Location: Albany,NY, USA
About Our Organization:
St. Catherine's Center for Children is a leading non-profit organization in New York's Greater Capital District. Our comprehensive range of human services reach more than 1,000 children, 600 families, and hundreds of adults across Upstate New York each year. Our multi-faceted programs are designed to offer hope, foster growth, and improve the lives of the children, families, and adults we serve. We offer residential and therapeutic foster care programs for children and youth, Kinship support, homeless and community-based services for adults and families, a special education elementary school for ages 5-13, and so much more.
St. Catherine's employs more than 300 full and part-time staff. Our spectrum of services for children, families and individuals suffering from the lasting effects of abuse and neglect, family instability, mental illness, homelessness and other ongoing traumas, continues to grow. We are committed to cultivating a culture where all employees can bring their authentic and best selves to the workplace. Our DEI-B initiatives are designed to support and build a more equitable, inclusive and diversified workplace, one which exemplifies true respect and dignity.
Function:
To maintain a caseload (families and/or children), providing direct casework services to consumers enrolled in the Prevention Parent Care Program.
Duties/Responsibilities:
+ To provide concrete outreach and advocacy services to developmentally disabled parents and/or mental health clients and/or their children; provide supportive case management.
+ Assist parents/children in development of social support system:
-help parents locate and use community resources
-help parents become involved in activities to reduce isolation
-assist child and/or family and community/school staff in understanding and addressing the needs of children related to their disabilities to minimize interruption in a child's education.
+ To be a resource for parents regarding a child's growth and development
+ To be a resource for any needed referrals for additional services
+ Provide intensive in-home support to family/caregiver to secure child's safety; provide guidance with home management skills (nutrition, marketing, budgeting, meal planning), child safety and supervision
+ To be familiar with areas of Child Abuse and Neglect
+ To maintain a high degree of confidentiality
+ To maintain regular contact with other service providers to the family including Albany County DCYF
+ To meet at least bi-weekly with the Prevention Supervisor for scheduled supervision
+ To participate actively in treatment planning for each family
+ To provide psycho-educational training that addresses specific issues that disrupt successful functioning in the community with emphasis on triggers that create anxiety and frustration
+ To be available to family in times of crisis
+ Additional position-related duties and responsibilities as assigned by the supervisor
+ To provide transportation for family as needed.
+ Ability to meet with families at times that are convenient for them.
+ To coordinate Team Meetings, Service Plan Reviews, intake and discharge meetings with families as well as collateral providers
+ Complete FASPS for each family in a timely manner in collaboration with DCYF and other community providers.
+ Supervise visitation with children and families whose children are in the care and custody of the county.
Organizational Relationships:
Work under the direct supervision of the Prevention Supervisor as assigned. Work collaboratively with other program and agency staff to ensure integrated services to client treatment plan.
Position Specifications:
+ Bachelors Degree in Human Services or Social Work required
+ Outreach experience with multi-problem families
+ Clean and valid NYS driver's license
+ Meet criteria outlined in the Revised Policy for Agency Drivers
+ Ability to work with developmentally disabled clients, and adult/child mental health patients
+ Knowledge of community resources
+ Knowledge of child development, child abuse/neglect, and the Social Welfare System
Essential Functions:
+ Emotional stability with the capacity to separate personal issues from client issues.
+ Mobility, in terms of home visits to client homes, and make other on-site contacts with referring agencies, collaborative agencies, foster homes, etc.
+ Ability to relate to a wide range of people. This includes but is not limited to a broad range of people who are culturally and socio-economically diverse, as well as people with various developmental and functional levels
+ Ability to write and understand the written word with special emphasis on required documentation including progress notes, FASPs and other Connections entries, as well as AWARDS system entries within expected time frames from contract source, the Albany County Department for Children Youth and Families.
+ Ability to safely transport young children which may include lifting and carrying a young infant and/ or toddler
+ Need to own a vehicle for getting to case related duties as well as for transporting clients.
+ Ability to work flexible hours outside of scheduled work hours within reason
+ Ability to understand, communicate with, represent and carry out the mission, values, philosophy and policies of St. Catherine's Center for Children
+ Ability to conduct him/ herself in a manner that is becoming of an employee of St. Catherine's Center for Children
+ Ability to work effectively in a shared decision making model as a team member
+ Ability to establish a respectful relationship with persons served to help them gain skills and confidence
+ Ability to work collaboratively with other personnel and/ or service providers or professionals
+ The capacity to maintain a helping role and to intervene appropriately to meet service goals
+ Ability to set appropriate limits
+ Ability to carry out written documentation as required by St. Catherine's policies and procedures and as required by regulating agencies
+ Ability to organize and effectively manage (in a timely manner) the varied tasks of the position
+ Ability to carry out a restraint.
+ Ability to drive, in order to transport clients to appointments as needed.
+ Ability to work with automated data processing (i.e., computer) systems to enter and retrieve information
+ Ability to use a keyboard to accomplish same
+ Ability to verify accuracy of information entered and contained within data processing systems
+ A commitment to empowering others to solve his/ her own problems.
+ Valuing a nurturing family as the ideal environment for a person.
+ A conviction about the capacity of people to grow and change.
+ The ability to establish a respectful relationship with persons served to help them gain skills and confidence.
+ The capacity to maintain a helping role and to intervene appropriately to meet service goals.
+ The ability to set appropriate limits.
EEO Statement: St. Catherine's Center for Children is committed to creating a diverse environment and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, reproductive health and pregnancy, family history and genetics, disability, age, military status, veteran status, politics, or other beliefs, and any other characteristics protected by law.
Background Checks : We run a thorough and complete pre-employment background check on all candidates being considered for a position, this includes fingerprinting. All candidates must successfully clear the pre-employment background check process, which follows NYS/DOJ requirements. We pay for all pre-employment background checks!