youth counselor

counselor

foster parent

program counselor

facilitator

Hull Services

There’s a reason why there are constantly job postings at Hull Services: turnover is high, and it’s clear that many employees are dissatisfied. Unfortunately, no one seems to stay for long, and it’s easy to understand why.

One of the main issues is the lack of support from management. When coworkers spread false information or make baseless claims about others, management tends to take their word without seeking a second opinion. This creates a toxic environment where trust is non-existent, and staff morale plummets.

It’s also worth mentioning the concerning situation with the youth at Hull Services. Many of them display highly disrespectful behavior, and staff are often subjected to verbal abuse and physical aggression. The constant assaults and lack of proper safety protocols make it an extremely difficult and emotionally draining place to work.
In addition, the pay simply doesn’t match the amount of abuse and stress that employees are expected to endure. The work environment feels chaotic, and the overall culture is one of instability rather than support.

If Hull Services wants to retain staff and improve its reputation, there needs to be serious reflection and change. The CEO and leadership team should take a closer look at the factors contributing to the high turnover and low morale within the company. Until then, it seems unlikely that things will improve anytime soon.

If I could give it 0 stars, I would.

The worst non profit to work for. Worked at various programs on campus. If you are going to apply to any program, only apply to Secure!! They are a great team to work for. In the other programs, I never got proper training shifts. No matter how much I asked. A kid with a 20 day order did not like me. No matter how much we tried to find the reason why, the kid did not have one and this led to me getting written up. Shift lead would ask me to remind a kid of a rule, I would, the kid would get mad, complain about me to shift lead and this contributed to me getting written up. They did not care that I got along with every other youth in the program. They told me I was not a good fit for their program yet they said the opposite during my observation shifts!! They would say how they would support me and your colleagues would always back you up, yet they did the opposite. Extremely high turnover rate. They asked me to work 4 doubles in a week once (a double is 14-16 hours), because of how understaffed they were. Some of your coworkers can be very condescending. During supervisions, instead of discussing my work output, management would bring up things in my life that had nothing to do with work to criticize me about. Do not try to become friends with majority of your coworkers, they will stab you in the back!!! Everyone is always in your business. 

Like many large not for profits individual program culture will vary depending on where you are in the agency, but their overall agency culture is Eurocentric and hierarchical in nature. You can expect to have no say in the way things are done unless you have a title that qualifies you to do so.
They stand out in the community as a leading trauma centre, however; offer very little training and development of hands on skills associated with this. Many of their intervention practices remain based in behaviour modification and correctional practices such as, calm down rooms and  restraints, and outcomes  of crisis often reflect overall punishments. Because of this if you are working on campus, you can expect to be injured and burn out amongst team members is high.
I would recommend this agency if you are fresh out of school and do not know any better or if you want to sell your values for a little bit of a higher paying wage. However, if you have experience in the field and value client relationships, professional growth, cultural diversity, autonomy, and creativity in the workplace, this is not the place for you. 


What is the best part of working at the company?
The organization does valuable work for children and youth. There are a lot of passionate people who work there caring a lot about what they do and each other. But certain members of senior leadership are bullies, and unprofessional. Those behaviors go unchecked by the board and Exec Directors. It makes for a difficult and unhealthy work environment for some people. HR and 1-2 senior leaders try to support those affected but their concerns are ignored as well. It is sad because it really takes away from the good being done, and makes the best staff leave.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Work life balance can be hard. Lack of people skills and leadership traits in some senior directors

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Some pockets are great and there is great team work and collaboration. HR really cares and wants to make sure employees are engaged and well treated. Physical work environment can be challenging as buildings are really old.

Hull relies on constant turn over to staff its programs.  It allows, and does not support mistreatment of staff by coworkers and management. Those who seek out supports learn that the experience is uncomfortable, frowned upon, and typically not helpful. It is a good place to learn some skills, but the entire organization should have some kind of oversight, as the job itself can be very difficult, and the constant drama and mistreatment by other staff and management causes many people to leave there with a lot of trauma that takes them years to work through. There is also little to no training at all in the actual job, training is focused around things like restraints and first aid, and there is little to no actual official training in how to actually work with the kids. They just expect you to figure it out as you go.  

Hull Services is a difficult place to work. Dealing with a lot of crisis and behavioural issues with clients is very draining and they do not have enough staff to prevent burnout. Self-care is encouraged, but without enough staff to cover time off, it isn't feasible. 

Training is also subpar. Because of the staffing issues, shiftleaders often have no time to train new staff and sometimes in an 8-hour shift you only see coworkers at the beginning of shift, quiet hour when kids are in their rooms, and the end of the shift. 

The relationships made with clients are very rewarding and sometimes the job is very fun. It is also an excellent place to learn new skills. 

Hull is a stepping stone. People start there to gain experience, and then move on. 

On the other hand, I have heard that Hull is better than Woods Homes or Enviros. 

Ratio is supposed to be 1 staff to 2 kids. My first couple weeks, they were pairing me alone with 3 kids at a time, which caused issues. They had the staff to accommodate 2 staff, 3 youth. R@c!$m occurs. How your coworkers are definitely depends on the program you’re at. I never get breaks, whether or not the shift is 8 hours or 16 hours. Micromanage my washroom usage. A lot of things get swept under the rug. A very toxic work environment. One positive is that some of the kids are a joy to work with! They make the job worth doing. In conclusion, avoid working at this company!

In a nutshell, working for this agency was like being back at high school. The drama and politics between each different shift was toxic. While working on nights you often get treated like a babysitter and maid. The pay is decent for front line, but I would not recommend this place for everyone. Another thing, be careful how you approach management because there is a high chance you will see repercussions if they do not like you. The main thing to remember if you apply here is trust no one.

Upon being on the floor with the youth for the first time you are thrown into it and it is a steep learning curve. Management is intentional and always willing to hear your concerns and anxieties. Work environment has the potential of being extremely stressful as well as very calm and relaxing. I learned what it means to be always "on" and ready for crisis while also being engaged in relationship building and rapport building.

At Hull services ILS work experience we do multiple jobs that change each day. We track our progress in skills such as time management to work ethic, while also giving ourselves an honest review from a days work. The environment is flexible and can be fun. Staff and students personal lives can at times hinder reliability during work time but at the same time its reassuring to work closely with others while staying on task.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Youth counselor 27 salaries reported	$53,129 per year
Counselor 2 salaries reported	$51,504 per year
Foster parent 2 salaries reported	$110 per day
Program counselor 3 salaries reported	$55,560 per year
Facilitator 4 salaries reported	$57,960 per year

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