How To Become A Social Services Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a social services manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Debra Minsky-Kelly

The social services manager plans and coordinates the health, welfare, and social care support provided by local authorities and charities. Your responsibility is to plan, direct and supervise the activities of community organizations. You will also direct an interdisciplinary team of counselors, probation officers, social workers, therapists, and community health workers to carry out effective social service programs. For effectiveness, you will report to the officials, executives, and superiors for improvements.

To be a social services manager requires that you have excellent communication skills for speaking with community members and employees. Excellent leadership skills are a must since you will set the overall direction and motivation for the programs. Good managerial abilities are equally important for giving a budget and writing proposals. Analytical skills are essential to evaluate data and provide strategic guidance for the programs. The educational requirement for the post of Social Services Manager is at least a four-year degree in social work, public administration, healthcare administration, or any related field. You will be paid an average of $57,807 a year.

What general advice would you give to a social services manager?

Debra Minsky-Kelly

Director of Field Education / Clinical Assistant Professor of Social Work, Carthage College

I think there are two critical skills for social workers, whether they are first entering the workforce or seasoned professionals. These skills are humility and an appreciation for ambiguity in our work. A humble approach to our work empowers clients to become experts on their circumstances. Social workers are then positioned in a collaborative role to help clients use existing skills and resources to improve their situations. An appreciation for ambiguity is closely related to the idea of humility. It helps us to remember that practice situations we face in this field are often far more complicated than they appear on the surface. Thus, all social workers need to make a strong commitment to lifelong learning and ongoing consultation with colleagues to ensure that multiple perspectives are included as we work to solve complex problems.

ScoreSocial Services ManagerUS Average

Salary

4.4

Avg. Salary $55,773

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.9

Growth rate 12%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.14%

Asian 6.32%

Black or African American 11.19%

Hispanic or Latino 18.56%

Unknown 5.16%

White 56.62%

Gender

female 79.37%

male 20.63%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

8.9

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a social services manager

Explore social services manager education requirements

Most common social services manager degrees

Bachelor's

61.6 %

Master's

21.1 %

Associate

9.2 %

Start to develop specific social services manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Social Work	18.63%
Patients	13.10%
Discharge Planning	6.51%
Mental Health	5.65%
Crisis Intervention	5.51%

Complete relevant social services manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New social services managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a social services manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real social services manager resumes.

Research social services manager duties and responsibilities

Manage the MSW staff and coordinate all social service and select patient service activities.
Research community services for patient care and coordinate transportation for patients to external organizations for short and long-term treatment.
Provide case-management for patients in a rehabilitation setting, assisting with referrals to appropriate agencies and resources in their local area.
Assist with Medicaid applications and insurance problems.

Prepare your social services manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your social services manager resume.

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