direct support professional

residential counselor

childcare provider

habilitation specialist

substance abuse counselor

SCO Family of Services

This is the most stressful job a person can take and the pay, like most non profit jobs is deplorable. I should also add that the management their AKA Supervisors will often overload you will too many cases, giving you an impossible caseload to complete and expect you to handle all the paperwork for all these cases.

For example, my job description stated a caseload of 16 children. I had 23 at one point. Some cases were upstate , some Brooklyn and you can expect to go to the best neighborhoods to visit the Foster Moms in their project apartments with no protection what so ever. Thats ok because supervisors their continue to blame the case workers if anything goes wrong, say if they book a case worker to watch 5 children in a supervised room but they are alone and are also asked to watch a family of 9 simultaneously. So what if one mother escapes with her children? Well it is the case workers fault of course for turning her back for 5 seconds to check on other people in a different room that they were wrongly responsible for supervising as it is AGAINST their policy for one worker to watch THAT many people. The supervisor in this case though, hid all evidence of that and blamed the caseworker. Also a lot of the management there are extremely mentally unstable. I often received mean and insulting text messages during off work hours from my supervisor on my private phone by the way which of course they did not pay for in any way. I had a total of 1000 texts from this woman after only 6 months of working her department. Most of them insulting. I was going to file them with their HR department but I figured if she were there 20 years they must know what a deranged woman she truly is. She also cried in front of me on a regular basis which made my work environment very uncomfortable and awkward. The management their has no concerns of the safety of their caseworkers. They appear to care for the foster children yet allow unbelievable large caseloads to be placed on workers who have no way of devoting the proper time to that many cases. A real shock when we find out a foster child is being abused! They also make people work over time then offer it back to them as comp time to save themselves more money off their workers by avoiding overtime. Well good luck finding time to take that vacation time and comp time when they are constantly under staffed and have no one to cover for you.

If your dream is to be a social worker and obtain your MSW/LMSW and make an impact while simultaneously being able to take care of yourself, look else where.  Though I can attest that I have grown as an individual here, I am a single father with two kids.  Thus, above all else, I need to provide for them and this place simply does not provide the adequate means to do so.  

If it weren't for an excellent supervisor and director, I would have flew the coop ages ago.  The agency has a "pass the buck" mentality that I do not appreciate and, even amongst some, the concept of going above and beyond for our clients is not shared.  The fault for this thinking falls squarely on an agency that for many years has attempted to grow horizontally, yet fails to make the strides necessary to grow from within and build a strong foundation that will begin to transform the very nature of the company.  

How are workers suppose to service at-risk families, youths, and other similar clientele when a worker in question is worried about how they are going to pay for their light bill?  Majority of the agency makes enough to NOT qualify for Food Stamps and Subsidized Childcare, but makes no where near enough to pay for a 1 bedroom apartment and all the other miscellaneous expenses that come with travel, kids and the like.  Yet the agency has the notion that you should be going above and beyond for our clients.

Here's an idea SCO.  How about you treat your employees the way you expect your employees to treat their clients.  Then you won't have things like a high job turnover rate and a general "blah" mentality towards the work that is suppose to be making an impact on the lives of those less fortunate.  When a worker can look across the table, and come to the realization that, one missed check, getting gravely sick or any number of other missteps that occur in one's life can lead them to be sitting on the very chair of the person that we are supposed to be servicing to the best of our capabilities.

Think about that for a moment the next time you send me an annual memo stating that their won't be yet another salary increase but continue to fight for us in other ways that, in the grand scheme of things, don't add up fast enough to make a difference.  Now excuse me, I will be servicing a client right now.  

May anyone who reads this have a Wonderful Day.

A typical day or night (since I work nights) in my field at SCO entails briefly greeting the 6 teenage girls currently in the care of the treatment center and making myself available to them in case they need to discuss a personal matter with me or addresing something I am already aware of. After addressing any pressing need my fellow staff-worker and I work at keeping the girls calm and relaxed so as to prepare them for bed.
Once the girls are in bed and all overhead lights turned off in their rooms the staff alternates montioring the girls and making sure the house is in order for the next day.
As morning approaches we execute our schedule of awaking each girl so as to enable them to get ready to get to school and group classes on time. When the last girl is off to school, the overnight staff complete their paperwork and go off duty.
Working at SCO has taught me the importance of family and the need to be careful how I react to trauma and stress as this inevitably affect others both inside and outside the family.
Management at SCO at times feel like being with famly. Great effort is made to maintain the feel of a family setting so that the girls feel secure and almost at home. My co-workers become siblings and aunts as we attempt to work together for the benefit of the girls; even staff meeting have the atmosphere of family meetings.
The most difficult part of my job is learning the balance of maintaining a family-like setting but never allowing yourself or the girls to make the mistake of viewing the treatment center as 'home'. The goal is to reacquaint the girls with family members within months and assist them in coping with their anger, fears and diagnoses using coping skills learned through personal and family therapy sessions to not over-react to stress and trauma both past and present.
The most enjoyable part of my job is seeing the girls who succeed at this go home and to be able to follow their future successes as they inform us of the goals that they attain and express their appreciation for the assistance they received at SCO.

A typical day at work will consist of communicating with the prior shift in order to know what went on for the begining of the day. Then I will either take over the log book or the playroom. The log book duties consist of writing on the following:
1. You must log when every staff member enter the building for the shift. 
2. If a parent of child is leaving the facility, you must write a descriptive on the clothes that they are wearing. 
3. If a parent does not return home by curfew which is 8p.m. If the parent is underage and doesn't return home in 24 hours must log and call the police to report the child missing
4. If a child is gone on weekend leave and returns we must do a body check and log if there are any brusies, cuts, burns etc.
5. Any incident that happens in the building for example a fight or abuse.
6. Assign chores for the parents in the building
7. If the prior shift did not prepare dinner you must cook the dinner for the entire house. 
8. File paper work
9. During chore time supervise and if need help them do it correctly.
10.Write progress reports on a resident that I was assign to. 

Playroom Duties consist of the following: 
1. Writing a log on what goes on in the playroom. 
2.Body check before entering the playroom and another before the child leaves the playroom. 
3. Feed the children breakfast, lunch and dinner.  
4. Log any incidence that happen to any of the children in care. 
5. Change diapers
6. Put Children down for naps 
7. Learning Activies with the children.  
8. Keep children out of harms way. 
9. Clean the playroom
10. Replenish any missing items 

The most enjoyable part of this job is watching the parents improvements. At first they always want to fight everything you try to teach them and it can get a little fustrated but, when they realize that I'm here to help them to become independent mothers they really put in the effort to work with me. One thing I learned from this job is that everyone is teachable but not everyone learns this the same. Some you can just explain to them what  need to get done and they will be able to do it. Other you need to show them exactly what you need for them to in order for them to understand. Some you must be on top of them constantly in order for the get in the routine and the you slowly let go and it beautiful when you watch them continue to do the routine.

A typical day, is fun and exciting. 

I have learned so much working with the B2H program. They value and respect their staff; very supportive and able to help you in area you struggle. What I've learned from this job, I will carry with me for the rest of my life. 

Management
As long you do your job, everything is fine. Supervision is clinical based and workers -client centered. Trainings and staff support are highly. Some of the management team are super strict, I guess it's because MEDICAID is their funding source and mistakes are not acceptable. 
The only issue with upper management, if you're not liked by them, your job will be on the line. In other word, they will find everything wrong with anything to help them terminate you, so be very careful.  Beside that, the job and work atmosphere can be a bit overwhelming and dramatic with co-workers. There's a lot gossips. However there's a unity amongst the staff that's unbreakable. 

Hardest part of the job; you must meet your contacts monthly, despite whether the clients are cooperative or not. You must document all efforts or else, you can be held liable up to a written warning for failure to meet the work requirement. The HCI's must meet with the children 90 minutes per month for Health care integration case management services.  

Most enjoyable part of the job, is the family oriented amongst the staff. The staff loves their employment and plus, the salary is eye catching and rewarding. There's staff recognition for good work.

Overall I would 100% recommend this program for anyone who wants to make a difference in the lives of children, and help motivate staff. 
Please be advised, if you're a loner and likes to keep to oneself;  think twice before applying because the staff at the program are family centered, and super friendly.

first off during the hiring process I was lied to about the salary, the work schedule and the locations of my caseloads. I applied for the sociotherapist position in the downtown Brooklyn office. I agreed to only work Brooklyn and Queens however on my 3rd week of employment, I'm scheduled to also work a case in manhattan which I DID NOT agree to or was aware of. The pay was alot less than the salary proposed to me, I learned that the sociotherspist postion isn't even salary, it only pays hourly.  I was told the office hours would be 9-5pm monday through friday with scheduled days to work from home meanwhile during the first few weeks of my employment management is scheduling me to do home visits after 6pm in the evenings when that information was omitted to me. During training I was supposed to meet at the queens office and literally 10 minutes prior to me starting work the person training me cancels on me so I was stuck with nothing to do in the office all day since at the time I didn't have a login yet. This job is one of the worst jobs I've ever worked for, the lack of transparency is so problematic. I can not understand what was the point of lying about these important details because at the end of the day employees will eventually find out the truth. I accepted this role under false pretenses. Also if you drive the location of the office actually makes driving to work inconvenient because theres no parking and the closest free spots are 2 neighborhoods away. I resigned without a 2 weeks notice and thats what they deserve since they lied about vital information that can be pivitol for anyone making a decision to accept this role. 

I fell into the profession of human services by means of a personal experience.  I decided to revamp my formal education and earn a Master's.  If you are a new graduate (MSW) and you do not have any field experience, then join SCO, stay for one year, possibly two, then get the "Heck out of Dodge".

SCO does not support their case workers.  The turnover in Regular Foster Care is high; however, the turn over in Therapeutic Foster Care is even higher.  Management does not support or advocate for their CWs.  

The average CW stays for 1-year.  They are either overworked with seeing the families, making referrals, court, supervised visits, entering notes into CONNX and the most painful part of the job...completing a FASP.  CWs have an average of 10 - 12 cases  Regular Foster Care has to see the 'child' once a month, whereas, Therapeutic Foster Care has to see the 'child' twice a month.  To be a CW in Regular Foster Care, the highest level of education is a BSW.  To be a CW in Therapeutic Foster Care, the highest level of education is MSW.  Regular Foster Care requires a lesser degree, less child visits; whereas, Therapeutic Foster Care requires more.  

A traditional work week at SCO is an average of 50 hrs due to the fact that most of a CWs time is spent traveling to see families in other boroughs.  CWs additional hours earned was put aside as Compensation Time.  As of 1/1/2017, nationwide, ALL CWs are no longer salary, yet, hourly.  The CWs at SCO were told that if a CW works more than 40 hrs (e.g. overtime), the CW will be written up as "unapproved" overtime.  Again, I cannot stress that a traditional CW's work week is 50 hrs.The starting salary for a CW w/BSW is $38K.  The starting salary for a CW w/MSW is $40K

I can't review for ALL of SCO because it's a big organization but for the department I work for, overall it's a positive experience. The management is great and they always have your back. I can come to them with any issues I have from work related or to ask for days off for vacation, sick, etc. The coworkers are also great. The other CP's are supportive and understanding. 

Work days vary. I can have a super busy day or a more relaxed day. It all depends on what needs to be done. 

The workplace culture is relaxed. They supervisors don't micromanage and they only come to you if there is something that hasn't been done that needs to be or it's overdue. You have to pay attention to deadlines or you can miss important info. 

The downside is there is a lot of paperwork and notes. You'll be doing a lot of typing, a lot of referrals/ applications for the youth, and talking on the phone and it ALL has to be documented. Some youth are extremely difficult and hard to work with. Those youth make you question your sanity but for the most part, working with the youth is fun but hard work. 

Overall, I have learned a lot and continue to do so but I will say it's not a forever position. Eventually you need to move on. 

 always so much to get done, the work life balance was not there. i constantly found myself thinking about what needed to get done at work while i was off the clock, mornings, even during the middle of the night, lots of anxiety. i worked long/ late hours, and just about never took my breaks. You have to be organized and thoroughly plan out all visits, contacts, etc. The foster children are great if you really take the time to get to know them, many foster parents see the children as a paycheck and they can get so nasty/rude when you are just doing the job THEY signed up for.  This job NEEDS  great supervisor to be there for the case planners, but unfortunately because of always being understaffed (high turnover rates), the unassigned cases go to the supervisors, so they are always overwhelmed, therefore leaving the case planners to feel like such a burden when seeking supervisor assistance. With such an emotionally/physically heavy job position like this, the supervisor role should be CRUCIAL. Although i was a great CP, always got done what needed to get done, helped other CPs, unfortunately i did not have the support i needed to continue in a position like this from my supervisor, i was drained, burnt out and quit. the coworkers were great, sociotherapist, WWK, CFTSS, all just trauma bonding with them. 

A typical day was visits to client's home to assess the learning situation and the overall care. Clients are also visited in their respective schools to assess the Individual Educational Progress (IEP) is being accomplished. One can advocate for a child to move be moved to a normal school program if the child has shown proficiency in learning. This would be discussed with the SCO Supervisor at a meeting with guardians or parents.
What I learned is that some children because of isolated incidence reports of misdemeanor may be placed in the wrong grouping of very badly behaved students and start acting to type. Without the right intervention, the child is doomed and learning is limited.
Management coordinates workers properly and co-workers remain helpful to colleagues.
The hardest part of the job is that one is never in a fixed working place. One is assigned to cases which can be anywhere and the pay is per diem and the cases can be far in between.
The most enjoyable part is that the client trusts you can solve their problems by suggesting to management the solutions to their predicament.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Direct support professional 20 salaries reported	$19.39 per hour
Residential counselor 1 salary reported	$18.00 per hour
Childcare provider 5 salaries reported	$19.00 per hour
Habilitation specialist 2 salaries reported	$20.00 per hour
Substance abuse counselor 10 salaries reported	$24.17 per hour

Working at SCO Family of Services: Company Overview and Reviews

SCO Family of Services

SCO Family of Services Ratings

Popular jobs at SCO Family of Services

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected