Seneca Family of Agencies Employee Reviews about "children and families"

Pros

Great opportunity to work with amazing people and children. Very rewarding place to work at.

Cons

At times it can be very challenging

Pros

Seneca is such a supportive place to work. Having now worked in multiple programs in the agency, I can say that across the board there is a strong sense of community and shared values with supervisors supporting their staff to grow professionally and develop new skills. It is wonderful to work with such a talented group of people who are all passionate about the work they do and the children and families they help every day.

Cons

The agency is constantly growing, which means there can be frequent changes and occasional growing pains.

Pros

Seneca has a beautiful mission and provides services that other agencies will not do, making it a true blessing for families with severely challenged children.

Cons

Paperwork demands are absolutely unrealistic and require you to work late into the evenings and on weekends to get work done on time. Management is over-worked and unable to value individual contributor's participation. Clinicians are encouraged to become robots doing what their supervisors want them to do as opposed to becoming solid therapists with their own individual styles. Don't rock the boat (express any opinion) if you ever want to be promoted....you gotta drink that kool-aid to survive.

Pros

Seneca is true to its mission and values unlike many companies out there. And given its size and geography that is a true accomplishment! CEO is an inspiring and real person. Amazing support from management. I feel honored to work with the people I do and get to serve our children and families in times of their greatest need! You really feel like you are part of something different that is making the world a better a place. Once you've had the experience working for different companies you can truly appreciate just how generous Seneca is with its supports and benefits to its employees. 4-5 weeks paid time off is extremely generous! Many of our managers have been in the field for a very long time and have amazing experience that they use to support and develop staff.

Cons

With many new programs always starting sometimes that process can be clunky and challenging, but that is to be expected. EHR system is a bit frustrating at times. When you choose to dedicate your career to serving others, work/life balance is always a struggle. Programs further from headquarters can sometimes feel a bit disconnected- but the agency puts efforts to improve this. Sometimes newer staff have trouble knowing the reality of the work they are getting into and can struggle if they don't utilize the support of their supervisors.

Pros

Seneca offers a chance to work with truly dedicated individuals to change the way children dealing with abuse, neglect or other traumatic experiences can excel in school. It's truly a team approach and seneca stops at nothing to take care of the children it serves.

Cons

This is very difficult work and its still truly new in Washington. It takes a lot of patience and a bit of faith!

Pros

The children and clients are the only good thing about Seneca.

Cons

Before you take a job at Seneca Family of Agencies in the bay area consider these things. If you're a recent graduate, if this is your first real job, Seneca has a ridiculous policy that does not allow recommendations. What does this mean? If you were to put down your supervisor on a job application which most applications this day ask for the only thing they can say is confirm your dates of employment. I didn't find this out until almost a year into employment. You would think they would mention this upon hire, they don't. You are also required to do a mandatory two week training that is only relevant to direct care staff. If you are admin don't expect to get anything out of the training except for maybe two days of it. A few supervisors play into the power dynamic role and will keep you down as far as professional growth goes. Internal applications (ie changing roles) have to be approved by supervisors if they're not you can still apply but hr will reach out to supervisors and ask why they didn't approve and they can give their advice and ultimately be a big part in deciding whether you can move on or not. Supervisors can be highly sensitive and quick to call you unprofessional or hostile for not answering them the way they like. Do one thing wrong you're defined by it do one thing right it doesn't matter. Lack of appreciation for staff is real with some supervisors if they feel it's what you should be doing they don't think you deserve appreciation. Turnover is extremely high and being short staffed throughout programs is the norm. No one ever answers as to why these things are so. The whole team including a supervisor left within six months at First Stop. There is a problem with management/director at this program and many others that fails to be addressed. Hiring process is "take what they can get". They will give you some bs stat saying you were in the top 90th percentile of all these fictitious people who applied. Untrue. You were just the only people who applied and they were desperate to hire and fill roles. You will be stretched extremely thin doing other job duties in order to support where the company is lacking. Underpaid for all the hats you have to wear. If life happens and you need support from Seneca as a company or your supervisor don't expect much. They just like to say they're a company who supports it's employees but that isn't true. The company likes to promote diversity and no tolerance for discrimination but 80% of the company is white. When you have an experience of discrimination within your program your supervisor will do whatever for the client; client first employee last. It also doesn't help that all of the clients are people of color who can't get the help they need because 80% of the company is white and doesn't understand the struggles they are going through because they can't comprehend or understand it. All they do is feel bad for the client. See through the facade, think long and hard before taking that job. You don't need that unnecessary stress in your life. Level up, keep job hunting, a good opportunity will come.

Pros

I look forward to coming to work almost every day. In addition to being engaging and fun, the work feels meaningful and worthwhile. I enjoy being part of a team. My coworkers and supervisors are great people and professionals that I respect and admire. I feel supported in my professional development. My more senior coworkers provide guidance and advice in my day-to-day work, and I also have the opportunity to attend agency trainings.

Cons

Working with children with behavioral and emotional difficulties is draining and can leave me with less energy to pursue personal interests outside of work. Paperwork is an unpleasant but seemingly necessary part of the job.

Pros

You gain strong clinical skills and learn a lot in working with children and families. Very supportive culture.

Cons

Need to be mindful of self-care given the high needs of the client population.

Pros

Loved working with the children and families and my coworkers were great. Nice to be part of a team. $500 annual clinician stipend and lots of training opportunities.

Cons

Supervisor wasn’t very supportive and didn’t really seem to understand the all of the work the therapists were doing. Lots of turnover in all positions.

Pros

Everyone who works here genuinely wants to be here and has a passion for helping children & families. There are regular trainings to keep employees up to date on current practices, and scholarship opportunities to pursue higher education. There are also opportunities to move to different programs throughout the agency and explore different career options.

Cons

Although the work is incredibly rewarding, it can also be challenging and there is high turnover. Also, there is no retirement plan.