Job Information
St. Catherine's Center for Children Director of Residential Services in Albany, New York
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:
The Director of Residential Services is responsible for the oversight of organization, planning, administration and evaluation of child care services and the therapeutic milieu for the Residential Program. The Director works under the leadership and supervision of the Executive Director.
Duties/Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
Administers the Residential Program according to the regulations set forth by the New York State Office of Child and Family Services, and according to the policies and philosophy of Saint Catherine’s Center for Children.
The Director manages daily group living and behavior management support operations for Residential Programs.
Directly supervises House Managers.
Works collaboratively with Human Resources and the Finance office to ensure compliance with policies and procedures required by these departments.
Manages the hiring, coaching, counseling and sometimes involuntary separation of child care specialists in conjunction with House Managers and Human Resources personnel.
Maintains agency personnel practices and standards for those in their charge, completing all required evaluations and other required documentation for supervisees.
In collaboration with the Centralized Intake department, ensures staff participation in residential intake meetings and ensures timely admissions for children entering the Residential Programs.
Ensures that all staff follow centralized purchasing procedures, and procedures for the distribution and accounting of petty cash, activity funds, dietary, and other program purchases.
Ensures that the monthly child care staffing schedule is completed two weeks prior to the start of the month and that weekly updates to the monthly schedule are developed and posted as needed.
Ensures residential child care coverage for each shift, according to required ratios.
Ensures required supervisory coverage for each shift.
Ensures that the House Managers plan, develop and post weekly program activity schedules as required in collaboration with the Supervisor of Recreation and Community Engagement.
Ensures that all meetings are scheduled and conducted as prescribed, including House Management Team, Residential Management Team, Residential/Education Admin Meeting, Staff Meetings and that staff attend and fully participate in the meetings as assigned.
Ensures that overtime limitations are maintained as required, and collaborates with the Finance Department and Human Resources to run overtime reports and intervene according to agency policy.
Ensures that all program documentation/logs/records are completed by staff, including AWARDS data entry, as required by agency policy and regulatory bodies.
Is responsible for scheduling on-call supervision coverage.
Facilitates weekly meetings of Residential Management Team fostering communication and interdependency between the child care, clinical, case management, recreation, training and centralized intake teams.
Directs the communications between the residential leadership team and day treatment leadership teams so that there is integrated service planning for the children who belong to both programs.
Ensures that childcare staff are trained in and use effective behavior management and TCI strategies are consistent with the agency Behavioral Management and Support Guidelines; models effective behavior management strategies & techniques while engaged with clients.
Ensures that required Post Crisis Response steps are conducted for youth, parents, and staff following critical incidents.
Actively engages parents/guardians in group living, behavior management and treatment planning and fosters positive partnership s with Residential Programs.
Ensures active participation by child care staff in assessment and treatment planning, in accordance with the policies and procedures required by agency and regulatory bodies.
Ensures the House Managers are facilitating weekly House Management Team meetings.
Works collaboratively with Quality Assurance and Maintenance to assure compliance with building and program regulations.
Coordinates with the Maintenance Supervisor and staff for effective planning and ensures that staff follow procedures developed by the Maintenance Department as required.
Coordinates with the Director of Food and Nutrition Services and ensures that staff follow nutrition program policies and procedures as prescribed.
Ensures timely review and response by assigned supervisors for all incident reports involving childcare and behavior management support staff, according to required agency and regulatory protocols/procedures.
Attends and participates in House Management Team, Treatment Team, Staff and client meetings as needed.
Ensures planning and implementation of quality Summer Programs for children who do not attend summer school.
In conjunction with the Director of Training and Professional Development, ensures provision of orientation and on-going training for all group living and behavior management support staff and that staff participate as scheduled in all required trainings.
Participates in monthly Quality Assurance and Critical Incident Review meetings Director of Continuous Quality Improvement.
Develop and implement the strategic planning map for the residential program.
Participates in department on-call coverage for the Residential Department.
Works collaboratively with Agency and Development Office to support program and agency needs.
Additional position related duties and responsibilities as assigned
Position Specifications/Requirements:
Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field of study with a minimum of five years of supervisory experience in group child care, behavior management support, or related field, required.
Master's Degree in a relevant field of study with a minimum of three years of supervisory experience in group child care, behavior management support, or related field, is preferred.
Must have a Clean and Valid New York State Driver’s License, with driving experience for at least one year, and the ability to meet criteria as outlined in the Policy for Agency Drivers.
Experience with children and youth exhibiting serious emotional, behavioral, and interpersonal challenges.
Experience in the use of Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI), with the ability to respond effectively and therapeutically in crisis situations .
Excellent organization, planning and time management skills.
Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build strong working relationships with regulatory bodies; capacity to exhibit empathy for those in need.
Proficiency in various computer applications such as Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel), Google Business Suite (Google Sheets, Docs, Meet), as well as the Internet.
Experience with AWARDS / Connections, a plus!
Ability to function well in a high-paced and at times, stressful environment.
Ability to handle sensitive data with strict confidentiality.
Self-motivated and engaged, with a strong attention to detail; Excellent writing aptitude.
Demonstrated placidity and patience; flexibility and adaptability.
Must be willing and able to work in close proximity with the clients we serve.
Ability to pass required pre-employment background checks, to include fingerprinting.
What We Offer*:
Competitive Pay with an E xcellent Benefits P ackage
Health Insurance options: M edical, D ental and V ision
Generous Combined Leave Time and Holiday Pay
$500 Employee Referral Bonus*
Professional Development & Career Growth Opportunities
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 Aggressive Agency contribution
Life Insurance – Automatic Benefit!
Paid Training & Tuition Reimbursement*
Travel/ Mileage Reimbursement*
Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
The Comfort of a Business Casual Environment.
- some conditions may apply
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!