Seneca Family of Agencies Employee Reviews about "family of agencies"

Pros

There is no doubt in my mind that the people who work for Seneca Family of Agencies are the most exceptional and caring people you may ever meet, let alone meeting a whole staff of these individuals. When the days get tough (and they get tough) there is always someone there to fall back on for support and understanding similar to a family or a best friend. The kiddos are great, sure each one will try you one day ro the next but at the end of the day when they ask you to play tag on the black top, your heart will melt and you'll be reminded of why you work here. They are kids I'll never forget and kids I hope keep smiling into the future.

Cons

There is an extremely high turnover rate--so much so that classrooms are almost always understaffed, and a full classroom of staff is celebrated. I worked overtime almost four days ever week, and rarely got to speak with my supervisor due to staffing shortages. In a classroom that was supposed to be staffed by 4 MHAs I often found there were only two of us and we were both stretched pretty thin.

Pros

Seneca Family of Agencies cultivates a very safe space for all of their employees and clients served. Seneca does an exceptional job of training all new hires (2 week orientation prior to starting at your program-specific location) to provide you with a deeper understanding of the mission, vision, values, ethics, etc. They require First Aid and CPR training, and it's all built into the 2 week orientation. They have a nurse available for employees. Excellent medical, dental, vision, chiropractic, and mental health services. Seneca is very thorough and they take care of their employees. Weekly 1:1 and group supervision is provided. Supervisors are also almost always available, and if it's after hours and you're on an on-call shift, then there's the Rapid Response Team who is incredibly supportive and acts as an interim supervisor (and communicates this with your supervisor later). Seneca offers ample CEUs and other professional development opportunities. Although I did not take advantage of this, but Seneca recently partnered with USC's online MSW program so that you can continue working at Seneca (and you'll still get paid and it'll double up as your required internship program), and have some (if not all) of your tuition covered. Seneca is truly an amazing place to work because of the supervisors, the co-workers, the opportunities to move up the career ladder, the work, the mileage reimbursement, the clients, and their family members. Only reason why I left is because I went to an out-of-state MSW program. Seneca was everything I was looking for and more. I am a much better person and social worker now because of them. Thank you Seneca!

Cons

There is a high turnover rate at Seneca. I personally did not feel burnt out because I really optimized my supervision time, but a lot of my colleagues were exhausted and disliked being on-call. Although I didn't mind it, others might, so I thought it would be important to note that I had about 5 supervisors in the over a year time I spent working at Seneca. The supervisor turn over was due to promotions, personal leave, pursued higher education, and more (though I always had the Rapid Response Team if I needed someone). Pay is not great especially for the amount of work you do--if you speak Spanish or Vietnamese and you're able to pass the language test then you'll receive a pay increase. A lot of my colleagues felt as though they fell behind with the progress notes policy (completing notes within 24 hours of client interaction) in our wraparound program. Again, on-call can be exhausting (when I was there it was 24 hour shifts 3 times per month), especially if you worked a full-shift and get called out overnight (you do receive a stipend for that though). Although the orientation to Seneca is excellent, the job-specific training occurred way too late (I had worked at Seneca for 3 months before the conducted their formal wraparound training). By that time, I felt like I was thrown in without any training, and then when I got the training, it was validating that my work was on point, but that sink or swim style was not good. I was lucky I had a few other people from the 2-week orientation start with me in the wraparound program.

Pros

Seneca Family of Agencies has been such an amazing place to work! Staff members keep the job fun and engaging and there is a lot of room for growth within each job role.

Cons

As expected for non-profit work, the pay rate can be seen as a con to some.

Pros

Seneca provides you with the training you need to be successful in working with a high-need client population. Its supervisory policies will keep you compliant with the top industry standards, and you'll develop excellent habits as a mental health worker. There are extensive opportunities for promotion and professional growth. No other child and family agency in the Bay Area has this level of organization and training.

Cons

There is some resistance to using evidence-based practices within the agency. The health benefits are rather poor, and you will be required to pay a large percentage of the cost every month. Seneca salaries are less competitive when compared with other agencies.

Pros

I love working at Seneca. I recently read an article in the magazine from my alma mater on their efforts to create a culture of inclusivity and found myself thinking about how grateful I am to work for an agency that focuses on this, both for staff and families served. Seneca has clear values of unconditional care and everyday I am a part of putting this into action and the tireless work of always wanting to do this better. Seneca is an agency that is willing to challenge itself and invest in looking at what is going well and where we can improve.

Cons

As with all social service organizations, filled with passionate people, work life balance is a struggle!

Pros

Even when the work is especially challenging and tough, I feel supported by my colleagues and supervisors. Working with other individuals who enjoy what they do enriches the environment, and makes the hard days easier, and the easier days more fun. There is definitely a sense of team work and collaboration within this agency, which in turn, transpires into the work we do with our youth and families. The work is rewarding knowing that you are making a difference in the community, and there is a feeling of pride that accompanies it. I love working at this agency, and I plan to continue working at this agency for years to come!

Cons

The pay is low, as with any social services nonprofit. The agency doesn't provide retirement plans which would definitely be a much appreciated benefit by many.

Pros

Seneca Family of Agencies(SFA) aims to provide our young people and families with a different experience, where they are cared for, supported and given respect. SFA provides continuous learning to the staff and offers a variety of opportunities for advancement within the different programs. Systems are in place in order to support us in having a safe venue to discuss our work with our young people, challenges and successes, with the end goal of providing the best care possible. SFA tries to stay ahead of the curb (trends, legislation etc.) and encourages creative thinking within the teams in order to help our young people and their families experience success. The approach to the work collectively, while bringing our own indivdual styles and diverse ideas, are some of the reasons why SFA is a place where one can thrive, both professionally and personally.

Cons

I have seen my share of staff turn-over. I feel that while it is important for our young people to learn that change is constant and it's okay for people to move on and do other things, we as an agency can do a better job of retaining our talent for a longer period of time, The benefit can be two-fold: more consistent support from experienced staff and better training transition between outgoing and incoming staff. The work itself is fulfilling and attracts same-hearted people. It this leads to having some make working at SFA a career. However, when we teach our staff about taking care of yourself before taking care of others, in order to best do this work, what comes to mind are the lack of retirement benefits for those who have chosen this as a career.