Social workers are behind some of the most innovative solutions aimed at ensuring Albany’s at-risk and vulnerable populations receive the services and care they need..
The creation of the Lark Street Treatment mental health alternative crisis response pilot program is a great example of social work in action here. In April 2023, the Albany County Mental Health Department and the City of Albany Police Department came together to launch an eight-week pilot program aimed at providing vital resources and services for citizens in the Lark Street neighborhood suffering with mental illness and addiction, and those who are either unhoused or at risk of becoming homeless. During the program’s pilot phase, police officers were paired with mental health social workers to observe and assess conditions and respond to crisis situations.
The Lark Street Treatment program is just one of a growing number of initiatives aimed at providing individuals in the region with mental health treatment as an alternative to incarceration. For example, in 2012, Albany County created Crisis Intervention Team Training that provides law enforcement with in-depth training on how to respond to individuals experiencing mental health crises. And in 2021, Albany County launched another alternative crisis response pilot called the Albany County Crisis Officials Responding and Diverting (ACCORD) program, a partnership between Albany County 9-1-1 and county social workers looking to improve outcomes for nonviolent emergency calls.
These types of programs seek to change the model of care and take the burden off of police officers by allowing social workers to arrive at the scene and help people experiencing mental health crises in real time.
Did You Know?
In May 2024, the Albany Police Department announced a new program to provide residents with immediate assistance for mental health concerns when they arrive on premises at the APD office on Johnson Boulevard.
This program, the result of a partnership between the police department and the Albany Community Policing Advisory Committee to improve community relations, will staff a social worker at the department 24/7, to provide citizens with immediate counseling and referral services.
In Albany County and throughout New York, seismic shifts in how, when, and where we provide care for vulnerable and at-risk populations are taking place, and social workers are the heart of many of these programs and initiatives. Whether your career plans are focused on meeting the needs of children, the elderly, those with substance abuse or mental health conditions, or victims of discrimination or inequity, Albany County is home to outstanding opportunities to become part of solutions aimed at equality, welfare, and justice.
Social Worker Jobs: What Does a Social Worker Do in Albany County?
Case manager, outreach worker, counselor, liaison, advocate, activist – social workers in Albany County hold a myriad of titles in a broad array of settings. Regardless of where they work or what setting/population/issue they specialize in, the profession is dedicated to making a positive and lasting impact on the lives of individuals, families, and communities. For the vast majority of professionals in this field, social work is not just a job, it’s an unwavering passion focused on advocating for, and improving the lives of, people in need.
School Social Work Jobs in Albany County
School social workers are part of the Albany County school system, which encompasses about 38,000 students across 12 school districts and seven charter schools. Social workers are part of interdisciplinary teams of professionals that include nurses, psychologists, guidance counselors, and educators, and their job duties include everything from crisis counseling to needs assessments to referring students to community-based services that can help provide for basic needs.
But they’re also part of programs that operate outside of the four walls of district offices and school buildings. Among them is Capital District Beginnings in Albany, an educational agency that provides specialized services for preschool-aged children with special needs.
Healthcare Social Work Jobs in Albany County
Healthcare social work jobs are among the most numerous, given that they’re found throughout hospital systems and in skilled nursing facilities, mental health treatment centers, rehabilitation centers, and home-based programs.
For example, healthcare social workers are important members of the Albany Medical Center, where they work alongside the treatment team to develop discharge plans that include competency determinations, legal guardianship, psychiatric referrals, and more.
Healthcare social workers at Marquid Home Care in Albany are responsible for providing medical case management services to low income patients in homecare settings. Social workers employed with homecare agencies like this are often responsible for providing assessment, rehabilitation, counseling, and support services focused on helping patients get back to life as usual after the trauma of illness and injury.
Child Welfare Social Work Jobs in Albany County
Social welfare jobs in Albany County aimed at child welfare are in demand through organizations ranging from the Department of Social Services to youth diversion programs.
For example, these professionals work for the Albany County Department for Children, Youth, and Families, where they’re called upon to counsel kids in families with parents who might be struggling with addiction and other behavioral and mental health disorders.
Child welfare social workers are also valuable support professionals within the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany’s Prevention Program of Community Maternity Services. As part of the Clinical Prevention Team, social workers here provide assessment, treatment planning, case management, and home-based counseling for families whose children are either at risk of foster care placement or who have been placed in the past and are planning to return home.
Mental Health Social Work Jobs in Albany County
Mental health social workers in Albany County work for hospital systems like the Albany Medical Health System’s Psychiatric Resident Clinic. Here they handle everything from case management to outpatient referrals to direct counseling services to transitional support for patients and families after a period of in-patient care.
They’re also part of the Albany County Department of Mental Health, where they’re responsible for providing individuals with behavioral health assessments, referrals, and diversion from emergency services.
You’ll also find social workers in settings like the Shaker Place Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, which provides care for individuals with behavioral disorders and mental health conditions. Mental health social workers here are responsible for a number of duties related to the intake, assessment, evaluation, and diagnosis process, as well as the development of treatment plans following psychiatric evaluations.
Substance Abuse Social Work Jobs in Albany County
Albany County’s substance abuse social work jobs are found in settings ranging from hospitals to residential and outpatient treatment facilities to community clinics and homeless shelters.
At Urban Recovery in Albany, substance abuse social workers oversee the provision of all treatment services and aftercare planning for clients with substance use disorders. Their duties include individual therapy, treatment planning, case management, client advocacy counseling, and crisis intervention.
And at facilities like Fusion Recovery and Whitney M. Young Jr. Health Center, substance abuse social workers are part of multidisciplinary teams working within Office of Addictions Services and Supports licensed programs. Social workers in these settings provide short- and long-term psychotherapy within inpatient, outpatient, and day treatment programs.
Homeless Outreach Social Work Jobs in Albany County
Homeless outreach social workers in Albany County often work for facilities like the WAIT House in nearby Glen Falls, a homeless youth shelter. Social workers here oversee the coordination of services for this population while also helping them reunite with their families and enter supervised emergency and transitional housing.
Social Worker Salary in Albany County
Albany County salaries for social workers tend to be fairly consistent across the board, whether you’re working as a mental health, healthcare, substance abuse, school, or child/family social work.
But there are differences. As of May 2023, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) found that social workers focused on mental health and substance abuse earned the highest average salary in the Albany metro area, at $69,670, followed closely by child/family/school social workers, at $68,750.
According to the BLS, salaries for social workers in Albany County surpassed those in nearby areas of the state as of May 2023. For example, social workers in the nearby Glen Falls area, about an hour north of Albany, earned average salaries that fell about $10,000 below those in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy metro area.
Social workers who have earned an LCSW or LMSW likely account for the top salaries for this profession in the Albany metro area, while those with undergraduate degrees likely earn salaries that more closely reflect the metro area’s median salaries.
Albany-Schenectady-Troy Salaries
|
Occupation |
Employment |
Annual mean wage |
Annual median wage |
Annual 75th percentile wage |
Annual 90th percentile wage |
|
Child, Family, and School Social Workers |
1,690 |
$68,750 |
$65,400 |
$77,630 |
$91,300 |
|
Healthcare Social Workers |
1,240 |
$56,910 |
$51,980 |
$66,640 |
$79,570 |
|
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers |
440 |
$69,670 |
$69,310 |
$80,790 |
$84,590 |
|
Social Workers, All Other |
260 |
$80,010 |
$79,310 |
$89,730 |
$100,340 |
Glens Falls Salaries
|
Occupation |
Employment |
Annual mean wage |
Annual median wage |
Annual 75th percentile wage |
Annual 90th percentile wage |
|
Child, Family, and School Social Workers |
120 |
$58,960 |
$58,060 |
$61,710 |
$74,380 |
|
Healthcare Social Workers |
160 |
$57,100 |
$57,270 |
$64,580 |
$75,790 |
|
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers |
60 |
$59,600 |
$61,470 |
$66,960 |
$82,820 |
|
Social and Human Service Assistants |
170 |
$42,560 |
$41,950 |
$49,100 |
$58,970 |
2023 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and employment figures for Social Workers reflect state data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed April 2024.