clinician

case manager

counselor

social worker

case planner

Cayuga Centers

I gave Cayuga 2 solid years of my teaching career in the U.C program and I must say , having the opportunity to work with unaccompanied minor children just captured a special place in my heart and I look back fondly on the memories I built. It just so happened to also be a transformative opportunity for my career from a teaching perspective because for 2 years I taught core subjects in a bilingual setting. In the grand scheme of things the work itself was very enjoyable and rewarding, and the staff was full of some very collegial and respectable people who were driven and focused on the mission of the education. I believe this is where the praise ends. 

Cayuga is basically a giant organization which sells the product of providing all of these foster care and other forms of care. In this regard I have seen from the inside as a worker bee in the machine , an organization that underpays , micromanages , and is unrelenting towards its employees while demanding the totality of their lives in commitment . It pushes itself too thin and in order to hit its targets and maintain more contracts it clearly hires and pushes unqualified people within its very cult-like leadership. While I greatly enjoyed the work and working relationship with my colleagues , when time came for my partner to have our first child I knew immediately that I either needed a promotion or I had to leave. 

As 1 of the few distinguished educators within the staff , I had developed a reputation for someone concerned with the genuine educational gains of the minors and this greatly contrasted with the agency's concern being the number of children in care , which shifted our priorities and created situations which were harmful to the educational process such as bloated classrooms, mismanagement of talent, not allocating resources properly , and so much more.  I was vocal in meetings and challenged admin openly to be transparent, this was not well received under new leadership. Eventually I was shunned and denied admin jobs because they knew they were going to get an advocate for teachers and students . 

The straw that broke the camels back came when I was working my last few weeks before going on paternity leave , this was my second time around and I was looking forward to taking the last 2 weeks . I remember that I was struggling to get to work on time and my manager was deducting the time from my PTO which I needed incase any emergencies came up with my 6 month old. The MTA was generally unreliable but Cayuga was unrelenting, I found myself at times taking ubers and just  trying to desperately run the gauntlet because I did not want to get written up, and somewhere along the way I realized, hey , this is not how I deserve to be treated , and I am out , and I left so quickly that I resigned with no notice and luckily I have been much happier since. 

I recommend this place if you need to build experience , nothing more nothing less. 

I truly loved to work with everyone at Cayuga Centers. Everyone had such a great attitude towards their work and kept the focus on providing care for the children the program provides support for. They knew that in the grand scheme of things, the mission of the organization was what was most important and all of the staff I forged strong working relationships with never managed to lose sight of that. I loved the IT challenges faced daily working for a non-profit, from maintaining redundancy as well as availability with our data, to making sure everything we did on our network was as secure as possible (we were consistently audited by the state every quarter). We would provide best-effort solutions while providing a foundation to a long term fixes once we would obtain the budgetary flexibility to do so.

The work culture is extremely toxic. Not the best place to work unless you have the mental strength to deal with the environment. They have a tendency to avoid trying to pay staff overtime wages by overworking their employees during a standard work day enough to cause burnout, which explains why the turnover percentage among employees is extremely high, although they will cite that it's because social work is not for everyone. People don't leave jobs, they leave managers, and the amount of "Former Employee" emails people receive in their inboxes at Cayuga Centers on any given week speaks volumes about the morale. 

Often, you'll be focused more on organizational projects than departmental ones that would be a lot more beneficial to the organization as whole. The organization routinely asks a lot of staff to take on far more work than what they were clearly be capable of taking on, in which a lot of staff go above and beyond to do, and the work is never rewarded or recognized by those who manage. The internal joke with staff was that "You never really volunteer, you're voluntold to do things", which has became commonplace as of this review.

The job has significant amounts of scope creep, so be aware that eventually what you were originally hired for won't matter, because what you perceive your job to be is entirely different than what management thinks about your role. Some people thrive on challenges, but some thrive more on consistency/stability. Cayuga is also extremely understaffed. 
Their ratio of current employee to Computer technician ratio is about 1 technician to every 200 employees. 

You will also need to get certifications on your own. Cayuga doesn't consider technical certifications under their tuition reimbursement program.

If you are a social worker and you have a heart, run as fast as you can. You will be unappreciated and overworked. The recruiter told me this was a 9 to 5, and so did the person doing the interviews. It is a gigantic lie. You will be sitting at your cubicle at 8pm just trying to catch up on paperwork and they also expect you to come in on Saturdays just to file. 
You are told your caseload will be 12, another lie. Everyone in my team had 18 cases and the documentation required is just impossible for one clinician to do in time. 
Upper management comes up with new things for you to do, such as running groups, or covering at the other center with literally a few hours notice. You can't even reserve rooms to see your minors because there are not enough assessment rooms. In the rare occasion that you do get them, you have to cancel because management wants you to do something else. 
Case pay is a form of modern slavery. You can see your 18 minors that week, complete your progress notes, but don't you dare get sick that Friday because you will not get paid for that extra work. 
You are expected to attend many meetings which most of them are just to waste your time. Time is very important in this job since you want to give quality therapy to your minors, but management does not care about that. You are rushed during your sessions because someone is standing outside waiting for you to finish with that room. Good luck trying to eat lunch while you work here, you will not have time. 
They also don't mention during the interview that you have to be on call for a whole week, while at the same time expected to be at work at 9am. So you will be on the phone with cps at 3am and still go to work and see your 18 minors. This place is a horrible place to work. The only good thing was my interactions with my minor, their sponsors, and my coworkers. 
The retention rate is extremely low, because they put a lot of effort into hiring people but none whatsoever into keeping the ones already there.
There are so many issues with this place. Don't be tempted by the salary, unless you don't mind not having a life and always being tired.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The feeling of fulfillment when working with the clients and their families/foster families and being able to provide services that are built to help them grow after living a life of trauma, adjustment, anxiety, developmental setbacks, and many other difficulties.  The best part is the team environment where I feel included and heard.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
When clients cancel, do not ask questions, or that they simply do not answer the door when they have been referred and you are trying to get them started.  It feels like there is a disconnect with the referral process from those that do the referring or the potential time it may take to be accepted due to the need for quality workers to accept new clients.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment is diverse, team oriented, and willing to listen to your questions, concerns, and opportunities for more.  They frequently offer trainings to enhance learning/knowledge, and encourage growth, promoting self-care within the hubs, and cross-hub connections.  

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day depends on the day!  I work a hybrid schedule so there are days where I may begin at home, making calls, typing notes, or heading straight to sessions in the field (home and community based) to conduct sessions, assessments, establish medical necessity.  I was also recently promoted to a supervisor position so I will check in with my staff and my interns as needed, sign in to meetings, check on paperwork, emails, coordinate and collaborate.  My days are sometimes long, but I never FEEL like they are.  They are just days where sometimes I feel like I've accomplished a ton and other days where I feel like my "To Do" List is never ending because it keeps growing. :D  I love what I do.  I love my team, I love my clients.

My experience in Cayuga was wonderful and full of growth. I acquired many skills while working in this center. A typical day at Cayuga looks like serving different groups ex: foster parents, immigrant children, social workers, therapist, doctors, executive offices and teachers. My responsibilities entailed to serve as a receptionist for a New York City Region Offices, respond to 'assistance request phone calls' along with door assistance in a positive and respectful manner, act as the 'first point of contact' for Cayuga Centers guests, project a professional, friendly and helpful presence, assist with organizational and clerical duties as assigned,
create and ensure UC sponsor packets and other New York City program packets are readily available, assist with file organization, storage, and filing, file paperwork in each program file as needed.
Daily retrieval of mail and various errands as assigned, ensure all necessary UC and other New York City paperwork templates are readily available, ensure office organization, conduct clothes ordering, tracking, and distribution, conduct food ordering and processing for the UC orientation and Cayuga Centers educational learning program, and other New York City programs, conduct office supply audits as needed, sort and distribute agency mail, provide back up to other clerical staff as needed, attend required training, read required books, responsible for complying with rules and regulations governing access to Protected Health Information under HIPAA, access to Protected Health Information is limited to the extent required to perform responsibilities effectively and efficiently. The essential job functions as described, herein, dictate the level of access, use, and disclosure of confidential information.
Perform other duties as requested by your immediate supervisor or the Chief Executive Officer.

If you are looking for a place to work that actually cares about their employees, as well as their consumers which they serve, then Cayuga Centers is where you want to work!

Cayuga Centers embraces a work/life balance, offering a great set of time off benefits, including vacation time, sick time, personal time, and 10 holidays. Employees are able to work in an environment that enables them to grow and change to become as successful as they can be in their jobs, with weekly supervisions and monthly all staff meetings to keep everyone in the loop and on the same page. Managers are easily approachable and support departments are amazing at what they do. Those who are not in the Residential Treatment Programs get an hour paid lunch, as well. Direct care staff are able to witness a rewarding transition from our consumers that can be truly heart warming!

Cayuga Centers prides itself on all of its employees' work to reflect its competencies, unifying the organization. Many fundraising events are held and employees from multiple different locations (Auburn, Monroe, Bronx, Syracuse, Oneida, Ontario, Oswego, and Seneca) are always eager to be involved! It is such a welcoming atmosphere!

If this review sounds like the environment in which you think you could excel in, please send your resume to Cayuga Centers! That is what I did and it has proved to be the most beneficial and wonderful decision that I have ever made!

What is the best part of working at the company?
You have the opportunity to work, keep families together, and bring those who have been divided back together. This could imply a short-term foster placement while issues at home are rectified. It could imply working within the family home to provide evidence-based therapy and skill-building.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
When there is a significant volume of kids crossing the border, the caseload can reach up to 20 cases within two weeks.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment is largely up to the individual. Some supervisors care enough to help you, while others are more concerned with your risk assessment and brief interventions, as well as your adherence to ORR policy and regulation. You hear the word "team" all the time at first, but in the end, you need to focus on completing your work and keeping your sanity intact. Employee morale is also low as a result of the mass layoffs. They informed us unexpectedly one day. There was no transparency regarding budget reduction and layoffs.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
You dealt with roughly 4-5 kids every day during intakes, which were held every day. In a week, you could be dealing with 10-15 cases and ensuring that your clinical notes, collateral contact, and other necessary interventions are followed. Ensure that the minors folder is updated and that you speak with the foster parents and sponsor to ensure that everyone is on the same page.

I worked as a Clinician little over 5 months. The only thing that I found rewarding working at Cayuga Centers is the interactions with the minors and witnessing the reunification for the families with the unaccompanied minors.

The negative aspects of the job were: poor management, high case loads, unrealistic deadlines and documentation. The work environment is chaotic and the workers are stressed due to high case loads and constant changes in immigration policies and internal changes within the management team and work structure. 

The long period of hours being at work unexpectedly due to any crisis or writing a report that was a deadline to be completed. The program itself is unorganized. There are many different supervisors that think certain actions should be taken differently instead working together. There are lot of paper work for a Clinician alone that is unrealistic. When posting a employment make sure that CC is completely honest that this is not a 9-5pm work. They should change the time for something else because I would leave super late at night to come back early in the morning to do it all over again which produce burnouts. 

I would work long period of time even working on the weekend.. The constant changes of the government or the agency policies was too much. The large amount of extended caseload due to not having many clinicians is a lot. The job affect my health due to the high level of stress and a lot deadlines that were supposed to be done were never able to complete on time.

Hello Everyone, let me start and say Cayuga Centers has changed my life in a special way and I will tell you why I choose to stay.  I recently made 4 years and I've seen many staff change positions or leave, as well as Management.  I have always been treated fairly and for the most part with respect.  Cayuga Centers offers good insurance, 401k benefits, and generous PTO.  They also gave a fair raise not too long ago. You get a raise about every year or so.  They also provide tuition reimbursement and plenty of opportunities for professional growth (e.g completion of CEU credits, trainings, etc.).  I work for the Learning Center and I'm very content with the professionalism and camaraderie from management.  Word to the wise:  if you're a good worker, can stay in compliance, follow protocol, have professional and clear communication with your supervisor, learn from mistakes or past work experiences, and improve your workmanship, you'll be just fine.  They just started allowing staff to wear sneakers on any day, not just on dress-down Fridays!  And now to the best part--working with the children!  The children come first!  The agency continues to work on bettering its services by providing trainings and courses for the direct care workers, ensuring better care for the children.  This is a certified Great Place to Work.  Please apply here, you'll be happy!  Upper Management are respectful and professional people, who care about the work culture, the feedback from staff, and how they can always improve the work experience for each employee.  Go Cayuga Centers!  God bless the children!

Working for Cayuga Centers now for a fewyears and in a residential position. I personally love my job. The job is incredibly stressful, fast paced and requires a lot of immediate action without a lot of thought. This is something that gets many in trouble or fired. The turn over rate is awful. New staff every month and it doesn’t help having new people on the floor when you need a lot of experience in this field to be successful. Many of us, including myself, had little to no experience in this field. For brief period, Cayuga Centers did a not thorough hiring process only taking new people of the worked in the feild and it was one of the most successful times we had here. But with recent requirements for staffing, Quick hiring had to be done and it made the work environment safe without the thorough vetting of canidates. I’m extremely grateful that Cayuga Centers gave me the opportunity to work for them even though my experience was limited. I enjoy working here even though times are tough. You meet a lot of great people and establish many professional and personal relationships with your co-workers. You have to work closely with other staff members which creates a Team bond like no other. It really is a rewarding field once you get into it and learn the ways around working with the youth. I would recommend people with plenty experience to give it a try!

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Clinician 19 salaries reported	$70,338 per year
Case manager 26 salaries reported	$65,348 per year
Counselor 3 salaries reported	$63,500 per year
Social worker 1 salary reported	$58,458 per year
Case planner 6 salaries reported	$28.00 per hour

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