What does a Social Services Assistant do?
A social services assistant is responsible for supporting the social needs of citizens within society. Social services assistants work within the community office or health institutions to assist patients and their families in processing their needs and obtaining medical information. They also coordinate with other organizations to gather additional resources and financial assistance to plan community programs that will be beneficial for society. A social services assistant provides counseling to the families to identify the services and referrals they needed.
Social services assistant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real social services assistant resumes:
- Initial triage of members, administrative intake of members and managing the admission/discharge information post-notification.
- Assist individuals and families in need with applications for food stamps, Medicaid, Medicare, cash assistance and housing.
- Develop, organize and conduct programs to prevent and resolve problems relevant to substance abuse, human relationships and rehabilitation.
- Verify Medicare coverage/ benefits/ obtain prior authorization.
- Process specialize Medicaid applications receive from government agencies and social service organizations which require urgent processing.
- Establish, maintain and generate military and community contacts structure to address various services available to respective patients.
- Schedule resident off-site appointments, set-up transportation and/or transport residents to appointments, and assist with Medicaid applications.
- Work to resolve patients concerns, provide medical professionals with alternative and suggestions to resolve issues accurately and timely.
- Meet rehabilitation facility staff and durable medical equipment companies intake coordinators or administrators to learn about their facility or company.
- Utilize the computer system within the VA (CPRS).
- Ensure programs operate under HUD guidelines meeting budgetary approvals.
- Review patient records to consolidate patient appointments and schedule appointments into CPRS.
Social services assistant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 17% of Social Services Assistants are proficient in Social Work, Patients, and Rehabilitation. They’re also known for soft skills such as Compassion, Time-management skills, and Communication skills.
We break down the percentage of Social Services Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Social Work, 17%
Support Social Workers in collecting all necessary information and completing resident files, while simultaneously maintaining utmost confidentiality.
- Patients, 15%
Worked to resolve patients concerns, provided medical professionals with alternative and suggestions to resolve issues accurately and timely.
- Rehabilitation, 9%
Developed, organized and conducted programs to prevent and resolve problems relevant to substance abuse, human relationships and rehabilitation.
- Discharge Planning, 6%
Provided quality admission assessments and education to potential patients and families with excellent case management and discharge planning coordination.
- Term Care, 6%
Identified the need for medically-related social services for residents primarily in long-term care residents at a skilled nursing facility.
- Community Resources, 3%
Developed, maintained and utilized a listing of current community resources that were useful to residents and their families/significant others.
Common skills that a social services assistant uses to do their job include "social work," "patients," and "rehabilitation." You can find details on the most important social services assistant responsibilities below.
Compassion. The most essential soft skill for a social services assistant 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 assistant resume shows how their duties depend on compassion: "demonstrated respect and compassion in every interaction. "
Time-management skills. Another essential skill to perform social services assistant duties is time-management skills. Social services assistants responsibilities require that "social and human service assistants often work with many clients." Social services assistants also use time-management skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "initiated prior approval requests to medicaid within the 48-hour deadline. "
Communication skills. social services assistants are also known for communication skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to social services assistant 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 assistant resume example shows how communication skills is used in the workplace: "assured that social service/discharge planning activities are integrated and coordinated within the hospital system by effective communication. "
Interpersonal skills. social services assistant responsibilities often require "interpersonal skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "social and human service assistants must make their clients feel comfortable discussing sensitive issues." This resume example shows what social services assistants do with interpersonal skills on a typical day: "applied interpersonal and problem solving skills to ensure highest level of customer service. "
Organizational skills. A commonly-found skill in social services assistant job descriptions, "organizational skills" is essential to what social services assistants do. Social services assistant responsibilities rely on this skill because "social and human service assistants must often complete lots of paperwork and work with many different clients." You can also see how social services assistant duties rely on organizational skills in this resume example: "initiated and advised managers on organizational policy and recommended new changes aimed to provide a more efficient intake process. "
Problem-solving skills. Lastly, "problem-solving skills" is an important element of what a social services assistant does. Social services assistant responsibilities require this skill because "social and human service assistants help clients find solutions to their problems." This resume example highlights how social services assistant duties rely on this skill: "participate in care plan meetings; listen to residents and resident's family concerns and aid in finding a solution. "
The three companies that hire the most social services assistants are:
- AAmerican Senior Benefits8 social services assistants jobs
- LLife Care Centers of America7 social services assistants jobs
- SThe Salvation Army7 social services assistants jobs
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Compare different social services assistants
Social services assistant 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.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, social services assistant responsibilities require skills like "term care," "admission process," "room changes," and "good judgment." Meanwhile a typical licensed social worker has skills in areas such as "msw," "lsw," "mental illness," and "state regulations." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Licensed social workers really shine in the health care industry with an average salary of $56,730. Comparatively, social services assistants tend to make the most money in the government industry with an average salary of $38,533.licensed social workers tend to reach higher levels of education than social services assistants. In fact, licensed social workers are 27.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Social services assistant vs. Social work internship
Social work interns are students who chose to do their on-the-job training in the field of social work. They apply for an internship at social services facilities. They are usually assigned to do administrative or clerical activities such as sorting through files, updating records, organizing documents, and filing reports. Aside from clerical tasks, they also get exposed to program or project management by working on program-specific initiatives. They get exposed to planning, resource managing, implementing, and evaluating. They may also join their supervisors during field activities.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, social services assistant responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "rehabilitation," "term care," "admission process," and "room changes." Meanwhile, a social work internship has duties that require skills in areas such as "intake assessments," "child abuse," "group therapy sessions," and "bio-psychosocial assessments." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Social work interns may earn a lower salary than social services assistants, but social work interns earn the most pay in the government industry with an average salary of $40,948. On the other hand, social services assistants receive higher pay in the government industry, where they earn an average salary of $38,533.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Social work interns tend to reach similar levels of education than social services assistants. In fact, they're 1.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Social Services Assistants in the next 3-5 years?
Debra Minsky-Kelly
Director of Field Education / Clinical Assistant Professor of Social Work, Carthage College
Social services assistant vs. Student support services
The one who shows the track of academic pursuit is student support service. Equipped with a wide range of knowledge themselves, such people provide auxiliary aids and services to the aspirants. They select appropriate and effective accommodations and provide counseling to the students.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a social services assistant is likely to be skilled in "social work," "patients," "rehabilitation," and "discharge planning," while a typical student support services is skilled in "student support," "financial aid," "academic support," and "math."
Student support services earn the highest salary when working in the education industry, where they receive an average salary of $38,009. Comparatively, social services assistants have the highest earning potential in the government industry, with an average salary of $38,533.When it comes to education, student support services tend to earn similar degree levels compared to social services assistants. In fact, they're 3.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Social services assistant 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 assistant
Updated January 8, 2025
