Social Services Director

Skilled Healthcare Center; Murfreesboro (AR); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Skilled Healthcare Center seeks a Director of Social Services to plan, organize, develop, and direct the overall operation of the Social Services Department, ensuring medically related emotional and social needs are met for patients. You will guide policies, coordinate with administrators, and stay up-to-date with regulatory standards.

The role involves interviews, discharge planning, and interdepartmental collaboration to maintain quality social services and compliance with federal and state

Qualifications

• Plan, organize, develop, and direct the social services department.
• Coordinate policies and procedures with administrators and staff.
• Stay current with federal and state regulations affecting social services.

Responsibilities

• Direct the social service programs for the facility.
• Provide information on Medicare/Medicaid and financial assistance programs.
• Interview patients and families and involve them in planning processes.
• Prepare written and oral reports to the Administrator.
• Coordinate with other departments and community agencies.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Regulatory knowledge

Interpersonal skills

Job description

Purpose of Your Job Position

The primary purpose of your job position is to plan, organize, develop, and direct the overall operation of the Social Services Department in accordance with current federal, state, and local standards, guide- lines and regulations, our established policies and procedures, and as may be directed by the Administra- tor, to assure that the medically related emotional and social needs of the patient are met/maintained on an individual basis.

Delegation of Authority

As the Director of Social Services, you are delegated the authority, responsibility, and accountability necessary for carrying out your assigned duties.

Job Functions

Every effort has been made to identify the essential functions of this position. However, it in no way states or implies that these are the only duties you will be required to perform. The omission of specific state- ments of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or is an essential function of the position.

Duties and Responsibilities

Administrative Functions

• Plan, develop, organize, implement, evaluate, and direct the social service programs of this facility.
• Administer and coordinate department policies and procedures.
• Keep abreast of current federal and state regulations, as well as professional standards, and make rec- ommendations on changes in policies and procedures to the Administrator.
• Implement policies and procedures for the identification of medically related social and emotional needs of the patient.
• Participate in community planning related to the interests of the facility and the services and needs of the patient and family.
• Participate in discharge planning, development and implementation of social care plans and patient as- sessments.
• Interview patient/families as necessary and in a private setting, and involve them in planning when possible.
• Perform administrative requirements, such as completing necessary forms, reports, etc., and submit- ting such to the Administrator as required.
• Assist in arranging transportation to other facilities when necessary.
• Refer patient/families to appropriate social service agencies when the facility does not provide the ser- vices or needs of the patient.
• Provide information to patient/families as to medicare/medicaid, and other financial assistance pro- grams available to the patient.
• Provide consultation to members of our staff, community agencies, etc., in efforts to solve the needs and problems of the patient through the development of social service programs.
• Assume the authority, responsibility, and accountability of directing the social service department.
• Maintain a quality working relationship with the medical profession and other health related facilities and organizations.
• Coordinate social service activities with other departments as necessary.
• Work with the facility’s consultants as necessary and implement recommended changes as required.
• Delegate authority, responsibility, and accountability to other responsible
• department personnel.
• Make written and oral reports/recommendations to the Administrator concerning the operation of the
• social service department.
• Interpret the department’s policies and procedures to employees, patients, visitors, government agen- cies, etc.
• Keep abreast of economic conditions/situations and recommend to the Administrator adjustments in social services that assure the continued ability to provide daily social services.
• Review departmental complaints and grievances from personnel and make written reports to the Ad ministrator of action(s) taken. Follow facility’s established procedures.
• Implement and maintain an ongoing quality assurance program for the social services department.
• Participate in facility surveys (inspections) made by authorized government agencies.
• Interview patients, or family members, as necessary, to obtain social history, and involve them when possible, in planning processes.
• Assure that social service progress notes are informative and descriptive of the services provided and of the patient’s response to the service.
• Maintain a reference library of written material, laws, etc., necessary for complying with current stan- dards and regulations, and that will provide assistance in maintaining quality social service.
• Meet with administration, medical and nursing staff, as well as other related departments in planning social service programs and activities.
• Others as deemed necessary and appropriate, or as may be directed by the Administrator.

Committee Functions

• Serve on, participate in, and attend various committees of the facility (i.e., Infection Control, Policy Advisory, Pharmaceutical, Budget, Quality Assessment and Assurance, etc.) as required, and as appointed by the Administrator.
• Provide written and/or oral reports of the social service programs and activities as required, or as may be directed by such committee(s).
• Participate in regularly scheduled reviews of patient discharge plans.
• Evaluate and implement recommendations from established committees as they may pertain to social services.

Personnel Functions

• Meet with social services personnel, on a regularly scheduled basis, and solicit advice from
• inter-department supervisors concerning the operation of the social services department, assist in identifying and correcting problem areas, and/or the improvement of services.
• Attend department head meetings, etc., as scheduled or as may be called.
• Assist in the recruitment, interviewing, and selection of social services personnel.
• Determine departmental staffing requirements and make recommendations to the Administrator.
• Schedule department work hours (including vacation and holiday schedules), personnel, work assignments, etc.,