What does a director of social work do?
A director of social work oversees and directs the daily operations of social services programs, aiming to provide optimal support services to communities and families. They are primarily in charge of setting organizational goals, managing budgets, establishing protocols and guidelines, liaising with external and internal parties, and developing strategies to optimize operations. They may also work at shelters or care facilities where they are responsible for monitoring the daily operations to ensure everything runs smoothly and efficiently. Moreover, a director of social work leads and empowers staff to reach goals while implementing the organization's policies and regulations.
Director of social work responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real director of social work resumes:
- Manage projects and ambulatory system initiatives, and collaborate with system leadership teams to ensure EMR alignment with all regulatory requirements.
- Discharge planning to home, acute rehabilitation hospitals and diagnosis specific residential facilities.
- Work on the sub-acute rehabilitation unit and coordinating discharge planning in a fast pace environment.
- Maintain update knowledge of current regulations governing Medicare/ Medicaid and private insurance company reimbursement processes.
- Prepared/Conduct evaluations of individuals job performance and skills as they relate to patients, coworkers and customers.
- Participate in discharge and aftercare planning for patients and aids patients in seeking therapeutic resources for follow-up in their community environment.
- Conduct financial screening of perspective admissions, including communicating with Medicare/ Medicaid and private insurance companies to verify eligibility and benefits.
- Implement a total computerize platform for case management, institute Milliman and Roberts guidelines.
Director of social work skills and personality traits
We calculated that 32% of Directors Of Social Work are proficient in Social Work, Patients, and Rehabilitation. They’re also known for soft skills such as Managerial skills, Analytical skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Directors Of Social Work that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Social Work, 32%
Lead clinical social worker in a unit specifically designated to serve those soldiers experiencing physical and emotional disabilities.
- Patients, 10%
Managed contracts with facilities providing hospice services to our patients to include ongoing educational in-services to meet state and federal regulations.
- Rehabilitation, 6%
Worked on the sub-acute rehabilitation unit and coordinating discharge planning in a fast paced environment.
- Discharge Planning, 6%
Attended and participated in IPOC Meetings with emphasis on medically related social services including discharge planning.
- MSW, 4%
Supervised staff of twelve MSW's and BSW's in a combined 550-bed, two-facility teaching hospital.
- Patient Care, 3%
Collaborated with Primary Care Providers to identify patient care needs.
Most directors of social work use their skills in "social work," "patients," and "rehabilitation" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential director of social work responsibilities here:
Managerial skills. The most essential soft skill for a director of social work to carry out their responsibilities is managerial skills. This skill is important for the role because "social and community service managers spend much of their time administering budgets and responding to a variety of issues." Additionally, a director of social work resume shows how their duties depend on managerial skills: "direct managerial oversight for on-call team consisting of rns, lpns and home health aides. "
Analytical skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling director of social work duties is analytical skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "social and community service managers need to understand and evaluate data in order to provide strategic guidance to their organization." According to a director of social work resume, here's how directors of social work can utilize analytical skills in their job responsibilities: "screened and scored residents utilizing the long-term care minimum data set (mds 3.0) assessment tool. "
Problem-solving skills. This is an important skill for directors of social work to perform their duties. For an example of how director of social work responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "social and community service managers must be able to address client, staff, and agency-related issues." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a director of social work: "provided individual, couples, family, and group counseling, crisis intervention, conflict resolution, advocacy".
Time-management skills. For certain director of social work responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "time-management skills." The day-to-day duties of a director of social work rely on this skill, as "social and community service managers must prioritize and handle numerous tasks, often in a short timeframe." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what directors of social work do: "assure psychosocial history, progress notes, and mds assessments are completed on time as per regulations. "
Communication skills. Another crucial skill for a director of social work to carry out their responsibilities is "communication skills." A big part of what directors of social work relies on this skill, since "social and community service managers must be able to speak and write clearly." How this skill relates to director of social work duties can be seen in an example from a director of social work resume snippet: "started msw program, including marketing, recruitment, communication across institutional systems, and graduate program development. "
The three companies that hire the most director of social works are:
- The Center for Health Care Services4 directors of social work jobs
- Diamond Healthcare4 directors of social work jobs
- FutureCare Health4 directors of social work jobs
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Compare different directors of social work
Director of social work vs. Student manager
Student managers are executives who assist in coaching staff with practice management and games. They are employed to ensure the efficient and safe operation of the organizations. Their responsibilities include chasing work for the excluded students, student monitoring, positive role models, supporting students in need, and assisting with the transition. This job's necessary skills include effective communication, knowledge of external agencies, and the right education level with passing grades in math and English.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between directors of social work and student manager. For instance, director of social work responsibilities require skills such as "social work," "patients," "rehabilitation," and "discharge planning." Whereas a student manager is skilled in "customer service," "food safety," "food service," and "alumni." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Student managers really shine in the education industry with an average salary of $50,101. Comparatively, directors of social work tend to make the most money in the health care industry with an average salary of $66,956.student managers tend to reach lower levels of education than directors of social work. In fact, student managers are 31.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.9% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Director of social work vs. House manager
A household manager is someone who manages a household completely. Household managers have various duties and may manage staff depending on the size of a household. They can train and supervise the household staff. It is their job to organize and monitor the maintenance of the property and to manage household inventories. They arrange entertainment on social events and make travel and holiday arrangements. Also, they do administrative duties like budgeting, paying bills, and managing household schedules. To become a household manager, one must have a wide range of relevant skills and valuable job experience in a related job.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that director of social work responsibilities requires skills like "social work," "patients," "rehabilitation," and "discharge planning." But a house manager might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "autism," "developmental disabilities," "compassion," and "direct support."
House managers earn a lower average salary than directors of social work. But house managers earn the highest pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $36,188. Additionally, directors of social work earn the highest salaries in the health care with average pay of $66,956 annually.house managers earn lower levels of education than directors of social work in general. They're 29.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Director of social work vs. Youth leader
A youth leader is a young individual who is responsible for building a sense of community within the church youth that can provide an opportunity for both spiritual and social development. Youth Leaders organize regular social, educational, and spiritual oriented events with parents and volunteers to maintain a vibrant program. They establish support and appropriate relationships with their youth members and their families. Youth leaders also maintain social media and emails to provide information publicly to youth members about their organized events.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a director of social work is likely to be skilled in "social work," "patients," "rehabilitation," and "discharge planning," while a typical youth leader is skilled in "cpr," "fine arts," "academic enrichment," and "homework assistance."
Youth leaders earn the highest salary when working in the education industry, where they receive an average salary of $29,561. Comparatively, directors of social work have the highest earning potential in the health care industry, with an average salary of $66,956.youth leaders typically earn lower educational levels compared to directors of social work. Specifically, they're 30.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Director of social work vs. Home manager
A home manager is responsible for a home's overall operation. Your duties typically include managing household schedules and calendars, planning and organizing events, and overseeing maintenance projects. In addition, you will be tasked to manage household bills and ensure good upkeep and maintenance of the house. Other duties include supervising other members of the household staff, ensuring the security and safety of the property at all times, and running errands, including shopping. You will also be responsible for managing the household inventory.
Types of director of social work
Updated January 8, 2025
