ADMINISTRATOR PSYCHIATRIC SOCIAL SERVICES

Definition

Under direction of the Clinical Director in a psychiatric hospital, or other supervisory official, is responsible for developing and maintaining an ongoing system of professional supervision and ongoing professional staff growth and development programs; maintains a high level of performance standards and a system of peer review; meets and maintains quality assurance and Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) standards; participates in program planning, development, delivery, and evaluation of a coordinated and unified institutional and community based service delivery system as may be assigned; performs related work as required.

Examples of work

• In consultation with Clinical Director, Assistant Hospital Administrators, treatment team leaders, and other discipline heads assists in identifying and defining treatment rehabilitation and service program needs of patients based on pertinent assessment instruments and other data.
• Provides assistance in establishing clinical standards, objectives, and policies for program services in accordance with hospital policies, state and national standards, and licensing and certification standards.
• Reviews and proposes staffing needs and patterns for program social services in consultation with Clinical Director, Assistant Hospital Administrators, and other discipline heads.
• Participates in recruitment and selection of social service staff and has the responsibility of monitoring the clinical performance of staff and effectively recommending hiring, firing, promoting, and/or disciplining of social service staff and reassignment when indicated.
• Provides or ensures the provision of professional clinical and management supervision of all social service staff within content of established professional standards.
• Responsible for ensuring coordinated/integrated mental health social services between the community, division and institution's operating components.
• Conducts regularly scheduled discipline staff meetings for evaluation of programs and social service participation in these programs, coordination of social service function, problem identification and resolution, dissemination of information, and policy interpretations.
• Initiates, reviews, and approves discipline related budget requests and rationales.
• Interprets and relays to other professional staff ways of ensuring maximum utilization of the social services.
• Assesses training needs of social service staff and participates in training as trainer for those programs recommended by Training Director, Quality Assurance, Clinical Director, or hospital policy.
• Recommends, reviews, and approves continuing education requests made by social service staff. Ensures that advancement programs and career opportunities are made available to social service staff.
• Participates in developing and integrating programs of professional training with university and college training units and ensures professional supervision for participating students.
• Ensures that each unit is adequately staffed based on patient population/case mix characteristics.
• Reviews and proposes staffing needs and patterns for social services.
• Evaluates Social Service policies and procedures, forms, and processes to ensure maximum efficiency of work flow, as well as adherence to current practices of psychiatric social work.
• Ensures that Social Service Department functions are properly coordinated with those of other clinical disciplines and that information is mutually exchanged as appropriate.
• Participates in all administrative meetings as required (e.g., Executive Management, Executive Committee of the Medical Staff).
• Oversees care given to patients and ensures the use of correct techniques and proper diagnoses from a medical/psychiatric point of view.
• Reviews patient assessments and ensures adherence to established guidelines.
• Reviews treatments plans, leading to patient discharge, and ensures appropriateness and adherence to established guidelines.
• Participates in selection process of subordinate staff.
• Ensures that clinical privileges granted to social workers through credentials process are appropriate to education and experience of each incumbent.
• Participates in the selection process of subordinate staff.
• Responsible for participation in hospital's Quality Improvement (QI) program.
• Participates in the planning of patient discharge and aftercare planning through collaboration with community providers and agencies.
• Monitors centralized discharge referral system and ensures Placement Unit staff make patients' congregate care housing placements and provides for patients' financial assistance/income maintenance.
• Directs the hospital's Interim Assistance Program (IAP) for patients, in concert with the Business Manager.
• Fosters collaborative working relationship with hospital and community services coordinator (and with community providers supervised) to ensure open communication and maximum access for patients to community resources for aftercare.
• Provides input to census reduction strategies in collaboration with Medical Director and CEO.
• Revises policies and procedures on an ongoing basis to ensure efficiency as well as appropriate clinical care for at-risk patients.
• Gives assignments and instructions to assigned employees.
• Supervises and evaluates the performance of a staff of subordinates.
• Prepares clear, technically sound, accurate, and informative narrative and statistical information and prepares reports containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations which impact on improved delivery of services, greater collaborative working relationship between disciplines, and increased effectiveness of programs.
• Will be required to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.

Education

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's degree supplemented by a Master's degree in Social Work from an accredited school of social work.

Experience

Five (5) years of post Master's experience in social work in a psychiatric setting, three (3) years of which shall have included supervisory experience in Psychiatric Social Work.

License

Appointee will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform the essential duties of the position.

Knowledge, skills and abilities

• Knowledge of rules, regulations and policies as they relate to the delivery of social services.
• Knowledge of state, federal, and Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), laws, rules and regulations, and guidelines, governing the provision of social services.
• Knowledge of the procedures used in social work concerned with the rehabilitation of psychiatric clients and the process involved in the service of physical welfare, social adjustment, employment, and treatment of emotional, social, and mental disabilities.
• Knowledge of the design, development, and implementation of program services aimed at treatment of emotional, mental, and social disabilities.
• Knowledge of administrative and related problems met in applying the concepts of social work and mental health to psychiatric clients.
• Knowledge and understanding of community support, resources, and services agencies.
• Knowledge of problems encountered in giving assignments and instructions to groups and individuals and supervising the performance of their work.
• Knowledge of effective supervisory techniques.
• Knowledge of Program of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT), Individual Case Management Services (ICMS), and residential programmatic opportunities/initiatives.
• Ability to work effectively with supervisors, associates, subordinates, heads of other disciplines, and with community persons and groups.
• Ability to effectively supervise, motivate, and evaluate the performance of a staff of subordinates assigned to the unit.
• Ability to organize and develop appropriate work programs, schedules and procedures.
• Ability to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
• Ability to read, write, speak, understand, or communicate in English sufficiently to perform the duties of this position. American Sign Language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication.
• Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible as long as they can perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.

Note

The examples of work for this title are for illustrative purposes only. A particular position using this title may not perform all duties listed in this job specification. Conversely, all duties performed on the job may not be listed.