Social Work Help and Information

Social Work: 330-543-8830 (Akron) or 330-746-9074 (Mahoning Valley)

A social worker at a hospital focuses on improving the emotional well-being of kids and their families and helps coordinate health care. In addition to offering emotional support, a social worker can help the family meet a child’s needs at school or at home.

Our social workers are members of the healthcare team who assist patients and families with the stressors often associated with sudden or chronic illness and its impact on everyday life. We help assess the needs of patients and families, provide supportive counseling, and connect patients and families to the appropriate community or hospital resources.

The mission of Akron Children’s social work team is to provide professional social work services in collaboration with your child’s healthcare team.

We can assist with transportation needs, overnight accommodations during your child’s hospital stay, medical insurance questions, applying for Family Medical Leave, and in some cases, financial assistance.

We often consult with your medical team and help facilitate communication with your doctors and nurses, as well as coordinate your child’s discharge from the hospital.

Our social workers hold master’s degrees and are licensed by the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board. We must adhere to current licensing requirements in order to remain in good standing.

Special parking needs can be arranged by Public Safety, ++Call: 330-543-8181++, or Social Work, ++Call: 330-543-8830++.

Social Work staff will continue to coordinate referrals for overnight stays at the Ronald McDonald House.

Contact the Children’s Social Work Department at 330-543-8830 if you need help in accessing Protective Services during your hospital stay or visit.

Many times, a patient’s insurance will provide transportation. This can be arranged by the office the appointment will be in. If not, Social Workers can provide assistance through RoundTrip.

How can I speak with a social worker? You may ask your child’s doctor or nurse to contact us for you. Social workers are available on each inpatient floor and in most of our outpatient clinics and the Emergency Department. You may also call the Social Work department, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 330-543-8830. A social worker is available 24 hours a day.

Are social work services confidential? Any conversations you have with a licensed social worker are confidential. This means that in most instances, your hospital social worker is not permitted to disclose information obtained from you to anyone other than your healthcare team without your consent. However, there are exceptions to this general rule, and we may be required to disclose otherwise confidential information in certain situations, such as when:

• Concerns of child abuse or neglect, elder abuse or neglect, or abuse or neglect of a disabled person
• Concern of harm of self or others

Who can I turn to for emotional support? During your child’s hospitalization, you may feel stressed, worried or frightened. Your social worker is available to talk to you and your family about these feelings. In addition, we can connect you with other support services including our chaplains and child life specialists and psychologists.

Our webpage is below, including a Resources tab with information about programs providing assistance including phone numbers for each of these programs:
Social Work | Akron Children’s (akronchildrens.org)