developmental service worker

support worker

property assistant

Parents For Community Living

I can't speak to respite programs, but  I can attest that I've worked for PCL for a large number of years and there is a reason I haven't left. I work in one of the group homes supporting 4 people and can honestly say that I love my job. I work with a great team who supports each other in every aspect of our job. 
My management team is so supportive as well and if ever I have a issue whether it be assistance with shift coverage, more training in a specific area or clarification on techniques I always feel fully supported. The individuals in care are quite diverse but we are specifically trained to support them fully in their day to day lives. I've worked at a fair number of the homes and can say the level of training has been consistent throughout.
Financially, PCL pays well in comparison to other community based agencies for their group homes (Not sure about respite) however- with the rising minimum wage as well as our high standard of quality care - an increase in wage would be welcomed and valued.There is a RRSP plan and Benefits in place for people with permanent contracts/hrs.  It is easy to pick up hours if you'd like to work as relief support throughout the agency. I have also furthered my secondary education with some financial assistance from PCL. 
This agency is always using Core Competencies as a base for most of its training and staff development. Annually we have a staff retreat day too, which is always fun and educational. PCL is always trying to ensure its employees are valued, There is also a resource library at the head office. I highly recommend working for Parents for Community Living and will likely be here for years to come.

Typical day in Residential is great!  You get to connect with people supported, do fun activities, involve people in life skills, some shifts are just enjoying a movie together or assisting people with chores, micromanaging is minimal and you feel supported by the Program Manager. $18/ hr is fair.

Typical day in Respite is HORRIBLE.  You get no time to connect with people supported on any meaningful level, staff turnover is constant, understaffed often, fun activities are rare, training non-existent, and no support from Program Manager.

Since moving to a new location the Adult Respite is even worse. It is now out in the country away from any amenities, it is now a combination of respite and a behavioural home for up to 15 people.  Community partners are hearing complaints weekly about everything from quality of care to staff burnout.  Staff are being abused, care is barely acceptable, staff are not being trained properly, the majority of staff have no behavioural experience, often 4 staff are caring for up to 15 people with various disabilities including aggression and they earn the exact same money as staff in non-behavioural homes with only 4-6 residents who are there 24/7.   $18/hr is offensive

If you apply be wary of being assigned to any respite house, they are poorly managed and the individuals you support can be physically aggressive.

A typical day at work for me involves going to the primary residential home that I work for and taking care of the individuals that live there. This often involves conversing with them about their day and if they faced any obstacles, asking how they dealt with those obstacles. I also write in their log books, documenting what they did that day and any challenges that arose. Everyday I learn something new to me, whether it be about the individual I take care of or about the agency. I primarily work alone with no other staff.
Management consists of one Senior Support Provider for each home and above them are 2 other forms of management- they work at the main office.

Safety in any job should be everyone’s #1 priority and that wasn’t happening at the home I was employed for a very short time.  A lot of physical aggression, behaviours, many staff calling in sick.  Large turn over of staff does not help either.  Being a new employee as I was I was mistreated and bullied which was not acceptable.  I feel for the residents that do live there that they are not getting the care that they need.  Staff do need to collaborate and engage with one another and that wasn’t happening.  Lack of training when new employees come on board.  The culture of the home, the staff that do work there it does not say a lot.  A lot of things do need to be done and having respite and behavioural residents together under the same roof isn’t ideal.  We all need to be safe and that definitely was not happening.  I have worked in this field for many years but never have I seen a home run the way that was.

The premise of this agency is incredible. A family focus for supporting people with exceptionalities is why I chose to work with PCL- and they're accurate in that sense. Our clients are our family and I absolutely adore them. However that is the only positive thing about PCL. Our management team from head office down to supervisors lack education, experience, and professionalism and it impacts all employees and clients.  Our "HR department" is more or less non-existent. Our disciplinary policies are a myth and mystery to us all. Our clients suffer because of the lack of organization, care, knowledge, and willingness to learn from management. 
Our staff are burnt out, gossip, neglect their jobs, are overlooked or mistreated by supervisors. 
I have learned so much through my work here, but by far this is the worst work environment of my life.

Have to agree with the review below, respite is horrible. The home often is understaffed (4 staff) supporting up to 15 people and a handful of those people are highly aggressive and require more support. Some of the staff were well trained but most are not. High turn over rate (easy to see why). Non stop email blasts as everyone calls in sick, as it seems no one wants to go to work. A lot of staff issues that became unbearable to be around. Really felt bad for the people that were being supported, as 4-5 staff is not enough to accommodate 15 people, let alone 15 people with high needs. I really hope things change for the people being supported, however maybe this is only the case for the house I worked at? Still, I would never go back there.

Busy, sometimes stressful yet collaborative environment with coworkers. Coworkers and clients are great. Management you rarely see/interact with and often (in my experience) they didn't really understand front line workers needed to best support the residents and their care needs. Good place to get experience but not work long term. Pay back in 2011 was ok but pay hasn't changed much so pay would not be good now. Shift work days, evenings and overnights (awake). 

Everyday is different they got so many daily activities,
I learned to treat people with respect, dignity, patience and to be kind, management is good but they got to much on their hands that they don’t  spend enough time learning about their employees, the hardest part of the job is to get attached to your clients, the most enjoyable part is when you get a smile out of your clients and when you can make their day as they make your day too.

Parents for community living is the best place I have ever worked, very fair, training  is great as well as the understanding of anything you might need help with they have stood up for me helped me in so many ways . Parents for Community living I feel has the clients interest at heart as well as their employees 

I love my Job. Here we play a role as personal and developmental support workers for individuals with physical and mental disability ranging from Cerebral Palsy, dementia, mental health, intellectual delay, non verbals, autism, down-syndrome and more.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Developmental service worker 1 salary reported	$22.85 per hour
Support worker 1 salary reported	$19.81 per hour
Property assistant 1 salary reported	$23.54 per hour

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