mental health technician

home visitor

family support specialist

facilitator

social worker

Youth For Change

A day in the Youth for Change Residential (group home) program can be extremely rewarding, but the rewards are overshadowed by a lack of resources in the form of under-staffing. The rewards come in the form of working with and playing with young people on a daily basis, supporting them in their behavioral programs. Duties include meticulous record keeping of client's behaviors with other staff and peers, as well as tending to the wants and needs of clients, including teaching them how to complete chores, cooking for them, maintaining facility cleanliness and taking clients to appointments and recreational activities.
 
I learned quite a bit from my time there in the form of helping people when in crisis, CPR and water safety training, as well as being able to stay calm under extreme emotional crisis situations. I honed my active listening skills, learned to manage up to six teenage clients with behavioral issues, as well as delegate tasks to clients and coworkers alike.

My coworkers were all dedicated and well trained, Youth for Change's selection policies for finding staff to work with the young clients is excellent, however, there was consistently a level of dissatisfaction with compensation for the extreme conditions of this particular workplace as well as an inconsistency in scheduling, making it impossible to maintain any sort of work/life balance. Often times, schedules... ever changing from week to week, were not released until a day or two before the next work week began. The program called for absolute structure for the clients' behavioral modification and support programs, but the lack of structure for staff often had negative effects all around. This in general was the hardest part of the job.

The most enjoyable part of the job was working with the clients. They are very much in need of positive and responsible adults in their life. When a clients had that "ah ha" moment and decided to work their behavioral program, it was very rewarding. Also, getting the opportunity to go out and play with the clients, whether at the local pool, for a game of catch in the backyard, or even helping make their chores fun, made all the difference in the job and is what kept me going back everyday.

Everyone I have worked with at Youth For Change really cares about the work they do and will support each other to navigate very frustrating systems to get to the best result, putting client care above all else. They are one of the least hypocritical places you an work for, because they integrate best practice into everything they do, and especially in supervision. The demands of the job are likely unavoidable as the clients we serve have dealt with substantial trauma and natural disaster across Butte County as well as where I worked out of the Yuba-Sutter office. 

Between time constraints and no individual desk or office space, sometimes I felt unprepared for sessions- I often had to work out of my car which I called my "office" during the year I worked there. Few company cars were available. and we had to suffer through a lot of power outages, internet issues, while the workload and the need doesn't change. Youth For Change understands this and the supervisors have always offered me more intentional support and resources to bolster employees as necessary. 

With the commute and the constant traveling between schools, homes, meeting sites, session sites, several different offices, all with my personal car, even after compensation I ended up making about $5.00 less an hour- don't make the mistake I made. Make sure to reserve office cars whenever possible, and be very wary of commutes as the roads have become increasingly congested and dangerous since the Camp Fire. If you are not an organized person you will struggle hard, but the assistance is there if you ask for it- supervisors are dedicated to employee mentorship and success. Overall, It was an incredibly rewarding experience working alongside everyone there, truly understanding the need in our communities and growing personally and professionally.

The environment is probably the best of all the places I've worked. Very positive, supportive atmosphere. I appreciate that they don't tolerate gossips. Wasn't too clicky. 
Pay is very low, especially for a master's degree level position, which makes it hard to live in Chico. Left for a higher paying job that also has great benefits. I would've loved to have stayed, but wasn't making it on the pay. 
Overall, the organization is above average in some areas, but really lacking in others. 

Even though the pay wasn’t the best, they made up for it in other ways such as flexibility with your own schedule and not making you feel bad for taking time off. The work environment is also supportive for the most part and the people there are very kind and helpful. I would say management could be more consistent on expectations and communication and making the chain of command more clear. If documentation isn’t your thing you might struggle a bit although the documentation is easy and quick but it can pile up. There was some stressful days but taking a day or 2 off for mental health was never frowned upon which I liked.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The organization's culture and their effort to provide a good benefit package.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The financial compensation is slightly lower than the norm. Social work and healthcare/mental healthcare roles can also be taxing, just due to the nature of the work. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
My personal experience with supervisors and colleagues has been very positive. Everyone has been very supportive and there is a lot of collaboration to make sure that projects get done and staff don't burn out.

Worked as a Differential Response Family Navigator in Marysville, CA for 3.5 years & was ready to quit due to poor management that constantly belittled her employees. It was always our fault that families didn't engage. Offered a Visitation Coordinator position & took it. After a year due to poor results, management stepped in & finally addressed issues previously brought up by the team. I left due to poor management not engaging with requests.

I could go into more detail but that wouldn't matter to this company. YFC has a very corporate organizational structure and you won't get promoted without being someone's friend or drinking buddy, regardless of the quality of your work. If you are interested in paying close attention to the needs of supervisors and directors as opposed to the needs of the community around you then this job might be for you. Upper management is ill equipped to work with direct care staff and middle management and seems to be focused on padding their pensions rather than the efficacy of the agency. 

I loved the model of the program and the opportunity to work with the kiddos but dreaded staffing. There is a lack in diversity and I don't feel welcomed at all even after a year there. I struggled to connect and it really affected my motivation to even though continue there though I enjoyed the work. I had worked in other programs within this agency and loved it before I transferred to this particular program. I would rate the other ones way higher. 

It's still a great place to start your career but don't be surprised of the low pay.

I really like working at Youth for Change.  The organization is supportive, the staff is kind and committed, the mission to help families is clear, they provide ongoing training and flexibility for work/life balance.  The benefits are good, the pay is not awesome, but it's pretty typical.  If you want to work with families and feel like what you're doing matters, Youth for Change is great. 

I had a life changing event nearly five years ago.  I decided I needed a new direction and career.  One that helped me to feel like I was helping make my little part of the world a better place.  I saw a position at YFC that i thought was perfect for me... and it was.  I learn new things on a fairly regular basis and don't feel like I'm stuck doing the same thing every day.  Is every day perfect? No.  But at the end of my week do I look back and think that I had a good, often great, week? Yup!

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Mental health technician 18 salaries reported	$30.75 per hour
Home visitor 1 salary reported	$24.53 per hour
Family support specialist 5 salaries reported	$21.90 per hour
Facilitator 6 salaries reported	$24.75 per hour
Social worker 1 salary reported	$30.00 per hour

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