case worker

project manager

caseworker ii

care manager

accountant

Allegheny County

The good:  The base pay is great, and there's a ton of mandatory OT, so you should be making a lot of money.  I was averaging 64 hours a week.  The benefits package was above average and the cost was very reasonable.  

The okay:  The training class is great at first.  My instructor did a fantastic job getting me ready to go on the floor.  However, once you were in OJT, it was hit or miss depending on who your trainer was.  My two trainers were great.  They weren't unrealistic in their expectations, they weren't overbearing and allowed me to make mistakes so that I could fix them, and understood that I wouldn't be perfect after 6 weeks and that was okay.  As long as I understood the fundamentals and wasn't going to get anybody killed, that was enough to build off of.  Some of my classmates weren't so lucky.  Some were driven off before completing OJT.  Some were held back for asinine reasons because their trainers were unrealistic and demanded perfection.  Some of the supervisors on the floor were great and acted like non-biased, actual supervisors.  Others...not so much.

The bad:  MANDATORY OVERTIME.  My very first day out of training, on the floor, was a 16 hour mandatory overtime shift.  After that, 3 days a week were mandatory 16 hour shifts minimum, without fail.  If you refused, you got written up.  Too many refusals meant termination.  This is by far the #1 complaint among those that quit.  Toxicity is the #2 reason people leave this job.  It's a fair estimate that at least 1/2 of the people on floor had attitude problems and acted superior.  If you were a newer person and made a minor mistake, you heard about it in the meanest way possible.  9 out of 10 times, they would tell you that you messed up, but couldn't bother to take a minute to tell you how to do it correctly, thus perpetuating the cycle of mistakes.  If you were the kind of person who said to yourself "wait a second, I really want to know what I did wrong so I don't repeat it," and you took that minute to approach that person and ask them, 50% of the time you were greeted with attitude and sarcasm.  It also doesn't help that a decent chunk of employees are first responders outside of the 911 center who will not hesitate for a second to come to work and talk about what kind of idiot you were to anyone who would listen for making a simple mistake on the radio.  Wrong unit #?  Expect everybody to know.  Missed a unit that called enroute because the message was buried under 10 other units calling the same thing?  Expect everyone to know about it.  There were times when 911 employees would call supervisors to complain about other 911 center employees because of simple mistakes.  It didn't matter if you were on the radio for a week, or 10 years.  If you weren't perfect, you betcha somebody was talking about it.

If you have incredibly thick skin and are masochistic, you'll fit right in.  Otherwise, you'll turn into a jaded monster with an attitude problem, or be looking for a new job in the first 6 months.  I promise you.

While working this job, there was much variation in your everyday. I managed an average caseload of about 20 cases but variation between each case was significant. I had cases with: one to eight children in the family system; children still living in the home, placed in kinship foster care, and children in nonkinship foster care; cases that were court active and those that were not; interstate compact cases where the child's recommended placement was out-of state; infant cases where the child was to be seen weekly and cases where the child was placed in-state but out of county and seen quarterly. 

The general duties of the job included seeing all children within the specified time period, keeping the status of each case up to date in the Key Information and Demographic System, regularly completing assessment paperwork assuring the child's current status was safe, preparing documents such as the family service plan outlining the goals the family hoped to accomplish with the agency's assistance, reviewing case details with my supervisor monthly as a oversight mechanism, testifying in court reviews or petition hearings if applicable, preparing court documents such as dependency petitions and permanency review addendums if applicable. 

My work was constantly reviewed by my casework supervisor whom was very detail and time oriented. I shared a strong relationship with my supervisor and often sought her guidance with difficult situations. 

I was part of a family services uni that consisted of five caseworkers operating under one casework supervisor. I shared a very strong relationship with all unit members and they were often my stress relief in this fast paced and intense position. 

The most difficult part of this job was when a child was deemed unsafe in their current living situation and a custody order and subsequent removal from the home was my next necessary step. I would note the removal of children from the home as the part of the job I found most difficult because of the trauma and significance of this occurrence to the children being removed and dependent upon the child's age, the difficulty they experienced in assimilating them into their new home environment. 

I would note the most enjoyable part of this job to be seeing a child that was living in an environment void of love and care and to place them in an environment full of these essential things and witness the immense positive change in their development over time.

Allegheny County CYF Caseworkers work an incredibly hard job: Investigating allegations of child abuse, Testifying to their findings in court, coordinating services, and working with parents to either ensure the safety of children in their care or become safe caregivers again so their children can come home. You're a combination of investigator, social worker, public speaker, transporter, and secretary. And for your hard work, the County pays the average caseworker barely a living wage, if that (I can get by on the salary as a single person, but some of my coworkers who have children are either currently utilizing the very same welfare services as many of our clients, or have had to do so in the past). You get a decent benefits package, sure, and you have your choice of overtime pay or comp time for overtime hours worked, but good luck using it. Between unreasonable state timelines for when documentation needs submitted, the sheer amount of (often redundant) documentation required, the chronic under staffing on the agency (caseworkers end up overworked even when an office/unit is at "full capacity" as the County won't pay for the amount of workers it really needs), and the fact that any time ANYTHING goes wrong with a client family or child, no matter whose fault it really is, the caseworker will get blames and NO ONE in county leadership will advocate for or defend them. The only management I had any respect for by the time my work with CYF ended was the unit supervisors, as they usually have been caseworkers sometime in the last decade and thus have at least some concept of how ludicrously overwhelming the job can be. I would not recommend work with Allegheny County CYF to anyone who doesn't enjoy being the scapegoat for a bunch of politicians who wouldn't know what empathy and leadership is if it slapped them in the face.

If you like micromanaging, office politics, backstabbing from management and peers, incompetent managers and supervisors, and friends who hire friends, then Allegheny county is the perfect place for you! I had never felt so belittled and brow beaten in my life. I cannot say what a relief it was the day I was able to give them my two week notice. 

This is not a job for the long haul unless you’re an office snitch or the favourite of a manager or supervisor. Bad behaviour is encouraged, while hard working good people are treated horribly. 

Take this job as a starter job, stay foe a year or two, and move on to something else. I was only there for five years, and I wish I had left after two years. There are some people there for 20, 30, 40 or more years! Whilst one can see how easy it would be to get comfortable there; that would only be due to being a favourite. If one is there for the long haul, and not a favourite, then one is there for the benefits and naught much else. Tho recently even those benefits are lagging. 

Recent college graduates or retirees could possibly do alright here. Anyone else puts their mental health at risk. 

Cons:
There are many state mandates and compliance issues which the county struggles to uphold.  Unfortunately there are so many cases and families in need with so little help, the majority of help is provided by caseworkers and direct service.  While management demands compliance, families demand answers, and caseworkers are often the bearers of bad news bound by laws which govern our standard operating procedure.  The pay is not on par with the work we do.  It is impossible not to carry the things we see and do here back home with us, especially during 12 hour days.

Pros:
Rewarding benefits and compensation package, and while the work is hard, there is progress being made with families, and there are children that are more safe because of the Agency's intervention.  This job has really honed my negotiating skill, communicating with clients in distress.
Workplace culture is a benefit, caseworkers and supervisors alike share the emotional burden of meeting demands and deadlines from the state, from clients, and from the courts.  We keep each other together here.  Management appears to be understanding of the concerns and the caseworker shortage.

Regular day would be 8 hours, would be busy, pending on the shift you were on. Breaks could suck, and if working call taking you are to sign up for breaks (2 -15 mins 1-30 min or 4-15 mins) and watch and see the magic that occurs of people's names being written in time slots without them even being there! Overtime was good and optional unless you were mandated. Hard to advance, unless your in "managements" pocket, you aren't going anywhere. Diverse culture, good and bad, but you learn as you do the job why it is so. The job sells itself as a very stressful job, many hours, stressful days. Union sticks its nose in EVERYTHING but what unions don't these days. Benefits WERE good until they flipped a coin and went with a cheaper benefit package for employees. You start out part time, and work your way up to full time, sometimes that could be a long time. (pay differential). Also last but not least, the place can be VERY unsanitary and unorganized, so if you look for cleanliness and organization, look no further than ACES 911 :)

I am currently employed as a manager for the DHS is my area. I have learned how to supervise difficult staff through difficult cases including child and child deaths. I have learned to remain professional in difficult situations and how to work under extreme stress and pressure. This is the hardest part of my job. I work with families that are not always cooperative and are not happy to be working with our agency and that can be difficult. Having to go into someone's home after their child dies or is severely abused and ask tough questions can be hard however it can also be rewarding. The most enjoyable part of my job is knowing that I have saved someone's life by taking them out of a bad situation. I enjoy my co-workers and management staff. Everyone is supportive and willing to work as a team to help one another. There is no such thing as a typical work day in my field. While this can at times be difficult it is also the best part because no one day is the same and there is always change and something new to learn and do.

Good benefits and a stable workplace overall, but the internal drama can make it difficult to see this as a long-term option. Compensation and benefits are competitive, and the job provides solid experience and opportunities to build skills. Some coworkers are supportive and genuinely care about their work, which helps on the tougher days. However, communication and leadership can feel inconsistent, and it sometimes seems like priorities shift without clear direction. There can be a lot of unnecessary tension, gossip, and politics that take attention away from doing the job well. Workload and expectations can also vary depending on the team and manager, so the experience isn’t always consistent. This could be a good fit for someone looking to gain experience short term, but those seeking a healthier culture and more consistent leadership may want to think carefully before committing long term.

Medical dept is run by non medical people. Poor staffing. Poor scheduling. Unqualified help. Lack of leadership. Toxic work environment. Officers treat nursing staff horribly. Charting is non-existent leading to multiple testing on inmates. Inmates dictate their treatment and threaten lawsuits at every turn. A total overhaul needs done on this medical department starting with the top and needs to be run by all medically trained professionals. Not D and A counselors. Officers need to treat nursing staff with respect. Charting needs to be absolutely mandatory. Training staff should be of upmost importance. Pay the medical staff better!! They are extremely overworked and make nothing. Staff intake and medical housing unit properly for everyones safety. This could be a great career if it better management and less toxic behavior were applied. 

Allegheny County Council is a political office that was constantly changing. This constant change was the most enjoyable, ad the hardest part of the job for me because it presented me with constant and consistent challenges. The face and environment of the office changed with each election. This was the greatest challenge, though not impossible. Just challenging.

"A typical day at work" didn't exist. I worked directly under the Director of Budget and Administration as well as 15 Council Members. Each one requiring/demanding something different and all possessing different characters, emotions, and personalities. 

I got along well with all of my co-workers, Directors, Council Members, Department heads ad employees of other departments in Allegheny County.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Case worker 9 salaries reported	$44,954 per year
Project manager 4 salaries reported	$45,500 per year
Caseworker ii 1 salary reported	$50,266 per year
Care manager 1 salary reported	$47,752 per year
Accountant 3 salaries reported	$46,750 per year

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