State of Maryland

A Social Work Supervisor, Health Services is a supervisory level of professional clinical social work providing direct social work services to clients in a special population in a health care setting.  Employees in this classification supervise lower-level Social Workers, Health Services.

Employees in this classification receive general supervision from a Social Work Program Administrator, Health Services, Social Work Manager, Health Services or program director.  The work is performed in accordance with the objectives and policies of the employing agency.  The nature of the work may require evening and weekend hours.  Work is performed in the Maryland Department of Health headquarters hospitals, residential facilities, clinics or local health units.

Positions in this classification are evaluated by using the classification job evaluation methodology.  The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work sections of the class specification.

The Social Work Supervisor, Health Services is differentiated from the Social Worker Advanced, Health Services in that the Social Work Supervisor, Health Services has supervisory responsibility for lower-level Social Workers, Health Services while the Social Worker Advanced, Health Services performs the advanced level of professional clinical social work with expertise in a specialty area of care.  The Social Work Supervisor, Health Services is differentiated from the Social Work Program Administrator, Health Services in that the Social Work Program Administrator, Health Services is responsible for planning and directing a Statewide social work program for a programmatic administration or, as Assistant Social Work Director, planning and directing direct social work services to clients in a special population in a health care setting through Social Work Supervisors.

Plans, coordinates, supervises and evaluates Social Workers, Health Services, social work interns and social work students;

Directs the work of a diversified social work program within a health setting for clients in a specialized population, such as mentally ill, developmentally disabled, physically disabled, chronically ill, geriatric, maternity, family planning, adolescents or substance abusers;

Conducts staff meetings to interpret policies and procedures, review progress reports, and coordinate other phases of the social work program;

Reviews case material to assure compliance to standards and procedures for providing social work services;

Evaluates existing social service programs and may initiate, modify or terminate programs as necessary;

Represents the agency in cooperative relationships with other agencies and institutions;

Assists in planning and conducting in-service training activities for social workers and other health services personnel;

Makes recommendations in regard to personnel or budgetary needs;

Administratively coordinates psychosocial and legal components required by the admissions and hearings processes;

Reviews and evaluates policies and procedures and makes recommendations to improve the quality of staff performance and client services;

Provides guidance and social work consultation to other members of the health care program in problematic case situations;

May coordinate a social service program with residential administrators in residential facilities to assure the delivery of service;

May attend and participate in committees to set standards for social work service and other service delivery;

May participate and represent the agency on committees and in professional social work organizations;

Performs other related duties.

Knowledge of clinical social casework principles and group work techniques;

Knowledge of medical and psychiatric terminology;

Knowledge of the psycho-social determinants and consequences of various diseases and disabilities;

Knowledge of individual, family and group behavioral patterns;

Knowledge of current social, economic and health programs and resources on local, state and national levels;

Knowledge of ways of working effectively with adults and children who have social, emotional or health problems and with their families;

Knowledge of recent developments, current literature and sources of information on clinical social work in a health setting;

Ability to plan and coordinate the work of a social work program in a health care setting;

Ability to review and evaluate case records to assure compliance to standards and conformance to policy;

Ability to apply social work techniques;

Ability to work with other staff, clients, families of clients and various community organizations;

Ability to review and evaluate policies and procedures and make recommendations to improve the quality of staff performance and client services;

Ability to express ideas clearly and concisely;

Ability to analyze and reach sound decisions based on case information;

Ability to plan, coordinate, supervise and evaluate lower-level Social Workers, Health Services, social work interns and social work students and support staff assigned to the program.

Education:   Determined by the Maryland State Board of Social Work Examiners under the licensing requirements for Social Workers.

Experience: Four years of experience rendering clinical social work services in a health care or treatment setting subsequent to the receipt of an approved Master’s degree in Social Work from an accredited college or university.

Note: Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience at a rank of Corporal/Petty Officer or higher as a commissioned officer in Social Work classifications or Social Work specialty codes in the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare field of work on a year-for-year basis for the required experience.

1. Employees in this classification must have a license as a Master Social Worker (approved for independent practice), Certified Social Worker or Certified Social Worker-Clinical issued by the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners.

2. Candidates appointed to positions in this classification may be assigned duties which require the operation of an automobile. Employees assigned such duties will be required to possess an appropriate operator's license valid in the State of Maryland.

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies. Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

This is a Professional Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Professional Service positions.  Some positions in Professional Service classifications may be designated as Special Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.

This classification is not assigned to a bargaining unit as indicated by the designation of S (supervisor), M (manager), T (agency head), U (Board or Commission member), W (student), X (Used by agency or excluded by executive order), or Z (confidential).  As provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial and confidential employees are excluded from collective bargaining.  Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and therefore, all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.

August 22, 2023