direct support professional

support worker

youth worker

social worker

board certified behavior analyst

Cedar-Heights-Residential-Living

The company has a very high turnover. Likely due to the very low salary and the over priced and poor excuse for benefits offeres to part time employees. Hey at least full time get theirs paid for. Maybe the turn over can be blamed on the fact that employees are expected to use their vehicles and gas for everything. Sometimes even their own money. Yes it gets reimbursed. Mileage at .45cents/km sometimes. However staff are budgeting at 1/3 of their pay to cover their working schedules. $15.50/hr doesnt cut it. 
If youre lucky enough to have a good manager, they will schedule you per your availability. However, sone expect you to commit your life and every weekend to them.

The clientele are becoming increasingly more complex. Most of the homes are extremely understaffed. 1:1 care doesnt exists as she should. The homes get funding for such care, yet it is not happening. The committed, caring staff are very over workes and exhausting themselves. The 12hr ahifts cause most people to spend more time working then they do with their own families. Most of the staff are too young and inexperienced. They are unable to recognize behaviours typical of a child vs. Complex behavior. Some staff instiagte behaviors then blame the residents for the outcome.

The homes mix female and male residents. The vulnerable often become the victims of abuse from other residents. Small children are placed in homes with adults and teenagers. A perfect example, one home has a little boy under 10 who ahs no age appropriate socialization in a home with adults who expose him to violence. This poor boy has been targeted by the older youths when they have explosive violent behaviors. Yet, both age groups have the same expectations. 

Managers do not value the employees at all. 
These positions should be starting at a pay rate of at least $21.00/hr. They are beginning to get into personal care assistance on top of complex, dual diagnoses, ASD care. You can commit yourself for years to this employer with no advamcement. 

This company needs a complete overhaul. 

The only positive to this job is that genuine caregivers are on positions to show a child, youth, adult love and care in a safe environment compared to the reality most of these residents have been exposed to. 
They do offer a lot of free training to add to your resume. 

Thats cedar heights in a nutshell.

There is no "cookie cutter" day at CH, within a residential setting there are various surprises that require someone who is flexible and a team player. 
Day shifts start at 6am and end by 11pm when the evening shift takes over. My ability to creatively problem solve and multitask has greatly improved from my time spent there. 
Learning the obstacles that children and youth face within this environment as well as their families and those that are wards of the state was the biggest "eye-opener" from my experience there. 
The management was always supportive and encouraged staff to come up with new evidence based means of teaching life skills to clients.  If the need presented itself for a debriefing after a series occurrence or situation new to the staff member, the management had an open door policy and would always make time to ensure the wellness of its staff. 
The hardest part of the job is coming to terms with the realization you can only do so much within your scope of practice to help the clients. 
The most enjoyable part of the job was seeing your efforts pay-off with the clients in the form of relationships being built, especially with the non-verbal clients that required considerably more effort and time, but when their trust was earned it was invaluable.

Low pay, no benefits, always say a raise is coming and nothing comes. Management does not care about scheduling if you booked days off, (they will still schedule you) then consider if shift abandonment. 
High turn-over rate, lack of staffing causes the job to become a lot more as duties will fall to you. Also the lack of staffing may cause behaviours due to lack of 1:1 support - and children being hurt because of that. Calls to CAS quite frequently. Have to use your own car to drive clientele around which is not worth the wear and tear on the car considering the reimbursement is practically JUST enough to cover gas. Many changes need to happen for these kiddos who have a revolving door of support workers cause the company can't pull up their big girl panties. No night shift premium. Sometimes the job can be fun (when staffed enough) but usually do not end up doing much due to lack of staffing for above listed reasons . You will get burnt out working here. This place is absolutely robbery.

I was an employee for just under a year in 2022-2023. I learned a great amount within my time there. The clients were great to work with, and often taught me great things and expanded my knowledge in the line of work. The Supervisor and Manager were very responsive and support to my needs. They were often present and supportive in response to behaviours and my questions. If shift times did not align where there was cross over with Management they would contact me during my working hours to touch base. I learnt a great deal of things during my stay at Cedar Heights Stayner location. I often respected and heard in everything I addressed and brought forward. 

Worked at one residence for almost a year and seen 4 program managers come and go due to poor upper management. Worked with several co-workers, who started within about the same time I did, and we were promised a pay raise within 6 months, but never got it. Complained to the co-ordinator and program managers but nothing ever came of it, in spite of our outstanding work performance, so most of us quit after 8 months, including myself.

Realized within a month of working there that, the company as a whole, was all about the bottom line at the sacrifice of the kids. Luckily CAS and Kid's Advocacy were there to keep them in line.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Unique and challenging experience for your resume

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Violent residents combined with anunsuitable environment, inadequate policies, and unsupportive management 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Stressful, due to lack of training, challenging/violen0 behaviors, a mountain of paperwork and insufficient time to complete, and unsupported management.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Struggle to complete ADLs with some residents, attempt to de-escalate residents, struggle to complete assigned tasks and documentation

To begin, you always start PART TIME. Therefore dont expect 40 hours, benefits and $45,000/year right off the bat. There seems to be a high turnover rate with staff and some supervisors. Usually the staff quit because of wages. If you come in to this job with some case management experience, you might get lucky and be a case manager. However, those staff that chose to take on extra responsibilities still haven’t seen their pay go up. If you are interested in an Awake Overnight position, it is mainly housekeeping and there is no premium for working overnight. If you want overtime or to get a full 40 hour week, you will likely have to put in some overnight shifts.

A typical day comes with its challanges but for the most part, the job is very rewarding knowing that i'm making a difference in the lives of youth the are transitioning into adulthood. I enjoy working with my team as it is important to have strong staff. l look to my co-workers for suport and also as teachers to learn new ways of implementing effective working strtegies. The hardest part of my job is finding new way to support youth with brain based disabilites. The most enjoyable part of my job is watching the children use the skills being learned and utilizing them in there transitioning process.

I have recently left my position at the Stayner location. I truly enjoyed the environment, very home like and welcoming. 

The staff team was overall positive and supportive of one another. Supportive training was provided from management and supervisors, and never felt out of place. 

High paced environment, and clients show more verbal aggression then physical. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Not really a good experience. There are better options in similar work setting.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Too much pressure and not much appreciation. More input and less output

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Too much headache and pressure.
Not worth the education and efforts

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Always driving your own vehicle for others

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Direct support professional 23 salaries reported	$24.50 per hour
Support worker 2 salaries reported	$22.00 per hour
Youth worker 2 salaries reported	$24.50 per hour
Social worker 1 salary reported	$24.50 per hour
Board certified behavior analyst 2 salaries reported	$79,000 per year

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