care coordinator

administrative assistant

social worker

nurse practitioner

engagement manager

The Village Network

It is hard to work for a cause when management is far more concerned about how things look on paper, rather than how effectively things are actually being run. Unfortunately, with new programs being implemented the youth have no standards, expectations, or consequences. The staff aren't actually helping the kids or teaching them anything, they are simply maintaining them until they go to their next placement. The staff aren't appreciated or respected, and are not paid enough considering what they have to endure. When severe situations happen, it gets brushed off as, this is part of the job, when in reality, the campus is not build to keep the types of kids that are continuously placed and kept on the campus. The restraints required to use on the youth, if you don't want to get fired, are not intended for violent or aggressive individuals, they are intended for nursing homes, so they are highly ineffective at a place like this. Management is never upfront and honest with the staff, it's always lies, manipulations, deceptions, and excuses. There is zero accountability across the board for management, they always find someone else to shove the blame off on time. The Village used to actually be a great place to work. staff stayed long term, and you were truly making a positive impact on the kids. Now, with corrupt management and a failing program, it is simply not the place it used to be, which is very disheartening. The turnover rate for staff is embarrassingly high and no one believes in what they're doing. The individuals who work in the offices and not directly on campus, are absolutely clueless as to what is actually going on, and do not even know what they are supporting or advocating for. The whole campus is drowning, and instead of fixing it, it's being shoved under the rug and hidden.

Employees are expected to perform tasks that they aren't adequately trained for and then penalized when they are done incorrectly. Some staff that have never been trained in running group therapy or providing individual 'sessions' are expected to do so and may even spend more time with clients in a therapeutic billable setting than their actual therapist. The focus is no longer on what is best for the clients but on administrative tasks and making the company look good on the books which leaves client care lacking. The culture itself is very stressful and leaves staff members just trying to hold everything together and cover themselves. There are a few staff members that will help one another out but you have to be careful because there are several that will do what they can to save themselves. They are fast to promote to management positions because they are salary and then they will force management to work an ungodly amount of hours leaving no room for a work/homelife balance. The reason for having to work so many hours is because everywhere is always short staffed so sometimes you are left doing two people's work because there was no one else available.

For most of my time at TVN, I enjoyed most aspects of my job and felt fulfilled in my work. However, about a year into my time there, I started noticing some of the toxicity of the organization. I would like to note that mission/purpose of the organization is great and most employees are great and  are honest to that mission. However, there are several employees who create a hostile work environment and are power hungry. In daily work tasks, there are often not clear boundaries or expectations and if/when you mess up, you take the hit for others’ poor communication or management. 
While the tuition assistance benefit is great, it has to be paid back. It is more of a loan than a “grant” or true assistance to employees. 
Benefits do not start on day one. If I remember, they start 60 days in to employment which can be seen as a major inconvenience for many.
Some supervisors make it very evident that they have favorites and this contributes to the work culture and hostility I previously mentioned. 
Decisions regarding your life and your daily tasks (ins and outs of your job) are made without your input.

This company has a tremendously high turnover rate.This should be enough to keep people away. Management does not support staff and constantly mandates, changes schedule with literally hours notice, changes job description and moves staff around to fill holes in unfamiliar areas. Mandatory overtime including forcing you to work on your days off for months at a time. Extremely high stress and dangerous job that provides no real treatment for the children. Groups are mostly (not always) a scam that you are forced to be a part of with no support from clinical or management staff. Also, The Village Network make it nearly impossible to take your PTO because they are always short staffed. I emphasize, ALWAYS short staffed. Your shift does not end when your shift is over. It is common to remain at work for extra hours due to paperwork, staff simply not showing up due to lack of communication or due to a crisis. It is not uncommon to be mandated to work a 16-20 hour shift. Management will make you find your own coverage for your vacation which isn't possible due to there never being enough staff on campus to cover it. Even if you work out your 2 weeks notice they DO NOT payout your PTO when you leave. Do not fall for the picture management will try to  paint for you when you interview. It is nothing like they make it seem and you will regret leaving your job to come here.

This place has a very high turn over, each month a class is held to training new employees. This class has 20 to 30 people in it to replace the people who have quite or been fired from the month before. When i worked there only one person had been there longer then two years. 

 the employees are over worked to dangerous levels avg. Week could be 50 to 70 hours. So if you have a life or family outside of the village forget it. You will often be mandated to stay for any number of reasons. (I. E. Coworker calls of, kid to the hospital/ docdoctors appointment broke up multiple fights and have paper work.weekly staff meeting, mandated training 1 to 2 times a week, kid goes to jail/ court, the list goes on) if you think you can go home after working 8 hours its rare. 

Staff that can not work the long hours are often thrown under the bus by management. Management has little regard for employees because employees are replaced often.

The residents come from detention centers or phyc. Hospitals. So they are angry and have very low regard for staff and the facility. (I.e. there are a lot of holes in the walls.) On avg. 1 to 12 fights a day. And always under staffed. 2 staff to 18 to 20 kids.

If you read all the bad reviews about this place is paints a good picture of what its like. Long hours, bad management, and unsafe children.

I speak strictly of the Boys Village, Wooster location, seeing as how I have not been apart of the others. Management at the boys village shows little care for their clients, and even less for their staff. They absolutely refuse to hire an adequate amount of staff to keep the place running. This causes the staff that are actually able to be mandated, to be mandated several times a week. You have people, including single parents, that are completely absent from their families lives because of how overworked they are. Because of the amount of hours they are forced to work, it is now an unsafe and high risk working environment. The employees are exhausted, burnt out, and become physically ill from time spent working. More mistakes are libel to be made, and people are going to start getting hurt at this rate. With the very little staff they are allowed to have, when their is a serious issue, there is no one able to actually go help, because they are unable to leave their cottages unattended, and there are no extra staff. It's as though they are actually wanting to force people out until the facility doesn't exist anymore all together. Is this the master plan?

The Village Network is a great place to work.  The youth have their moments as well as some staff but it is both fun and rewarding.  I feel the big reason that people say negative things about it is because they did not realize the environment that they were getting into.  Residential care is 24/7.  It is challenging at times but when you build the relationships with the youth, and staff and supervisors everyone is in it together and I have really enjoyed it.  Sure life happens and there are call offs and people cover that shift by working a double.  That is all part of the life at a facility.  The guys in the office care about you but you do need to offer some semblance of confidence, competence, punctuality and work ethic.  The program supervisors are extremely dedicated and enjoyable.  Also the pay is fair for the amount of work.  If you care about the well being of youth and want to make a difference then come join us.  If we can eliminate the "dead weight staff" we will be in a much better place but it is a process.  It will take time I believe that it takes at least six months to really get a good grip on this job and understand the balance.  If you want to dive in you can potentially work as many hours as you want.

My overall experience with The Village Network was extremely positive. My internship turned into a secured job with supportive supervisors, coworkers turned friends, and clients that constantly kept me on my toes. If you like a fast-paced job that is very hands-on, you will like TVN. It was important for me to create personal boundaries, as the productivity and paperwork expectations are high and I did not want to have to work on evenings and weekends. PTO benefits are great but hard to use during the holidays in certain programs. The pay is relatively low and could be increased for the amount of work the therapists do. The supervisors at the Columbus office were supportive of my needs and I connected well with my coworkers. The Collaborative Problem Solving and NMT models used focus on the child’s trauma and whole life experience, which assists the clients in their success and allows the therapist to build secure relationships with each individual. I did the job for the kids and they made it 100% worth it, even on the most stressful days. I would return to TVN if I move back to Ohio! 

A typical day at TVN is the youth waking up in the morning, waking up, grooming, eating, then doing "details". Afterwards, the kids go to school and after that, lunch. They are given free time and then they attend therapy groups from 2p to 4p. After groups, they attend "family meetings", at which they conduct and discuss house business and/or concerns. Dinner is served between 5-530. they then do more details then meds are given between 7-730. At 8pm, the youths are given time to wind down called "quiet time" where all electronics are turned off for the evening and youths go to their rooms where they can read, play cards, etc., or they take showers or make phone calls. At 845, lights go out.

 One of the many things I've learned at The Village is how to pick my battles and decipher when/where to let some things go.

 The management at The Village is very thorough, making sure to keep things in compliance with state requirements and therefore promoting the safety of the youths which is their top priority and concern.

 The workplace culture is excellent. The coworkers are a close knit group who always have one another covered.

Benefits are great. PTO is awesome. Though it is up to middle management's discretion whether or not and when  you can actually take it. Plan on working while taking PTO as well, as paperwork is redundant and never-ending.  Upper management is so disconnected,  the supervisors trample all over the direct care workers and the ones in the ivory tower wonder why retention is awful.  I truly believe some supervisors in different regions may be supportive and helpful.  For an agency that prides themselves on delivering mental health services,  they could not care less about the mental health of their workers. Just bill, bill, bill. You are like a cash cow for them while they sit behind their screens and bark orders. Many supervisors will talk about self care, but make it impossible. The agency mission and overall quality is now diluted and filled with greed. Be prepared to be sold on  how much it's about serving children until your revenue dips. It is a shame with all of the mass exodus, upper management does not question middle management more. Things that make you go "HMM."

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Care coordinator 3 salaries reported	$24.00 per hour
Administrative assistant 2 salaries reported	$19.25 per hour
Social worker 1 salary reported	$54,000 per year
Nurse practitioner 1 salary reported	$80,000 per year
Engagement manager 1 salary reported	$51,857 per year

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