The Kids are Amazing, the Management was Deceitful and Self-Serving - Recensione dipendente - House Parent presso St. Jude's Ranch for Children

-Self-serving management: -The company is way over budget as a result of each member of the entire leadership team taking a $10k-$20K wage increase January 2020. -The female CEO spends her time trying to “up” the social media status of the organization and disregards the needed change in her organization -Management speaks condescendingly to staff in meetings and is passive-aggressive in difficult circumstances. -Management is virtually absent, except for monthly, condescending staff meetings. -The supervisors (2 females) are extremely manipulative. They will promise something to your face, but just know they will not follow through. Empty promises are handed out like pretzels -Management never owns up to their issues and place blame elsewhere EVERY TIME. -Supervisors are the epitome of bosses and in no way exhibit proper leadership skills. They hide in their offices and watch through their windows, then send condescending text messages reminding house parents of rules. -Supervisors have a couple “informants” and display clear, blatant favoritism to them. -Supervisors will ask you to help them find “grounds for firing” of staff they don’t particularly like. -It is difficult to watch your coworkers constantly being mistreated and used, resulting in an obscenely high turn-over rate. (In the 16 months I was employed, more than 25 coworkers, or 1/3 of total employees, were let go or left after recurring mistreatment). -“Therapeutic Environment” is defined as having a clinical department on Ranch. Each child placed on Ranch must “qualify” to be there by exhibiting intense, high level behaviors so they can be run through the gamut of services and bring more $ value to the Ranch. -“Crisis Intervention” by clinical happened only 1 time in many, numerous severe crises in my home. The actual intervention the Ranch provided every other time was a follow-up 15-minute phone call with staff. They then required I type up my observations and email it to them so they could format it for Medicaid and bill for 12-16 hours of “intervention” without ever having a clinical worker step foot in the house or speak with the child. -When a child shows vast improvement on clinical goals, the clinical department will ask you to change your responses so the child appears worse off than they are and the Ranch can continue to bill Medicaid for services on the child. -DFS and local police department think St. Jude’s is a complete joke. The Ranch cannot correctly manage the few homes open, yet plans to expand. -Policy of Ranch is to allow children to destroy property. Staff is only allowed to place children in safety hold if they are a threat to another child or themselves. This resulted in maintaining placement for children who throw boulder-sized rocks at homes, cars, and other children. In fact, while staff was trying to keep the rest of the children safe in the home, supervisors commanded staff to unlock their front door and allow the escalated child back into the home to place the rest of the children and staff back in danger. -You will be kicked, bit, cussed at, and hit and supervisors will do nothing. In fact, the Ranch requires the injured staff to complete a drug test with any injury complaint. -You will be placed on immediate suspension without pay, and be escorted off Ranch as if you are a criminal, in the event that a child tries to accuse you of anything. They do not have the backs of their staff. -You must have a long paper trail documenting recurring incidents of violence for supervisors to even consider placing a 30-day notice on a child. (It makes sense that they try to maintain placement of children who regularly go through crises so they can bill Medicaid for 16 hours or really, the 15-min phone call follow-up) -The job involves way more than just trying to provide a stable home for high level of care youth. On top of entertaining kids all day (thank you COVID), cooking, cleaning, breaking up fights, driving to appointments, and talking kids through choices, you are required to complete multiple Basic Skills Training sessions on the kids in your home every day, as well as a food log (for breakfast, lunch, and sometimes snacks), case notes, and incident reports. -When short-staffed, the supervisors will not step in to help cover. Rather, they will ask you to work extra, covering 2 homes without extra pay or incentive. You will be up all night with kids you are unfamiliar with, then be expected to work all day will your kids from your own home. -Now, house parents are expected to homeschool 6 High Level of Care children as a result of COVID without ANY support from management. Good luck.