Residential Case Manager presso St. Catherine's Center for Children

RESIDENTIAL CASE MANAGER

Title: Case Manager, Residential

Location: Albany, NY  

Program: Residential Case Management

Type: Full-time / Non-Exempt

Pay Range: $22.06 – $25.18 (hourly)   

Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am – 4:00pm or 9am-5pm w/flexibility required, weekends as needed

Job Ref. #: 0116

Our Mission

St. Catherine's Center for Children provides a comprehensive range of human services designed to offer hope, foster growth, and improve the lives of the children, families and adults we serve.

Our Vision

St. Catherine’s willingness to embrace change and develop new services is, and will remain, our guiding philosophy as we support the human service needs of children, families, and adults throughout the region.

Position Overview

The Residential Case Manager (RCM) acts as the primary case manager and care coordinator for children placed in residential care. This case manager coordinates the facets of services for the child while in care -- medical services with the agency nursing department, mental health care with a therapist and psychiatrist, and educational matters with the children’s school. Additionally, the RCM monitors and supports the milieu treatment and actively engages with and communicates with the house staff linked to the child's care, treatment, and safety.

Position Requirements

• Ability to work: Monday - Friday, 8am-4pm OR 9am – 5pm w/ flexibility as needed.
• A Bachelor’s Degree in a human services, with a demonstrated capacity to work with people from diverse backgrounds, required.
• Experience working with clients who exhibit significant emotional, behavioral, and interpersonal challenges; mental health diagnoses and trauma history, preferred.
• Ability to provide safe transportation to a client in the worker’s personal vehicle, in the event that an Agency vehicle is not available for needed transportation.
• Flexibility to work non-traditional hours to accommodate client schedules, which may include evening and/or weekend hours, as necessary.
• Experience in the use of Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI), with ability to respond effectively and therapeutically in crisis situations. TCI Certification must be earned upon hire and maintained.
• A current Clean & Valid New York State Driver’s License (actively licensed at least one year) and reliable vehicle for transporting clients to community resources, meetings, etc. - with proof of 100/300 liability insurance coverage - is required*.
• Knowledge and the utilization of community resources.
• Excellent organization, planning and time management skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to build strong working relationships with regulatory bodies.
• Proficiency in computer applications: Microsoft Office Suite, Google Business Workspace Suite, and use secure Internet practices.
• Experience with AWARDS/ NYS Connections electronic record systems, is a plus!
• A professional record of integrity, proven reliability and dependability; with qualities of positivity, flexibility and adaptability.
• Capable of exercising ethical, independent judgment and discretion, and handle sensitive data with strict confidentiality.

*Staff in driving positions must be able to meet the minimum requirements of our agency’s insurance policy for authorized drivers; including, but not limited to the minimum age of 21 at time of hire. 

Essential Duties & Responsibilities include

• Act as liaison between child, family, school, the treatment team, and the referring agency; and the primary point of contact for the local department of social services caseworker and the child’s family.
• Arrange and supervise all child/family visitations; secure signed releases and consents from the family or agency of legal custody, including permission for the special trips and events which are beyond routine residence/school activities.
• Transport the child to visitation, court hearings, and other required meetings not occurring at the St. Catherine’s Center for Children program site, when necessary.
• Maintain regular contact and coordinating treatment with the Day Treatment School social worker when a child is enrolled in the SCCC day treatment school. When a client is enrolled in a school other than SCCC Day treatment, the RCM will maintain sufficient contact with that school to ensure the child is optimally benefiting from the educational placement. 
• Participate in Committee on Special Education (CSE) meetings and maintain contact with the SCCC and CSE chairperson.
• Liaise with child care staff and residence clinical staff through participation on the treatment team and during treatment reviews, service plan reviews, medication reviews, and staff meetings.
• Document treatment and casework as required by SCCC and regulating agencies including:
  • Completion of thorough and up-to-date progress notes in the electronic record, New York State (NYS) Connections.
  • Development of the service plan in Connections, given the assigned role and duties.
  • Court reports, correspondence with other agencies, social summaries.
  • Maintenance of accurate, up-to-date data on the child and family.
  • Completion of quarterly treatment reviews. 
  • Updating of permission release forms requiring parent signatures.
  • Collection and/or preparation of all materials necessary to bring records into compliance with internal agency and external regulations.
• In conjunction with the House Management Team, develop and maintain a therapeutic environment at the site.
• Implement the principles of motivational interviewing as an evidence-based practice as part of the therapeutic milieu at the program site and supporting activities for the children and families.
• Attend all court hearings pertaining to the placement, permanency, and treatment of the child and family.
• Directly observe all visits that require supervision as deemed by the county or court.
• As the primary liaison for the child/family, maintain flexible work hours, at the supervisor’s direction, to include evening hours outside of the traditional work day to accommodate family schedules if necessary. This may also include weekend hours on occasion.
• Assist, as needed, in the agency’s incorporation of elements of Family First Prevention Services legislation, including discharge planning, aftercare services, and ongoing changes requested by the NYS Office of Children and Family Services linked to the legislation; train in the Family Finding model.
• Develop the discharge plan for each assigned child, identifying the resources to promote a smooth transition out of care; participate in discharge activities to ensure solid case closure.
• Assume the role of Primary Contact Person, as assigned, to coordinate the discharge and aftercare activities that are part of agency protocols, completing assigned aftercare tasks.
• Function as a member of the direct care planning team, meeting with RMT members, unit child care supervisors, consultants, nurses, and social workers to evaluate and plan for the therapeutic milieu. 
• Assume additional position-related duties and responsibilities as assigned by the Supervisor of Residential Case Management.

What We Offer You**

• Competitive Pay with an Excellent Benefits Package
• Health Insurance options: Medical, Dental and Vision
• $600 Well-being Reimbursement Benefit
• Generous Combined Leave Time (CLT) and Paid Holidays! 
• $500 Employee Referral Bonus
• We are a 501(c) (3) agency, which is a qualifying employer for eligible staff under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
• Pension Plan with Generous Agency Contribution
• 403b Retirement Savings Plan
• Life Insurance – Automatic Benefit at no cost to employee
• Paid Training, including TCI and CPR/AED/First Aid Certification & Update courses, if role appropriate
• Tuition Reimbursement* & Travel/ Mileage Reimbursement
• Professional Development & Career Growth Opportunities
• The Comfort of a Business Casual Environment
• Our Commitment to Embrace & Foster Mindfulness, Relevance, Respect and Solidarity.

**To qualify, certain conditions may apply

About Us

St. Catherine’s Center for Children is a non-profit organization located in the Greater Capital Region of New York. We offer a wide array of human services designed to meet the needs of vulnerable children, families and adults, including 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 is committed to cultivating a culture where all employees feel safe to bring their authentic and best selves to the workplace. We are invested in fostering an equitable, inclusive and diversified workplace; collaboratively embracing mindfulness, relevance, respect and solidarity. 

If you would like to learn more about us or one of our many programs, please visit our website at: www.st-cath.org

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 Check

We are required to run a thorough and complete background check on All Candidates being considered for any position within our agency. Whether you are going to be a Permanent Employee, work with us through a staffing agency as a Temp, completing an Internship or perhaps you will be Volunteering with us. The background check includes Criminal Background Check (CBC) fingerprinting for the NYS Justice Center (NYS-JC) under the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS). Some positions require additional fingerprinting under the Office of Mental Health (OMH) and/or the Department of Health (DOH). All candidates must successfully clear the background check process, following NYS-DOJ requirements. We pay for all our background checks!