Director of Social Services - Sodus Rehab & Nursing Center

Position Purpose : It is the responsibility of the Director of Social Services to provide case management to short-term and long-term residents and families with psycho-social needs/concerns. The director is expected to coordinate the continuity of care for the residents and ensure the safety and well-being of the residents at Tarrytown Hall Care Center is maintained.



Educational Requirements : Minimum of bachelor’s degree in social work or a related field. Master’s Degree in social work preferred



Experience Required : Knowledge of case management/care coordination of residents in short and long-term care including; discharge planning, crisis intervention, MDS completion, community resources, entitlements, family/individual counseling



Physical Requirements: While preforming the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, talk and hear, and use hands and arms to handle items, lift, feel, and reach.



Professional Licensure and Certification Required : Professional social work license (for facilities greater than 120 beds)



Interpersonal Relationships : Communicates effectively with residents, families, visitors, co-workers, physicians, and other employees.



Essential Functions





+ Adheres to the facility’s policies and procedures.



+ Participates in screening of job applicants, hiring new employees, and recommending promotions, transfers, and dismissals.



+ Acts as resident advocate



+ Provides education to resident/responsible party regarding advance directives



+ Coordinates the implementation of advance directives with the clinical team



+ Maintains accurate and timely medical record documentation



+ Assists with care plan meeting and ensures residents/family members are invited in accordance with facility policy



+ Coordinate all aspects of discharge planning to ensure a smooth transition back to the community or any other living environment, including assessing the safety of the community discharge location, ordering of supplies and equipment, ensuring appropriate education is provided regarding aftercare



+ Make referrals to public or private service providers when needed



+ Completes MDS as per facility policy



+ Develop and coordinate policies and procedures for the Social Service Department







+ Record and track grievances/complaints received by residents and or families







+ Ensure grievances/complaints are followed through in a timely manner



+ Provide emotional support and counseling as needed to residents and or their families



+ Assist in the implementation of behavior management plans



+ Work closely with psychiatry/psychology to ensure that residents mental/emotional needs are being met and managed effectively



+ Coordinate palliative/hospice care including referrals to outside agencies, education and emotional support of resident and families



+ Participates in quality assurance and improvement processes within the facility.







+ Participates in inspections (surveys) made by authorized agencies.



+ Demonstrates the mission, vision, and values of the facility through professional excellence.



+ Maintains compliance with state and federal regulations







+ All Other duties as determined by the Administrator.









Personnel Functions





+ Responsible for ensuring adequate staffing to perform the duties required of social work department, while staying within the specified budget allocated to the department.



+ Responsible for the supervision of all personnel within the social work department



+ Cooperates with interdepartmental personnel, as well as other departments within the facility, to assure that services are properly delivered and maintained to meet the needs of the residents



+ Meets with staff on regularly scheduled basis to assist in identifying and correcting problem areas, and/ or improvement services.



+ Ensure that all social work functions run smoothly.



+ Ensures that disciplinary action is administered fairly and without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or marital status.





Staff Development Functions





+ Conducts in-service training to new/existing social service employees to explain policies, work procedures, and to demonstrate use of programs used



+ Conducts departmental meetings to assist in identifying and correcting problem areas, and/ or improvement of services.



+ Participates in the orientation of new staff members to the facility and ensures that appropriate education and mentoring is in place.



+ Attends and participates in scheduled training and educational classes.



+ Attends and completes all mandatory in-service programs.



+ Assures that all social work staff complete all mandatory in-service requirements.



+ Meets with social work staff to review staff expectations.





Resident Rights





+ Maintains confidentiality of all pertinent resident care information.



+ Knowledge of facility and state mandatory reporting practices regarding any suspected cases of abuse, mistreatment, neglect or misappropriation of resident belongings.



+ Reports all grievances/ complaints made by the resident to the Administrator.



+ Address complaints and grievances made by residents or responsible party and ensures that proper follow up and resolution is obtained



+ Ensures that all residents are treated fairly with kindness, dignity, and respect.




ACKNOWLEDGEMENT



Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice. All pay rates and bonuses are paid and/ or awarded to employees based on the facilities policy and/ or the CBA, depending on the position.