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) program. This is federally funded by the Maternal and Child Health Department. Social work interns work in interdisciplinary teams with other professionals and their students. The interns have the opportunity to participate in weekly forum discussions with the other interns. They are also required to complete a research project related to persons with disabilities. A modest stipend is available.