Social services manager vs social work supervisor

The differences between social services managers and social work supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a social services manager and a social work supervisor. Additionally, a social work supervisor has an average salary of $62,939, which is higher than the $55,773 average annual salary of a social services manager.

The top three skills for a social services manager include social work, patients and discharge planning. The most important skills for a social work supervisor are social work, patients, and MSW.

Social services manager vs social work supervisor overview

	Social Services Manager	Social Work Supervisor
Yearly salary	$55,773	$62,939
Hourly rate	$26.81	$30.26
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	162,185	93,867
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Master's Degree, 48%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	12	12

What does a social services manager do?

A social services manager is responsible for handling community programs and activities for societal needs. Social services managers coordinate with different local organizations to strategize techniques in building a safe and peaceful environment for the citizens, as well as identifying resources to provide them with their essentials. They also attend community events and meetings to represent the community and propose ideas for community development. A social services manager supervises the program budgeting, as well as reaching out to potential donors and sponsors for funding purposes.

What does a social work supervisor do?

Social work supervisors are licensed professionals who are responsible for providing administrative, clinical, and supportive supervision to inexperienced social workers. These supervisors are required to organize training to help their subordinates to develop their skills and promote career growth. They must respond to the conflicts occurring within the team and promote ethical behaviors among them as well as manage their schedules and expectations. Social work supervisors must also participate in research and studies which required opinion from social work organizations.

Social services manager vs social work supervisor salary

Social services managers and social work supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Social Services Manager	Social Work Supervisor
Average salary	$55,773	$62,939
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $81,000	Between $47,000 And $83,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	San Mateo, CA
Highest paying state	Nevada	California
Best paying company	Cloudflare	Chaplaincy Health Care
Best paying industry	Health Care	Government

Differences between social services manager and social work supervisor education

There are a few differences between a social services manager and a social work supervisor in terms of educational background:

	Social Services Manager	Social Work Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Master's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Social Work	Social Work
Most common college	SUNY at Binghamton	California State University - Fullerton

Social services manager vs social work supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between social services managers' and social work supervisors' demographics:

	Social Services Manager	Social Work Supervisor
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 20.6% Female, 79.4%	Male, 23.4% Female, 76.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.3% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1%	Black or African American, 12.9% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 6.3% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between social services manager and social work supervisor duties and responsibilities

Social services manager example 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.
Process payroll information in an accurate and timely manner.
Help residents with their advance directives, assist in filing Medicaid applications and file and investigate grievances.

Social work supervisor example responsibilities.

Collaborate with partners including public and private agencies to achieve permanency for children.
Provide training and weekly supervision to MSW and BSW level staff in the traditional and therapeutic foster care programs.
Provide ongoing adjustment to illness support to patients and families through hospitalization, bereavement counseling, and crisis intervention.
Input data from assessments into the MDS system for submission to Medicare.
Spearhead hospital-wide projects, including roll out of new CMS regulations and forms.
Provide ongoing and current education regarding CMS issues like ABN process and implementation.

Social services manager vs social work supervisor skills

Common social services manager skills

Social Work, 19%
Patients, 13%
Discharge Planning, 7%
Mental Health, 6%
Crisis Intervention, 6%
Psychosocial Assessments, 4%

Common social work supervisor skills

Social Work, 31%
Patients, 6%
MSW, 5%
Child Welfare, 5%
Social Services, 5%
Crisis Intervention, 4%

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Social Services Manager
Social Services Manager vs Social Work Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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