What does a social services specialist do?
A Social Services Specialist provides social services to children and adults in communities, facilities, institutions, or hospitals. They develop and implement specialized treatment programs.
Social services specialist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real social services specialist resumes:
- Provide comprehensive case management to DCFS clients and their families to achieve case goals as outlined in the client service plan.
- Provide supervision to social services assistant and MSW intern.
- Retain potential clients base on the strength of their SSDI claim.
- Participate in group staffing to discuss the best interest of children and families who have open cases with DSS.
- Plan and execute case work activities to expedite safety first, permanence and well-being of child in DSS custody.
- Develop working relationships with other DHS umbrella agencies.
- Skil and verse in DHS policy and procedure to determine eligibility and certification for benefits.
- Review applicant documentation to determine eligibility for state and federal aid programs, including Medicaid, food stamps and emergency assistance.
- Develop rules and regulations which govern the Medicare requirements for the hospital.
- Maintain the continuous quality improvement activities to meet the regulation of JACHO and Medicare.
- Enforce HIPPA and JHACO regulations.
- Coordinate adoptions at the hospital.
- Conduct care conference meetings with IDT team, resident, and resident families.
- Participate in placement reviews, semi-annual/ annual reviews, and other IDT meetings with clients/families/regional center staff.
- Comply with all HIPPA confidentiality regulations
Social services specialist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 25% of Social Services Specialists are proficient in Social Work, Patients, and Substance Abuse. They’re also known for soft skills such as Compassion, Time-management skills, and Communication skills.
We break down the percentage of Social Services Specialists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Social Work, 25%
Provided crisis intervention, individual and family therapy where skilled social work judgment was required.
- Patients, 15%
Collaborate with Interdisciplinary Team to facilitate discharge planning of adult patients admitted to the hospital.
- Substance Abuse, 10%
Provided assertive community outreach treatment to consumers with mental illness and/or retardation and substance abuse.
- Discharge Planning, 7%
Facilitate discharge planning for residents and provide community resources as needed to ensure successful transitions to community.
- Term Care, 7%
Conducted comprehensive assessments to determine client functional eligibility for Long Term Care Medicaid programs.
- MDS, 6%
Conducted patient, family, and staff interviews and ensured that relevant MDS sections (i.e.
Common skills that a social services specialist uses to do their job include "social work," "patients," and "substance abuse." You can find details on the most important social services specialist responsibilities below.
Compassion. The most essential soft skill for a social services specialist to carry out their responsibilities is compassion. This skill is important for the role because "social and human service assistants often work with people who are in stressful and difficult situations." Additionally, a social services specialist resume shows how their duties depend on compassion: "created on line training program for palliative care volunteers (compassion corps). "
Time-management skills. Many social services specialist duties rely on time-management skills. "social and human service assistants often work with many clients," so a social services specialist will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways social services specialist responsibilities rely on time-management skills: "monitored delivery of notifications, deadlines, and legal proceedings and responding accordingly. "
Communication skills. social services specialists are also known for communication skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to social services specialist responsibilities, because "social and human service assistants talk with clients about the challenges in their lives and assist them in getting help." A social services specialist resume example shows how communication skills is used in the workplace: "employed social services intake placement specialist with child protective services intake communication center (cicc) region 10 currently. "
Interpersonal skills. For certain social services specialist responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "interpersonal skills." The day-to-day duties of a social services specialist rely on this skill, as "social and human service assistants must make their clients feel comfortable discussing sensitive issues." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what social services specialists do: "lead/facilitated groups to increase their understanding of substance abuse disorders, improve interpersonal skills and facilitate behavioral changes. "
Organizational skills. Another crucial skill for a social services specialist to carry out their responsibilities is "organizational skills." A big part of what social services specialists relies on this skill, since "social and human service assistants must often complete lots of paperwork and work with many different clients." How this skill relates to social services specialist duties can be seen in an example from a social services specialist resume snippet: "provided clerical and organizational help for social workers. "
Problem-solving skills. While "problem-solving skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to social services specialist responsibilities. Much of what a social services specialist does relies on this skill, seeing as "social and human service assistants help clients find solutions to their problems." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of social services specialists: "communicated orally and written dds programs manager with providing resolutions for re-certification of agency companion and specialized foster care providers services. "
The three companies that hire the most social services specialists are:
- State of Georgia: Teachers Retirement System of Georgia56 social services specialists jobs
- BayCare Health System31 social services specialists jobs
- The State of Oregon15 social services specialists jobs
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Compare different social services specialists
Social services specialist vs. Case worker
Caseworkers are social workers who watch over the welfare of underprivileged individuals and at-risk families by counseling and providing them with assistance. Usually employed under the government or a local non-profit organization, a caseworker must conduct a thorough interview and house visits to determine the needs of the family. They then refer them to any programs or agencies that can give them the specific care and help needed. Furthermore, it is crucial to identify neglect and abuse signs, reporting them to the authorities right away.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between social services specialists and case worker. For instance, social services specialist responsibilities require skills such as "discharge planning," "term care," "mds," and "nursing home." Whereas a case worker is skilled in "customer service," "intake assessments," "mental illness," and "public assistance." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Case workers tend to make the most money working in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $40,730. In contrast, social services specialists make the biggest average salary, $64,884, in the insurance industry.The education levels that case workers earn slightly differ from social services specialists. In particular, case workers are 10.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a social services specialist. Additionally, they're 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Social services specialist vs. Advocate
An advocate is a voice for the voiceless. It is their responsibility to speak on behalf of an individual or a particular cause. Most of the duties will vary depending on the line of organization or duty involved; however, an advocate must have extensive knowledge or background on the subject matter. Furthermore, an advocate must be present at gatherings regarding the cause, assist in the negotiation and mediation processes involving contracts and legal documentation, provide or convey accurate information, and defend what they represent.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real social services specialist resumes. While social services specialist responsibilities can utilize skills like "social work," "discharge planning," "term care," and "mds," advocates use skills like "cpr," "customer service," "developmental disabilities," and "cleanliness."
On average, advocates earn a lower salary than social services specialists. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, advocates earn the most pay in the government industry with an average salary of $40,536. Whereas social services specialists have higher pay in the insurance industry, with an average salary of $64,884.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Advocates tend to reach lower levels of education than social services specialists. In fact, they're 11.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for social services specialists in the next 3-5 years?
Virginia Schwindt
MSW Field Director/Associate Professor, Union University
Social services specialist vs. Licensed social worker
Licensed Social Workers are duly and legally recognized to carry out activities related to social work. They identify individuals or groups of people in need and assess what kind of help they require. They may assist these people in connecting to agencies that would cater to their needs. Licensed Social Workers also help people cope with their challenges. They are responsible for crafting treatment plans or well-being improvement plans for the individuals they help. They may also be called on during times of crisis to provide emotional support to the individuals involved.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, social services specialists are more likely to have skills like "term care," "child care," "social service programs," and "mental health agencies." But a licensed social worker is more likely to have skills like "patient care," "msw," "lsw," and "mental illness."
Licensed social workers earn the highest salary when working in the health care industry, where they receive an average salary of $56,730. Comparatively, social services specialists have the highest earning potential in the insurance industry, with an average salary of $64,884.When it comes to education, licensed social workers tend to earn higher degree levels compared to social services specialists. In fact, they're 15.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Social services specialist vs. Social worker
Social workers help their clients get through problems that they may be facing. Social workers help identify individuals or groups of people, usually families, who may need assistance, generally through a set of pre-determined criteria. They then determine the best ways to help their clients by interviewing them, getting to know them, and understanding the context of their lives. They create plans that will help their clients become better, such as integrating into a new environment, assisting them in their needs, or even rescuing them from their current place. Social workers have good interpersonal skills and communication skills.
Types of social services specialist
Updated January 8, 2025
