Nursing Home Social Services Reference/Career Paths/Social Services Director

The Social Services Director (SSD) or Director of Social Services is either the sole social services provider in a facility or the team leader of a team of social services assistants. This role is usually paid more than an assistant and certainly carries more responsibility. Zip recruiter uses this job description: A Social Services Director in a nursing home manages the psychosocial, emotional, and physical needs of residents, ensuring regulatory compliance and quality of life. Key responsibilities include conducting psychosocial assessments, developing care plans, handling admissions/discharges, mediating family issues, and ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations.In addition to the responsibilities listed above, the SSD is often required to manage the quality of the notes, assessments and interventions of the social services assistants, as well as manage this team and its morale. The SSD also provides reports to the IDT on resident mental well-being, behavioral incidents and plans for management of behavioral issues for specific residents. Preparation for surveys and responses to surveyors' questions is typically the responsibility of the SSD, though at times the surveyors will require answers from individual assistants. This will usually involve the SSD in a rehearsal with the assistant and a review of the supporting evidence to be provided to the surveyors. After a survey, the SSD is responsible for creating the plan of correction (POC) for any tags that involve social services functions. This will be done in coordination with the facility administrator and provide with the POC packet produced in response to a given annual or complaint survey. An assistant who wishes to become an SSD, should have at least one year of experience and skills in leadership, problem analysis and evaluation and correction planning. Experience with QAPI, psychpharm and other incidentals of social services is also helpful. This is in addition to competence in the routine SS tasks and interventions.