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About the Role

The Lead Family Specialist & Foster Parent Trainer provides support services, psycho-educational counseling, and skill-building to children and their families. This role assists the Home Finding Supervisor in managing training needs for families in the Foster Care and Kinship Program, carrying a small caseload of up to three clients. The position serves as a liaison between the treatment team and community services, and collaborates with supervisors to ensure quality services and professional development for foster parents.

Responsibilities

Regularly update the agency’s Family Specialist Training Manual and provide training sessions.
Provide follow-up 1:1 support for newly hired family specialists with the State CONNECTIONS system and St. Catherine’s AWARDS electronic record system.
Oversee development of admission notes and initial Service Plans.
Schedule and attend quarterly Service Plan Reviews, revising plans as needed.
Provide consultation and supervision to foster parents, ensuring effective treatment procedures through home visits and phone consultations.
Evaluate treatment, parenting, and care of the child, maintaining records for each placement.
Incorporate ongoing training with the program supervisor into cluster meetings.
Collect and review documentation records kept by foster parents.
Maintain contact with child’s birth family and arrange visits.
Coordinate services and advocate for the child with community agencies, schools, and mental health agencies.
Document caseworker contacts and treatment progress in progress notes and FASPS in the New York State “Connections” computer system.
Engage with the child's family using strength-based approaches to develop a partnership.
Assess family needs and make appropriate referrals for the child’s birth family or legal guardian.
Facilitate the relationship between foster parents and birth parents.
Convene and facilitate parent groups for both birth and professional parents.
Provide 24-hour on-call availability for foster parents on a rotating basis.
Work closely with clinical consultants, psychiatrists, and other professionals providing services to the child.
Prepare written Discharge Summaries when client children are discharged from the Therapeutic Family Programs.
Coordinate the child's medical care with the nursing department and foster parent, including transportation to appointments.
Supervise visits using the “Coached Family Visits Model”.
Attend psychiatric medication reviews, providing updates on the child's functioning.
Coordinate all aspects of recruitment for Therapeutic Foster Care and Kinship Program of professional foster parents.
Present Therapeutic Foster Care and Kinship Programs and describe the job of professional foster parents to groups.
Reach out and recruit families as part of the Home Finding Recruitment and Retention plan.
Screen prospective Professional Foster Care Parents.
Assist with the certification process of new foster/kinship family homes.
Coordinate with Family Specialists to identify Kinship Relative/Non-Relatives.
Conduct initial face-to-face interviews and orientations with parent applicants.
Follow up with parent applicants.
Approve homes and investigate Professional Parents, including home inspections and writing home studies.
Assist and train in NTDC preparation and training for Professional Foster Parents.
Assist and train in Deciding Together, Care for Our Own, and KinGap training for Professional Foster/Kinship Parents.
Implement preplacement training program for Professional Foster Parents.
Plan foster parent meetings and training.
Track training hours of all Foster/Kinship Boarding homes.
Ensure CPR training is up-to-date for foster families.
Evaluate and support treatment, foster parenting, and care of the child.
Complete other position-related duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in a human service area with a demonstrated capacity to work with a diverse range of people.
A Clean & Valid New York State Driver’s License (actively licensed at least one year) and reliable vehicle for transporting clients.
The capacity to enter the lives of clients and accept their limitations.
Experience working in a Human Services agency.
Ability to collaborate with other team members.
Basic computer skills are highly desirable.
Ability to work flexible hours to accommodate client schedules, which may include evening and/or weekend hours.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build strong working relationships with regulatory bodies.
Excellent organization, planning and time management skills.
Proficiency in various computer applications: Microsoft Office Suite, Google Business Workspace Suite, and use secure Internet practices.
Self-motivated and engaged, with a strong attention to detail; Excellent writing aptitude.
A kind, warm and caring mindset; Capable of exhibiting empathy for those in need.
Capable of exhibiting empathy for those in need.
Ability to nurture and show compassion and understanding for clients/children in crisis.
Professional record of integrity, proven reliability and dependability, with qualities of positivity, flexibility and adaptability.
Capable of exercising ethical, independent judgment and discretion; handle sensitive family and individual data with strict confidentiality.
Staff in driving positions must be able to meet the agency’s minimum requirements of our insurance policy for authorized drivers; including, but not limited to the minimum age of 21 at time of hire, and the ability to maintain insurability throughout employment.
Ability to drive a properly insured motor vehicle for home visits and client transportation.
Ability to complete written documentation as required by St. Catherine’s policy and regulating agencies.
Ability to assess and develop written treatment plans, utilizing the Sanctuary model and other models of care.
Ability and capacity to provide on-call coverage for emergency and crisis situations.
Physical capacity to complete activities with children.
Ability to supervise, counsel, and provide emotional support to foster parents.
Ability to identify children’s mental health needs and relay those areas of need to others on the treatment team.
Ability to work flexible hours, outside of regularly scheduled work hours.
Ability to relate to and communicate with a wide range of people, including those who are culturally and socio-economically diverse, and those with various developmental and functional levels.
Ability to manage one’s own emotional reactivity and make appropriate professional judgments under stressful circumstances.
Ability to understand, represent, and uphold the mission, values, and philosophy of St. Catherine’s Center for Children, while adhering to policies, protocols, state laws, and regulations.
Excellent communication skills (written/verbal); Outstanding interpersonal skills with the ability to build strong working relationships with staff, service providers, professionals, and regulatory bodies.
Value a nurturing family as the ideal environment for a person.
Confidence in the principle that people have the capacity to grow and change.
Ability and conceptualizations necessary to embrace and work effectively within a therapeutic-based program.
Work effectively in a shared decision-making model as a team member.
Ability to listen attentively to others’ opinions and perspectives, and to resolve disagreements respectfully.
Ability to establish and maintain a respectful relationship with persons-served, helping them gain skills and confidence, empowering them to solve their own problems.
Knowing when to intervene appropriately to assist in meeting service goals, while also setting appropriate limits and boundaries.
Ability to function well in a high-paced and, at times, stressful environment.
Ability to collaborate effectively as a team member within a shared decision-making model.
Ability to effectively manage (in a timely manner) the varied tasks of the position.
Ability to meet HIPAA requirements and maintain strict client confidentiality is essential.

Skills

Psycho-educational counseling
Skill-building
Training
Case documentation
Treatment planning
Supervision
Consultation
Advocacy
Interpersonal communication
Organization
Planning
Time management
Microsoft Office Suite
Google Business Workspace Suite
Secure Internet practices
Writing
Empathy
Compassion
Ethical judgment
Discretion
Confidentiality
Collaboration
Problem-solving
Crisis management
Therapeutic-based program implementation
Shared decision-making
Active listening
Conflict resolution
Relationship building
Limit setting
Boundary setting
HIPAA compliance

Location

Albany, NY

Work Type

Full-time
Hybrid (office/remote)
Hourly

Experience Level

Lead

Education Level

Bachelor’s Degree in a human service area

Salary/Compensations

$23.60 - $25.69 per hour

Benefits

Pension Plan with agency contribution
403(b) Retirement Savings
Student Loan Forgiveness (Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program)
Travel and mileage reimbursements
Comprehensive Health Insurance (Medical, Dental, Vision)
Well-being Reimbursement ($600 annually)
Generous Combined Leave Time (CLT)
Paid holidays
Employer-paid Life Insurance
Paid Certifications & Training (Therapeutic Crisis Intervention, CPR/AED/First Aid)
Tuition Assistance
Career Advancement opportunities

About the Company

St. Catherine’s Center for Children is a non-profit organization located in the Greater Capital Region of New York.
Offers a wide array of human services designed to meet the needs of vulnerable children, families and adults, including residential and therapeutic foster care programs, Kinship support, homeless and community-based services, and a special education elementary school.
Committed to cultivating a culture where all employees feel safe to bring their authentic and best selves to the workplace.
Invested in fostering an equitable, inclusive and diversified workplace; collaboratively embracing mindfulness, relevance, respect and solidarity.
Mission: To provide a comprehensive range of human services designed to offer hope, foster growth, and improve the lives of the children, families, and adults we serve.
Vision: Our willingness to embrace change and develop new services is, and will remain, our guiding philosophy as we support the human service needs of our community.

Equal Opportunity

St. Catherine’s Center for Children is deeply committed to creating a diverse, inclusive environment and is 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, pregnancy, family history, genetics, disability, age, military status, veteran status, political affiliation, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.