support worker

direct support professional

direct support specialist

developmental service worker

travailleur en construction générale

Community Living Toronto

From the interview, to my first and last day with the agency, as well as every shift in-between, there was a negative environment that included poor communication and an overall unorganized atmosphere. 
It is to be expected that working in this type of field, changes and unpredictability take place constantly so a well rounded management, supervisor and staff team is important to keep programs running efficiently. Sadly, this was not my experience nor that of many from feedback shared while there. 
It took over a month from when I had accepted my job offer to when I had actually started on shift. There was several weeks of unorganized run around for completing pre hire paperwork, cancelling and rescheduling several full day trainings as well as picking a location for me to work. During this time, I lost out on several hundred dollars from my other job attempting to accommodate CLB schedule. I had made it known before hire, I am very flexible but I worked another job and had to be mindful with my schedule notice of change. This also consisted of several other last minute emails from management with changes, if there were any emails or notifications sent at all.
 As a result in the lack of organization, I did not receive half of the required week long, pre hire training nor did I learn how to navigate their main program used for client documentation. I was not provided with access to this database that is deemed essential for staff success with clients. It was expected I would be on shift at all times with a staff member who did have access however, this did not happen.
It states PPE will be provided as it is mandatory however, management and supervisors refused to accommodate my need for different safety glasses/face shield. Other staff that require glasses had even gone out and purchased a pair of prescription safety glasses at their own expense as CLB does not stand by their need as a agency to provided PPE appropriate to peoples with a disabilities (including impaired vision and the need for glasses). After months of inquiring, they stated they provided me with what they had and it was up to me to make it work despite my several requests and issues expressed directly. I was told several times they were trying to figure something out until they stated I failed to comply with what the had available. 
 Staff that have been there for years express regular concerns and displeasure around their employment and standard shift duties which impacts the teams morale greatly. Staff discuss issues regarding management, other staff and shift duties indirectly, resulting in gossip, which caused several clogs while completing work in an environment displaying compassionate fatigue. 
The clients are amazing and the shift responsibilities are fulling however, the work environment, as only briefly explained above, can be very draining which can outweigh the overall job itself on ones wellbeing. 

Difficult to give a fair assessment due to how difficult each home and program is over all not a bad work environment but there is little to no ability to have good work-life-balance with CLTO but also just a symptom of this field in general. You will be put in a lot of pressure and challenging situations and In some homes it will be a constant fast paced environment where communication between you and your team will be the make or break factor. I personally did learn a lot being with CLTO and found for the most part the management to do accommodating. But I’m also that is my personal experience and not everyone is that lucky. And again, due to the nature of this field you will often notice that the test expected of you and the responsibilities given to you don’t match your payment. The benefits help to cover this by a fair margin but nothing outstanding. In my personal experience having been with CLTO for a few years now everything adds up to a 3.5-4 out of 5 kind of experience. Everything is just well and manageable enough to stay for a long time and really build yourself up and learn and grow but you will notice that you aren’t being payed quite fairly or that your work life balance has completely changed you have to put a lot more time focus and energy on personal self care and growth otherwise it is extremely common and easy to fall into a constant wake-work-sleep & repeat schedule without even noticing. And fair to many homes and programs seem to be critical under staffed or unsupported. Again there are a lot of give and take with CLTO. Not a bad experience overall, depending on what and where you end up you will just have to hope that the pros outweighs the cons and decide if those pros and cons are what you are really looking for in a job/career 

From working with the company the experience was okay enough it was mixed with fast-paced, can be slow paced, but more so fast-paced and busy if really good at multi-tasking. If there was a male staff, certain housemates will only listen probably quarter or less of time or if suggestion came up to them what to eat for snacks or games they would lose interest. If there are female staff they would think it's good idea or more willing to do that for like snacks, games, some indoor activity with covid. So it felt pretty toxic, when other co-workers hear about it, they'll try to advice and say it's okay for the workers who's been there for years. Hours can be okay at first little bit, then they reduce the hours a lot and has block not like other workplaces that have shift schedule that can change on your schedule. Don't expect full-time quickly at all, since there are many seniority people and they've been their for a while, a long list of it too, pay and more respect and understanding from the manager could be better. 
The hours may seem good at first but fluctuates hard and can be reduced a lot so if not close enough to the workplace it can be pointless for that drive just for few hours of shift.  If worker calls in-sick, you may have to stay much longer or start quite bit earlier or do double shift for some people it's okay, but it may happen so it can be pros or cons with this. It will be sudden call to you or may require quite a few times here and there night shifts, they may give light pressure if unavailable to do it.  

A typical day at the Community Living I worked at was to begin by reviewing that day's activities of which we would then (if the activity was an outdoor activity) be split into groups, as the newest worker there I was often assigned to watch over one or two of the people there. If the activities were to be indoor and stay at the Community Living then it was very much a fee for all, I had to make sure I was always doing something, always watching over someone, ensure everyone was happy. This included things like reading to people there, playing games, doing puzzles, as well as ensuring that each person stuck to the schedule. For example since the place runs on a very strict schedule I would often have to keep a look out for people trying to eat before lunch. That may have been the hardest thing to do actually. I often felt bad that we usually couldn't break policy and give one of the people there something small to eat. But we always had set times for snacks and lunch and I couldn't break that schedule for anyone. But it certainly was a hard part of the job. Management and my co-workers were great. My supervisors were always very understanding, kindhearted people who all genuinely wanted to be there. The most enjoyable part of the job I think is brightening one of the people's day there. Getting a thank you for reading a story or a smile or a high five always felt good and like I had done a good job.

Working with children is very rewarding for me. My day is busy from the moment I walk in the door. Parents and children arrive with great expectations. I facilitate the programs and provide a variety of experiences that are challenging, age appropriate but maily fun for all age groups, birth to 4yrs of age. Our core services include post and pre natal classes for our families as well as literacy based activities. I teach a variety of yoga classes to kindergarten classes and implement school readiness program in the schools. 
I have worked in a kindergarten setting at Frank Spragins and St. Paul's school a nubmer of years ago and would like to return to that environment.
I am a team player and enjoy the energy a positive team can bring to the for front. The most difficult part of the job is not having enough prep time which is often a common element in this field. But dedication speaks for itself and can be so rewarding when you know that you have made a difference in a child's life.
Aften 30 years of pure joy I have to say that my heart has been filled with tears of joy and sadness at imes but feel so blessed to have had the children in my life. 
I look forward to continuing my carreer and move back to Ft. Mcmurray where it all started 30 years ago.
Sincerely,
Lise Moynan

This job would be great if it were not for a few things: 

- The pay is NOT enough. Depending on the group home you could be with individuals who require very little support and others who require full support. There is no difference in pay between the houses who require more and the ones that do not. 

- Employees are overworked because of how short staffed every house is. The short staffing also means the individuals supported sometimes do not get out, which I feel reduces their quality of life significantly.

- Because of short staffing, management is so desperate that they at one point left me alone, on a holiday to care for the entire house ( which should be illegal considering the needs of the home). You can't complain about it either because nothing will be done about it. They also hate paying you overtime so even if there is someone else to work they would rather you work alone so they don't have to pay another person. 

Those are really my only complaints and honestly I feel like they are an easy fix in order to keep staff. 

- The people we supported were fantastic and I throughly enjoy working with them to improve their quality of life

- If this job paid a fair wage to their extremely hard working employees who care a lot about the people they support, I would 110% have stayed with them for the rest of my career.

At Community Living Toronto my position will detail assisting individuals and their families with itelluctual disabilities with daily living activites. Giving the families a break with respite.cooking, administrating medication if needed,going on outting in the communities. Encouraging independance and life skills to individuals.....When i start work i have a brief time to go over with staff a shift change by passing on detail reports of the health, behaviour and activites of each indivduals we are supporting. This help my shift with how we plan work no the new shift. Each shift will change depending how one will feel. Some days i may have agressive indiduals in which i am trained to protect others including myself by using safe management. This makes a hardest day of my job in when unpredictable mood changes. So many things can happen from property being destroy and even sometimes personal injuries. The most enjoyable part of my job is when co workers and the indiduals we support are engaging in fun activies by going out to community events. I love the working as a team. I believe that because of the job, we are away from our own families a lot it gets frustrating at times but when good co-workers are working together things get done properly and we gone home.

Poor management
Toxic work environments 
Weak union
Low job security
No pay raises ever unless you go on strike
There is a wedge between the unionized staff and management. Us/vs. Them attitude 
Job is always threatened from day one. Management constantly reminds staff that they are replaceable, and Timmies/ Mcdonalds is always hireling. This is commonly used at training and staff meetings to “motivate” staff.
Staff in general are made scapegoats for managements poor work ethics. “S@it flows down stream” is commonly used phrase. This is also used to motivate and to warn staff they are about to get in trouble by management passing the buck, and down loading the responsibility to staff.
Community Living London claims to be severely under funded. This is a go to  explanation/ excuse of why they dont have important supplies and can never give pay raises.
I recommend that if you need to work for this organization,  only work part time. For some reason its almost impossible to get fired and there is zero accountability. Never work full time at CLL. Full time staff get dead end jobs with zero promotion or pay raises. The full time staff get blamed of all Community Living Londons managements short comings. 

I was responsible for taking clients out into the community everyday.  It could be a challenge if someone was not in the mood to do their activities however I tried to the best of my ability to get them excited and happy to be going out to the activity.  I learned that you must be patient and caring in order to earn the trust and respect of the clients, without it, they can make it very difficult for you to do your job.  Luckily I was accepted immediately by the clients and we shares great times together.  As working with people with intellectual disabilities can be challenging, all of my co-workers were kind and generous people who also wanted to help others.  This meant that we had a great relationship as we all had the same goals.  The hardest part of the job would be when a client would become agitated and we would have to use our communication skills to talk them down from the anxiety they were feeling.  Luckily I never had to use my CPI training as communicating with the client always made them less stressed and therefore less agitated.  The most enjoyable part of the job was just the fact that I get to work with such wonderful people who many others in society view as unimportant.  I see them as some of the most caring and wonderful people and it was a privilege to work with them everyday.

A typical day at work as a Residential Care Worker consisted of providing assistance with feeding, mobility, bathing, grooming, personal hygiene, toileting and incontinence care of persons with Intellectual disabilities. I learned to put other’s people needs before my own and to be patient. I learned that a little empathy goes a long way when dealing with frustrated and upset Individuals. The managers that I report to were friendly and fair and took care of business. This job also gave me a chance to enhance my skills in Information systems. I was given the opportunity to create a training manual for the new scheduling program as well as to be the lead trainer for the staff and other employees within the organization. The work environment and co-workers were absolutely wonderful. They were like family and we all learnt to support and work together as a team to provide everyone with an enjoyable day. The most enjoyable part of the day was being surrounded by happy smiles from the Individuals making a difference in their lives gave me fulfillment in my work. My co-workers and managers are great positive motivators, teachers, and hard workers.

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