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Albany County Children & Families requests juvenile justice coordinators, cites FAR program and falling foster caseloads
Summary
Department leaders requested new juvenile-justice coordinator positions aimed at prevention and court coordination, described the Family Assessment Response pilot and reported declines in children entering foster care thanks to family-focused interventions and increased foster and kinship placements.
The Albany County Department for Children and Families told legislators it had added juvenile justice coordinators and expanded prevention work while continuing to manage vacancies and costs tied to placements and transportation.
“...we have added 2 juvenile justice coordinators. These juvenile justice coordinators will be at family court,” the department’s commissioner said, describing one coordinator’s role as preventing deeper family court involvement through data and community engagement and the other’s role as working with probation and providing aftercare coordination for youth placed in secure or nonsecure detention.
The department described the Family Assessment Response (FAR) program as an alternative to traditional investigations that seeks to engage families and identify strengths and supports. The commissioner reported the program’s early outcomes: since its June 2024 inception, the department said FAR has served more than 1,115 families and has helped reduce entries to foster care.
Staffing pressures remain: the department reported 11 vacancies, including several caseworker positions tied to pending civil service promotional lists. The commissioner said promotional exam timing and collective bargaining rules have delayed some permanent hires but expected results soon.
On foster and kinship care the department said it had trained seven new foster families and certified eight kinship foster placements; the overall number of children in foster care declined to about 172 from over 201 the prior year. That decline was presented as an outcome of the FAR program and increased foster and kinship capacity.
Legislators pressed the department on special-needs services, speech and therapy backlogs, and program coordination. The department said one county-employed speech pathologist is part of an evaluation team and that direct services are provided by a mix of provider agencies and per-diem clinicians. It acknowledged delays in speech therapy access, consistent with state-wide provider shortages.
The department and legislators described an ongoing truancy diversion pilot with Albany City School District: students with 20 or more absences are engaged through a diversion caseworker and connected to services, with early examples of improved attendance.
