youth worker

foster care worker

family support worker

program facilitator

childcare provider

Ben Calf Robe Society

I had heard good things about the company which is why I decided to apply to be a Child and Youth Care Worker. I cannot say I was happy with what resulted.

I heard nothing for over a month after orientation. I was told to wait for a response. When I called, they said they'd forgotten about me due to hiring so many new staff.

I really did not like that there was no structured training. It was basically employees on shift that were already super busy trying to find the time to teach  whenever they could. They all had different ways of doing things. I did not learn how to do some very important documentation procedures for several weeks when it seemed like it was a big part of the job. Feedback was nonexistent from management and there was clear favoritism from them. Lots of clique formation which means newer employees were often left to fend for themselves.

Most of the day is spent doing cleaning or computer documentation in an office. Sweeping, mopping, dishes, etc. every shift. There's not that much interaction with the youth I was with because they mostly keep to themselves unless they needed medications, food, or were heading out. It was not the most fulfilling work if you're looking to care about youth because for the most part you are just doing household tasks.

The pay was ok for what it was, but hourly employees get no benefits. Salaried employees are the only ones that get comprehensive benefits. It was not uncommon to be stuck at work much longer than the end of your shift if there was a big incident with one of the youth that needed a report written about it. Scheduling things beyond work was very difficult, because the supervisors make the schedule for two weeks, and you are basically working different shifts/days all the time. If you are looking for a job where you have a consistent schedule, it is not this one. Your two days off might be split up throughout the week or even be in the middle of it. Working weekends is nigh guaranteed and so is being short staffed.

Communication was not very good at all.  Supervisors were not very clear about expectations so if you are not good at picking up subtle hints that they want you to improve on something, it is a big struggle. They kind of expect you to just "know" how to do things already or try to sift through disorganized policy folders.

Workplace culture was okay I guess. No real dress code. Lots of gossip though and swearing from supervisors and staff I worked with, general sense of immaturity. Everyone was always very tired and had something to complain about; in general it did not seem like many people were happy with the job. Even one of the more long time employees straight up told me that the job kind of sucks the hope out of you because you don't see many youth moving out when they turn 18 having improved to the point where they can succeed in life.

Really, the most enjoyable part of the job for me was interacting with the youth. They may have been high risk youth, and they could be hard to interact with sometimes. It felt really good to have them open up to me about their problems and listen to them and provide any help I could.

Good learning experience if not much else.

. Unfortunately the management deficiencies outweighs the rewards of the work itself. Lack of due process, unclear/updating policies that are unavailable to employees, lack of mentoring and delegation, lack of review, and lack of support and appreciation made this a horrible work experience. Reviews would be given without any criticism pr follow up and write outs would be given without any verbal warning. Favouritism in upper management that puts the employees and sometimes the youth at risk. Cliquey work environment- people are more concerned with who their best work friend is (upper management) than about making sure all tasks and responsibilities are completed in a timely manner to support youth and staff. Some houses are more than 26 degrees in the summer and some management makes untrained employees administer medications out of staffing schedule convenience. The company claims to follow a trauma based approach but in practice it’s more transactional and punishment based. 

BCRS Is a good company to begin with, or if you are looking for temporary work.  They barely train you and have low expectations. It felt like high-school at many times due to immaturity throughout management. There is LOTS of gossip and rumor-spreading.  Most of the management/supervisors are related or are close friends which caused many issues within the company.  Certain staff are notorious for mistreating/bullying others below them, however remain with the company and in their roles.  I would not recommend BCRS to anybody seeking employment, however I will mention that I don't regret my time with the company. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Do the actual work for the people that needed the help and assistance. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The management not assisting and do the proper work for the community 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It was as best as one made it however the toxicity was overwhelming.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Doing my job by myself and assisting my staff as best needed.

Started my day checking emails and telephone messages. Reviewed any duties that needed to be completed from the day prior. Started reviewing documentation very fast paced and there was always something to come up that needed to get done. The Ben Calf Robe Society is very diverse culture. The hardest part of the job is time management. The most enjoyable part of the job is when the clientele are very successful in there transitioning.

This company will promise you the world of opportunities then stab you in the back. I worked hard for this company just to be told that i lost my benefits 5 days prior and that i was not getting my salary back. even tho i bent over backwards for this company. I loved working with the kids. reason why i stayed there for so long but the bs that comes with it isn't what anyone should go though. 5+ employees are unable to pay their rent and had no notice that there wasn't going to be any shifts/

The organization is great to work at and I enjoyed the relational skills which I created with the infants, child(ren), youth, families, other professionals in the field and finally team on the floor.

Working for Ben Calf Robe has given me so much training and education. My fellow co-workers and supervisors/manager are so good to me. There are many chances and different types of opportunities to grow within this company.

Most of the people are native, which is what I thought but I never thought that they would be so negative. 
I believe that because I was not a native person they looked down on me.
I was not treated the same as others.

I recommend for gaining experience but not permanent work place
Learnt a lot, because they trust you to do the job, but not enough training and support

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Youth worker 9 salaries reported	$22.50 per hour
Foster care worker 1 salary reported	$24.00 per hour
Family support worker 2 salaries reported	$23.50 per hour
Program facilitator 3 salaries reported	$23.33 per hour
Childcare provider 2 salaries reported	$22.16 per hour

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