loss prevention officer

foster care specialist

care specialist

counselor

home care worker

together for youth

What is the best part of working at the company?
What I appreciate about working here as a Community Care Specialist is that the workload is generally manageable compared to other roles in the organization. The schedule is reliable, typically 9–5, which makes it easy to maintain consistency. Some days are very quiet and low-stress, while others can be busier, but overall the pace is fairly predictable most of the time.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most challenging part of the job is being asked to take on responsibilities outside of your role without sufficient training or support. At times, staff are placed in high-stress situations with limited guidance, which can feel overwhelming. Coordination between management and staff can also feel inconsistent, leading to unclear or last-minute assignments. Overall, there is a noticeable level of stress within leadership that can impact planning and communication, and feedback from staff is not always received constructively.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work culture is generally mixed. Some senior staff can be challenging to work with at times and may come across as entitled or dismissive, while other coworkers are more grounded and easy to work with, though engagement and attendance can be inconsistent. There can also be noticeable differences in expectations around accountability, where certain practices are overlooked for some staff but not others. At times, management appears overwhelmed and reactive, which can impact consistency in communication and follow-through, and staff are often expected to adapt quickly to shifting priorities.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day involves completing progress notes and then being asked to take on additional tasks such as transport assignments, sometimes with little advance notice. While transport is part of the role, there are also instances where staff are assigned responsibilities without prior discussion or confirmation of availability. At times, work is delegated informally, with documents or tasks placed on your desk that could have been handled by others, which can create an uneven workload. Communication from some leadership staff can also feel unclear or inconsistent, which may lead to confusion around priorities and expectations.

Former employee. Forty hour work week advertised, but the reality is 50+ hours. Management says “at least there is OT”. No regard for personal life. You are expected to be available from as early as 7am to as late as 10pm Monday through Friday. Oh, you can flex hours? Great… who wants to flex 2 hours at noon on a Thursday when you are no where near your home.
Management is clueless how to do their job and often rely on others to provide accurate answers to questions they should know.
There are too many cases, and not enough workers, but they keep taking more cases on. Some families don’t see their worker regularly, and when they do, they don’t get answers to their questions or concerns. Pay is grossly under the standard for similar positions at county levels or other similar jobs.
The only reason some people stay is they have a heart for the children and families, or they are gluttons for punishment.
You couldn’t pay me enough to go back. Not without some serious reform in management, respect for personal life, and change in business practices to not keep adding cases when you don’t have the staff for what you already have.
Kids aren’t $ numbers. When your staff are constantly working a double case load, it’s time to stop taking more kids.
And let’s not talk about turnover. If you make it 6 months, you are lucky. Others have left for lunch and not come back, quit without notice, or walked out before completing training.
Management don’t communicate and conflicting messages are common. Then you are to blame for it.
Do yourself a favor and don’t apply here. It will only lead to stress, heartache, and emotional disturbance.



During my time at BFC&SY, I met a lot of good people. That being said, none of those DECENT individuals were management. Especially in HR, the employees seem to quite frankly not even care about the staff they are meant to serve. The VP and Director are focused on their own advancement and could care less about the well being of their own team, much less the happiness of the other employees statewide. THE EMPHASIS ON SELF-CARE THEY PEDAL IN INTERVIEWS IS A JOKE. The lack of necessary materials needed to complete your job was so disheartening. I liken it to someone telling you to repair an automobile with a paperclip. Compensation was unfair, with a HUGE gap in what support staff were making as opposed to Directors and up from there. They will constantly overload you with work and not think twice. They are constantly understaffed (you can see this on their careers page by checking how many openings they have) and this extra work always falls on other team members, who are expected to meet their goals regardless of the copious amount of extra work they are given, and with no understanding whatsoever when you struggle at times or need help. God forbid you ask a question to improve your knowledge base or make sure you're doing a good job. Also, dont expect any acknowledgement for the work you're doing unless it is negative feedback. No opportunity for advancement. Save yourself. Look somewhere else. 

Working at BFC is very rewarding. The supervisors and staff in the Buffalo office work to support one another and create a space where you can communicate openly. I appreciate the flexibility of the job and being able to flex time as long as I am there for appointments and scheduled meetings and getting my work done. The agency follows a Sanctuary model which recognizes the need for self-care. Logistically this can be difficult at times if we are understaffed, but the commitment by upper management to supporting this model is sincere. 
BFC is committed to continued education for staff and they offer reimbursement and support for licensure and trainings that are relevant to your work. The work is eligible for PSLF and HR is great about filling out these forms pro-actively and following up with any additional documentation. 
The pay is fairly on par with other local agencies for similar work. The work can be draining at times, which is the case in any child-welfare/ social services job. Having worked at other agencies I do feel that when I ask for support here, I receive it and feel that my coworkers genuinely care about one another and the clients we serve.
The family specialist role is an excellent opportunity for those interested in gaining experience in the field of social services while making a difference. 


I worked there for less than a year.  It was my dream job after getting my degree.  I left due to the upper management's sneaky, manipulative, ability to avoid taking the blame for any issues.  They throw others under the bus at all costs to continue their own advancement.  I did not receive any offers to stay once all the others in my position had put in their notices.  There was no reassurance (after my colleagues left) that I would be taken care of, or given any sort of plan as to the future.  I do not believe the residential campus has much longer to remain above water.  I received 0 training in my position and direct staff were working 122+ hours a week.  I would tell everyone to steer clear of the residential campus until new management takes hold.  Be wary of any promises management gives you until you see results.  I was told many things with no follow through.  I left due to the management style, crisis oriented organizational style, and lack of guidance.  They are constantly over correcting after a crisis instead of preventing it when concerns are brought up.
I was praised for my work while I was there so I know I was doing something correct, but I did not know what and could not keep up that environment for any period of time.  It affected my home life and my personal health with the amount of stress that was put on me.

If you can handle the stress, the co workers and youth are amazing to work with.

This agency is a very difficulty place in which to work. The organizational structure is constantly changing - in my 10 years there I had 8 supervisors. I felt that my opinions and knowledge were not valued, and professional development opportunities were nearly non-existent. The culture of Berkshire is toxic - more often than not I dreaded going into work. I have had negative interactions with a number of individuals at this organization, and I have had individuals come to me and express their frustration with their own experiences with the very same people, many of whom are is a position of authority. Communication is poor across the agency. I have found that it is difficult to accomplish your work with any level of quality if you aren't given accurate or timely information with regard to what is happening within the organization. I have had the experience of higher ups dismissing my work because they didn't like the findings in my reports; not because there were errors, but because of the implications regarding the ineffectiveness of the 'interventions' implemented across the agency. I was told by multiple supervisors over the course of 2 years that there was an opportunity for me to move up in the agency, suffice it to say, that never happened.

Find a different agency to work for  Berkshire is all talk. They talk about their emphasis on self care - Sounds great. All the self care is on your own time,  after you have achieved all the impossible tasks assigned, then you will be quizzed on what you did to care for yourself. Flexible schedule - means you have to be flexible so that you can cover anything that might come up. Have to pick your children up from daycare - find someone to pick them up,  your cases need you now!  So sorry!!  "Subject to call" means you're on call without pay. Every 3-5 weeks you'll be on call for a week, unpaid, unless you're called out. But during that on call time, no leaving the area, no drinking, in case you might be called out. During early covid it was unbelievably unsafe. Workers had to go into people's homes.  Were required to work in the office some of the week very early on,  even though other business haven't even gone back to the office yet. The whole emphasis during the pandemic was "growing the program"  While employees and their families were just trying to hang on, with limited daycare and remote learning. Basically Berkshire didn't care one tiny bit. I got out as soon as I could. Best decision ever.  


● Work-life balance
Just do a lot of overtime cos there aren't enough staff.

● Job security and advancement
They hold above able people back and bring awful people in who have no idea to try and run it. Even the kids would call them fake

● Management
Don't care about staff or kids. The conditions of the place were disgusting. They didn't have a cleaner come in. Not even for staff areas. Derelict building. Kids always left worse off. Disgraceful. All kids were great and the management didn't understand a lot. Co workers were good though.

● Culture
Keep in mind I worked at the non secure detention. 
Not invested in kids mental or physical health. Should be shut down in my opionion

● Overall
Don't even bother unless you have the power to shut the place down, or do an insider investigation. Kids were not treated right, not cared for correctly, food is so awful all the kids constantly had stomach aches, temperature was awful, kids were too hot or too cold in their rooms ...I'm talking sauna hot, literally mushrooms growing in bathrooms (I took pictures), gym was closed down, didn't have enough rec, nothing to do, just sat around inside, most kids there way longer than supposed to be ...like a month often, not enough showers, really dirty.

If you work for Berkshire, you are dispensable.  All of their employees are, and don't expect to be treated any differently- management won't start to care anytime soon.  HR is a joke, supervisors are allowed to berate and raise their voice at case managers, and be prepared to be questioned about every decision you make, even if it's buying post-it notes.  Toxic positivity permeates my former department in particular, but the rest of the place is just plain toxic.  Corrosive, really.  It'll eat away at your self-esteem, your work-life balance, and leave you wondering why you got into social services anyway.  The kids at Berkshire are literally the only people treated well on campus.  Having to report discrimination shouldn't cost you your job these days, but the directors you never see more than once will take great umbrage at your honesty.  Don't have the temerity to speak up, or you'll be targeted.  Unless it's a satellite office, the main campus should be avoided at all costs if you want to keep your sanity and actually help people.   

Working with the families & especially the children is great. Management will pressure staff to meet billing requirements, usually by pressuring the families to let staff meet with the kids (including contacting them daily by phone/text/email). Flexible work hours can be nice, but they don't like it when you split your day unless absolutely necessary (to meet 40 hours/week). Option to work at home but management tries to get you in the office a few days per week anyway in shared office space with other departments. No mileage reimbursement to go to home visits if you're leaving from your house- you have to deduct your commute or go to the office first. Overtime is rarely ever given and travel time eats up a lot of work hours. Not enough time to do more than the bare minimum for families to meet billing. Training can take a few weeks and the overload of info isn't good for retention. Staff are typically given a caseload of 17+ immediately after they're done training. Many staff can be judgmental of the families, including young children. The role contributes to the oppression of low-income families in many ways as well. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Loss prevention officer 59 salaries reported	$24.12 per hour
Foster care specialist 32 salaries reported	$23.93 per hour
Care specialist 14 salaries reported	$20.01 per hour
Counselor 20 salaries reported	$22.54 per hour
Home care worker 11 salaries reported	$20.43 per hour

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