youth worker

family therapist

house supervisor

home care worker

residential supervisor

MacKillop Family Services

I've been working for MFS for quite some time now as youth worker. I'd say that the house i am at is awesome, great manager, team etc. However, there have been some shady practices from upper management, but the good thing is they correct themselves when asked about it (to an extent), the upper management are quite nice, at least in Shoalhaven. The workplace culture at my house is very good, very healthy, i can't say much for the overarching culture of the company but generally from a youth worker, not dealing with the politics/upper management often i cant say much. 

The hardest part of the job is dealing with kids that are quite complex, it often feels that as youth workers we are limited in what we can do, although we are trained, there are limitations to the training when it comes to complex clients. In saying this, it often feels as if the YP is running the show, and the control is not in the hands of the workers. It can also be frustrating when the YP gets themselves into situations on their own accord and as staff, there is no power and there is limited preventatives as certain clients do not respond well. It can get quite draining because of this, and you could experience burnout if you're not preparing yourself accordingly, but this is the nature of the role when you are dealing with kids that have been through trauma. 

Positives of the job is that the pay is quite good, good hours, quite flexible depending on your manager and there is salary packaging.

The thing i find enjoyable about this role is being able to fulfil the requirements of a youth worker in this role and seeing the YP's benefit from it. Also, it is bonus when there is a healthy work envrionment too, and each house i have been to, the workers have been very good to work with; there doesnt seem to be vast discrepancies in staff skills, most staff know exactly what they are doing so if you are new to the industry, ask as many questions to the staff and they more than willing to help.

There is also very extensive training that the company offers, I've never come across a company where there are so many training modules, quite high quality actually. 

Management is quite supportive too, there are monthly supervisions where the focus is on you to gauge where you are at. I find these to be somewhat beneficial, especially when elements of vicarious trauma and on shift trauma occur. 

As an overarching review, there is alot of benefits to working here at MFS as well as negatives. It really depends on which district you apply for as the culture varies. I would recommend this company to work at as a youth worker, but be aware of any false hopes, manipulation etc -  as seen in the previous reviews. 

I had an unpleasant interview experience. It was conducted over Microsoft Teams during lockdown restrictions. 

There were technical difficulties from the start (nobody's fault but it does taint the whole experience). 

For some reason, neither the HR woman nor the supervisor could see me but I could see them. The HR person kept saying how important it was to see me but less important that I see them. Really?? I don't think so. The interview is also for ME to establish whether or not I want to work for the company. I thought this was incredibly rude. She also insinuated that the problem was from my end and made no attempt to figure out the issue from her end. She didn't apologise for it either. 

One of the questions asked of me was 'Describe a situation when you had to handle a difficult client'. I was VERY upfront about never having worked in residential care before and never had experience working with clients before (having come from a retail management background). I tried to tailor my answer by using an experience dealing with a customer- she very abruptly said CLIENT, not customer. I told her again I hadn't worked with 'clients' before and could I give an example with a staff member instead. Nope, that wasn't good enough either. I was beginning to think she wanted me to make something up? I ended up using an example from my days volunteering for Lifeline at their crisis call centre. 

I was then interrupted by her child walking in (which is fine, I completely understand that people are working from home now) but I was already feeling unimpressed with her. 

The third strike for me was her yawning without covering her mouth and looking very bored (looking around the room). 

The supervisor was lovely and helped me to feel at ease but she was overshadowed by the bossy and abrupt HR woman. 

You work in HR, Ms A. The way you conducted yourself was unacceptable in my opinion. I hope this feedback allows you to behave more professionally next time!

Worked here for a while and I loved working with the young people, they have so much to offer the world but they are set up to fail by mackillop supervisors and management.
Very female empowering environment but definitely not supportive towards men, the house is very clicky and has a group who can do as they please and change Mackillop’s rules to suit them and swear non stop at the young people and supervisors and management just say oh they are just big personalities it’s ok! Money is fair and they are ok with sick days and if you need time off, supervisors change case notes and updates to make them look good to senior management and they don’t get questioned about this.
Having supervisors who just delegate all their work to staff then bury you when you can’t keep up to their bosses.
Supervision which should be to help the staff get through their stresses and things getting to them mentally is used to cause drama between workers and no one can be trusted in the houses as it’s a dog eat dog organisation of bury others to move up the chain of command.
If you get a job here get in with the click or they will find ways to get you fired quickly and then when you have your say they don’t listen because you’re just an angry man.
Supervisors say only state facts but they will change case notes and updates to suit themselves and make themselves look great.

Overall an extremely poor company to work for. Management create a toxic environment by encouraging gossip, supervisors bully their team members but if you report them you will be persecuted as management are all friends outside of work and make it very well known, posting going out for drinks together online and engaging with each other in a very personal and friendly manner. What they do not make well known is that many of them are sleeping together or are in long term relationships and cover each other by intimidating and threatening workers who try to report any bullying or inappropriate behaviour. Work life balance is not encouraged, you will be seen as ‘weak’ or ‘not cut out for this line of work’ if you have an issue with the inappropriate workplace behaviours, gross overtime or being assaulted regularly at work. If you ask for counselling or support it will not be provided, and will be used as a reason that you’re not fit for the role. There’s a reason this company relies on short term and agency workers. 

No matter where you work, been a youth worker can be  stressful and very draining. On the flip side it’s also very rewarding - just not a job for everyone. MacKillop is like any other, if you’re lucky to get a good team and house supervisor then you’re well supported. The biggest downside to MacKillop is their rostering which leads to burnout. No matter part time or fulltime, rosters are structured so one week you work 6 days including weekends, then the following week  a couple days with weekends off…sounds good on paper but the reality of working in a home with high risks kids for 6 days at a time is a different story. Training though was good (if boring) in the way it will give you transferable skills to other jobs in the community sector, though as common in the sector homes are often under staffed or use agency workers which can escalate young people’s behaviours. All in all I have a positive experience with MacKillop, though the work life balance is a key factor in seeking alternative employment

Mackillop was an excellent company, who made sure that their staff were happy and looked after. Unfortunately I relocated back to the UK to study and have to leave the company. 

My time was spent providing residential support to adolescents with severe behavioural issues, who often presented with violent and unpredictable behaviour. The main purpose was to assist the individuals to live a fulfilling life and develop important skills to assist their independence.

The staff were a very good team, with check-ins which allowed staff to discuss any issues they may have with clients of other team members. 

The most difficult part was dealing with unpredictable behaviour when out in the community, but when the behaviours did not occur, this was highly rewarding.

This organisation allows YPs to do whatever they want under the guise of being 'therapeutic'. There's no such thing as discipline and consequences for the YPs and so it encourages bad behaviours.
As a YW you are the bottom of the barrel and your voice doesn't get heard. 
It's toxic from the top down and the YPs just go over your head when you try put something in place and the upper management listen to them, hence why the YWs all just go to work to get paid and can't care in the end.
I quit because it went against my values to unlovig treat YPs like this and I could not make a difference in their lives as I was shut down every time. 

Working in the Refugee Service was very rewarding caring for young refugees. My job was to prepare these young men to live independently, My co-workers were  very dedicated and passionate although a few some times needed to be reminded why they were doing this job. Management were very supportive and had a great understanding of workers family issues. The hardest part of the job was the cultural differences e.g. some of the boys attitude towards the female staff and the issues between where each off the boys originated from, the most rewarding part was the relationships forged and to see these young men ready to succeed in life and to know I was a part of that

Learned a lot from experienced workers who helped immeasurably with my professional development, especially during times of crisis with clients. Challenging work but laid good foundations for me moving forward in the community services sector. 

Supporting culture that is growing, revolves a lot around the Sanctuary Model - trauma informed approach to better work with young people and maintain self care.

Most enjoyable part of the job has been the range of amazing people I have met and worked with and gaining the experience of working in such a challenging field.

A typical day at work was fraught with challenges, worry and anxiety.   This is a given due to the clientele staff are faced with.  I learned a lot while employed at Mackillop.  I found management to be lackluster for the most part, certainly not supportive on many an occasion when I needed assistance.  Co-workers knew their job and did their best.  The hardest part of the job was feeling, at times, unsupported by management.  The most enjoyable part of the job was the clients I worked with.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Youth worker 18 salaries reported	$39.34 per hour
Family therapist 1 salary reported	$61.53 per hour
House supervisor 8 salaries reported	$46.28 per hour
Home care worker 8 salaries reported	$38.15 per hour
Residential supervisor 11 salaries reported	$51.09 per hour

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