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Social services manager skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Lillian Wichinsky Ph.D.,

Lillian Wichinsky Ph.D.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical social services manager skills. We ranked the top skills for social services managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 18.6% of social services manager resumes contained social work as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a social services manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 social services manager skills for your resume and career

2. Patients

Here's how social services managers use patients:

Provided case-management for patients in a rehabilitation setting, assisting with referrals to appropriate agencies and resources in their local area.
Researched community services for patient care and coordinated transportation for patients to external organizations for short and long-term treatment.

3. Discharge Planning

Here's how social services managers use discharge planning:

Discharge Planning specializing in Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation
Provided comprehensive discharge planning services & coordinated variety of community resources to ensure a continuum of care.

4. Mental Health

Mental health is the state of wellbeing in which an individual can cope with the regular stresses and tensions of life, and can work productively without having any emotional or psychological breakdown. Mental health is essential for a person of any age and helps them make the right decisions in their life.

Here's how social services managers use mental health:

Facilitate monthly care coordination meetings with Detroit Wayne County Mental Health Authority.
Conducted group counseling sessions focused on the challenges of living with chronic substance abuse, mental health and HIV/AIDS.

5. Crisis Intervention

Here's how social services managers use crisis intervention:

Provided family mediation and crisis interventions as needed.
Provided extensive crisis interventions utilizing agency protocols.

6. Psychosocial Assessments

Here's how social services managers use psychosocial assessments:

Conducted medical, financial and psychosocial assessments (intake) of women diagnosed with cancer to determine eligibility.
Provided timely completion of psychosocial assessments upon admission and updated progress notes as required per guidelines.

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7. Provide Emotional Support

Here's how social services managers use provide emotional support:

Provide emotional support to patients and their families including recognizing physical and emotional abuse.
Provide emotional support and encouragement as necessary.

8. Community Resources

Community resources are a set of resources that are used in the day to day life of people which improves their lifestyle in some way. People, sites or houses, and population assistance can come under the services offered by community resources.

Here's how social services managers use community resources:

Participated in resident care conference team meetings and referral to community resources as appropriate.
Utilized community resources to assist the participants in overcoming barriers and becoming employed.

9. Rehabilitation

Here's how social services managers use rehabilitation:

Coordinated social services for a Skilled Nursing Facility specializing in Traumatic Brain Injury rehabilitation.
Trained and supervised Psycho-Social Rehabilitation Specialists and aides.

10. Financial Assistance

Financial assistance refers to governmental assistance one may receive for a variety of reasons. This help is typically in the form of money, whether a loan, scholarship, grant, or reduced taxes provided to an individual or organization. One of the more common forms of financial assistance is student loans, which offer many prospective students a chance for higher education.

Here's how social services managers use financial assistance:

Provided financial information and assisted individuals wit financial assistance, aid, and money management skills.
Screened clients through the eligibility requirements for financial assistance and food bank intake.

11. Emotional Support

At its core, emotional support involves providing support, reassurance, acceptance, love, and encouragement. It is especially important in a time of stress/sadness as it stabilizes an individual and provides a positive foundation for trust. Honing this skill is important for individuals who want to pursue the career of caregivers and emotional support nurses. Their job includes monitoring mental health and helping patients to handle any mental challenge.

Here's how social services managers use emotional support:

Manage a team of counselors that provide guidance and emotional support to at promise teen girls.
Provided ongoing emotional support, referrals for medical/respite services and education on expected changes in disease process for the family caregivers.

12. Facebook

Here's how social services managers use facebook:

Promote the site by using facebook and twitter while, additionally, posting on various blogs and message boards.
Well-versed in all major Social Media Platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, Youtube.

13. Patient Care

Patient care entails the diagnosis, recovery, and control of sickness as well as the maintenance of physical and emotional well-being through the use of healthcare providers' services. Patient care is described as services provided to patients by health practitioners or non-professionals under guidance.

Here's how social services managers use patient care:

Facilitated a work environment conducive to efficiency and quality patient care.
Change agent in patient care to improve quality of life and care in a variety of long term care facilities.

14. Long-Term Care

Here's how social services managers use long-term care:

Oversee all social services functions of a long-term care floor consisting of 68 residents, Nurses and Certified Nursing Assistants.
Promoted psycho-social well-being of 54 long-term care residents through case management, supportive visitation, and assessment.

15. Support Services

Support services are services that support the organization internally and are usually non-revenue generating. Examples include, IT, admin, HR, etc.

Here's how social services managers use support services:

Provide leadership and coordination of family support services and parent involvement activities to Child Development Services.
Transport children to protective facilities, testify in court, and refer for support services.

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What skills help Social Services Managers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on social services manager resumes?

Lillian Wichinsky Ph.D.

Associate Dean, University of Nevada - Reno

Social workers are at the forefront of providing health and mental health services in the nation. There are many specializations that social workers can work in, and the skills that stand out on a resume are dependent on the type of social worker. For example, for a clinician, some top skills to include would be:

-clinical experience (therapeutic skills)
-ability to work with individuals, families, and groups from different ethnicities and backgrounds.
-case management
-resource management
-advocacy
-documentation

What soft skills should all social services managers possess?

Lillian Wichinsky Ph.D.

Associate Dean, University of Nevada - Reno

Social workers need to be prepared to work in integrated health and multidisciplinary settings and act as change agents across systems of care. They work with various communities and people, and therefore soft skills are very important to their success. Some of the most important soft skills include:

-Teamwork. ...
-Communication Skills
-Problem-Solving Skills
-Ethics
-Flexibility/Adaptability
-Leadership skills

What hard/technical skills are most important for social services managers?

Lillian Wichinsky Ph.D.

Associate Dean, University of Nevada - Reno

Social workers often develop community-based partnerships, including partnerships with activist organizations to implement reform towards racial and social justice; advance equity policies for BIPOC and LGBTQ populations. The top technical skills that are required of a social worker to be successful include

-grant writing
-program evaluation
-writing skills
-project management

What social services manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Jeffrey Bryant MSW, LCSW

Associate Tenured Professor in the BSW Program for the Phylis Lan Lin School of Social Work and Counseling

Keep building on your knowledge and skills with each job and learn more tools for your social work toolbox. The more continued CEU (certified education units) and additional education Master of Social Work (MSW) the more we maximize our salary potential.

What type of skills will young social services managers need?

Dr. Thomas Dearden Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Sociology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Indeed, the way we work is changing. The skills that young graduates will need are diverse. Transferable skills and soft skills will certainly be marketable. These include traditional crafts such as communication, but I also think the world expects more empathy from its employees. Young graduates with an understanding of racism, sexism, and environmental responsibility will become increasingly important.

What technical skills for a social services manager stand out to employers?

William Weston

Professor, Centre College

The ability to write clearly and think critically. The deep sense that other people in other cultures, and other positions in our own culture, see the world differently, enabling students to respond to a broad range of people appropriately.

Do you want to know more?

List of social services manager skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a social services manager resume and required skills for a social services manager to have include:

Social Work
Patients
Discharge Planning
Mental Health
Crisis Intervention
Psychosocial Assessments
Provide Emotional Support
Community Resources
Rehabilitation
Financial Assistance
Emotional Support
Facebook
Patient Care
Long-Term Care
Support Services
Designee

Independent Living
Medicaid
Home Health
Resident Rights
Community Agencies
State Regulations
Federal Regulations
Admission Process
Social History
Compassion
Nursing Home
Community Health
Social Service Programs
Foster Care
Community Organizations
Community Services

Direct Services
Minimum Data Set
Child Abuse
Dementia Care
Mental Illness
Social Care
Federal Guidelines
Social Justice
Medical Appointments
Care Plan
Care Conferences
DHS
Ancillary Services
IDT
Durable Medical Equipment
Living Wills

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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