support worker

home care worker

childcare provider

assistant manager

registered manager

A-Wilderness-Way

I was delighted to have secured a role at AWW. After being successful in securing the position of Senior Residential Social Worker I was impressed with the salary and it was advised by the recruitment team that the role would be very similar to the RSW role with the exception of completing rotas, staff supervisions and the running of the shift in hand - something I have lots of experience doing.

The initial weeks training was great and I was very grateful to be given accommodation in the area whilst I was attending.

Unfortunately the training isn’t an accurate reflection of the job in hand. My first shift at the company wasn’t what I expected; I was on with a fairly new member of staff who hadn’t completed the role before in a home with little boundaries due to the constant high staffing turnover - this made for a very difficult start and with some prior planning could have been avoided. I had to whistleblow on a few issues which were later addressed by management. 

Despite there being lots of staff available the company seem to move their staff between homes at a rapid rate meaning that young people arnt forming good, trusting relationships with their carers in order to undertake the therepeutic work during their short 17 week placement.

I felt like the company is wholly unorganised and don’t see the effect of constantly having staff within different homes. 

Staff arnt given the proper guidance or expectations around their role. The role of SRCW is actually a rebranded role from the earlier ‘home manager’ title - this wasn’t discussed at interview, nor was it highlighted in the recruitment process - I felt during recruitment you were told ‘what you wanted to hear’

I feel that having separate homes from where the manager and deputy manager base themselves results in staff not getting adequate levels of supervision and training - no matter how organised or good at their job the service manager/assistant manager are it’s almost impossible due to logistical reasons for everyone to feel suitably supported. You are very much ‘on your own’. Similarly it makes it much harder to have a handle on what’s going on in each individual home. 

The duty manager system consists of a phone number to call for a senior manager on duty who often doesn’t know the children you look after; in addition to this you are discouraged from calling and told to ‘use your seniors’ despite the senior members of staff also being new - this seemed a real shame. (Some managers were helpful and responsive) 

It seems like ‘all of the ingredients’ are present for a great children’s service and the staff I have met over my time working at AWW are great, however most are frustrated with the structure and lack of support.

Upon all staff I have spoken to none have received the amount of supervisions outlined by AWW. 

As I write this review one service is rated as ‘inadequate’ by OFSTED before the MBR system takes place. 

I feel like the company is marketed as an outdoor and activity company and would suggest that every day you will be completing hikes, kayaking and paddle boarding, however this isn’t the case - it’s usual for the children to access these facilities once per week and as such the staff supporting. 

I was saddened to leave the company due to its potential, however with the sheer levels of staffing turnover and inexperience I feel like some big changes need to be made. 



  

This place sounds amazing in paper. Wow! Let's use the outdoors for learning - only if the rare kid fancies it, which is few and far between.
Your managers are under constant pressure from powers above, pressure they put on their "team" .
Nothing is ever good enough. You know that time you thought you did a good job? Wrong!!! They'll happily give you a list of what you did wrong. Give you endless debriefs or a good old "lessons learned". Yet when it comes to praise, don't think managers know what that means? 
The phrase, "You catch more flies with honey than ****" is lost on these guys!
They promote a good work/home balance. Yet in my 2 years (long time that for this job) I've yet to see this. 2 days on, 4 days off....laughable!! 3 and a half really, that's if you don't get a team meeting, service meeting, training, debrief or supervision in between those days.
No sick pay. And god forbid you are sick and have to phone in! You'll be made to sort you're own cover. And the person you're ment to be letting go home that day is well and truly stuck at work, with zero way out, until that cover is found. Meaning that 10am finish is now a lovely 3pm finish. That's if you're lucky and don't have to stay another night. So don't be planning anything important on the day you're supposed to finish, ever.
Staff turn over is crazy! Not surprising since they will take litterally anyone on, no experience required to work with these vulnerable  children.
If you last six month in the spot, your a seasoned pro! 2 year, long standing award! Longer you're there, the less valued you feel. Trust me. Zero appreciation for hard work at all. So with this, there's the constant badgering for you to do over time.

I have worked at Aww for 4 months but have 12 years experience of working in Children’s residential care. This work is not for everyone and anyone who has done this type of work will understand that things change quickly in this field, Aww is no different. 
The homes are in remote locations, hence the name Wilderness, they’re also in various locations in Cumbria so there may be some travel to be done if you’re required to work across a number of homes, which can and most probably will happen and you will be paid your mileage if travelling elsewhere. The homes Aww has are crisis homes and take in extremely vulnerable and challenging children, this job can be extremely hard and not for the faint hearted. Do not expect to come and work here for an easy ride as that does not happen. The outcomes for the children that I have witnessed have been good and the children are at the forefront of what we do. You may get to go out and do activities but this depends on the child you are working with as they’re all individuals and we would never try to force them to do anything. We are about encouraging and nurturing. The salaries offered are the best that I have known for this line of work, there is a 2 week induction process where you will learn about the role plus a lot of other training. The company have their own in house diploma assessors who are available to help you get through the qualification if you don’t already possess one. There are opportunities to develop and progress to new roles if you choose this is what you want, you will be supported to do this. I came to work in a new company but also a totally new role and have been supported so much since I arrived, my managers have been great and also very patient with me as I am learning. I would recommend coming to work at Aww but only if you’re resilient and like hard work.

My experience was RSW work working 2 staff to 1 child. Interview was easy enough, they will take basically anyone with a pulse as long you pass DBS. There's a steady inflow and outflow of people, as well as the odd person that's been there longer than a year. I witnessed other workers and even a manager speaking down about people in front of children which is unprofessional and damaging to relationships. You are supposed to work 2 on 4 off, but with the shift patterns you won't always have 4 off (they count the day you come off shift as a day off, so it really should be 2.5 on, 3.5 off). You also don't get paid sick leave (unless its due to an incident at work) at your pay rate, it's statutory sick leave which is about £90 a week. 

You also don't get paid for team meetings, service meetings or additional training (some training is paid, such as first two week orientation) and it is mandatory to link in or attend in person in Penrith, even on your days off. The company is good at reimbursing petrol when having to travel to other houses. 

Overall it isn't a very positive place to work. You'll be promised extra support in your interview and then when it isn't provided get a bollocking when you make a mistake. The entire service will know your business and any mistakes because the majority of people don't understand professional boundaries and gossip culture is rife. After an incident debriefs are just a tick and flick for management.

The expectation of this company does not match the reality. They draw you in with false promises, but you are unsupported and undervalued. 

-Was promised a role in one area since my interview, but was later moved to a home over 25 miles further away without so much as a conversation. 

-No boundaries, consequences or discipline in place for the young people which I believe is failing to help set them up for adult life as a law abiding citizen. 

- Our manager constantly micromanaged little things like paperwork and reporting, but left you alone with very little support for big issues like threatening behaviour or absconding. 

- There were constant staffing problems, so much so that you often don't get to leave on time or are talked into staying for another night. You can also be moved homes multiple times in a shift, the worst one for me was 3 different homes in the 2 days before Christmas. 

- The sleep in rate (£30 per night) is awful compared to the rates that others pay (on average £40-50 per night) 

If I could go back in time I would avoid AWW completely and work for another company that uses their morals and values in practice, not just pretty words designed to appeal to ofstead.

A typical day at work consists of looking after and interacting with the child in our care, taking part in activities, paperwork and the general running of a house. The struggles to this can be if the child does not want to interact, you may have some days where not a lot happens and you have to find ways to make yourself busy.

The company is good at promoting and providing learning opportunities for staff, whether they're booking yourself onto in-house training or working towards your Level 3 Diploma in Residential Children's Care.

My experience with management has been excellent, the RSM I work under is very supportive and wants to see progression from their team of staff and works alongside us to get the best from us. They have their own busy/high stress job but will always make time for any staff concerns/worries.

Workplace culture has been great from what I've seen. Head office encourages event days to get the staff members together to take part in fun activities. There are evenings where the outdoor team put on activities for staff to meet one another outside of work and take part in a fun activity.

The hardest part of the job can be dealing with challenging situations that can occur and the excessive paperwork.

The most enjoyable part for me has been the opportunity to learn a lot about my role and getting to be apart of some of the amazing experiences that we offer the children in our care.

That's what you have to be in my view to work for A AWW Ltd  ..... committed and passionate about making sure children receive a high standard of care and have a memorable experience  of their time in our care. Having worked for Ofsted as a regulatory inspector for over 10 years, I was attracted to work for AWW Ltd as over  the years I had seen the strong drive throughout the company to consistently achieve outstanding outcomes and experiences for the children in their care. I knew of their good reputation, having I heard the amazing praise the company has received from  parents, social workers, and other professionals over the years. This was another factor which sparked my interest in joining the Wilderness family. My expectations have not been dashed in any way. In fact working for AWW Ltd has been better in so many ways than I initially anticipated. I enjoy working in a relaxed atmosphere, where I feel valued and respected. It is fair to say that everyone has been very friendly and supportive, helping me to settle in to my new role, and I love it! 
There is a real 'can do' attitude and great encouragement to think 'out of the box'. Everyone shares pride in children's achievements and genuinely treasure the fact that they are making a difference in children's lives. As much as I thought I knew the company before applying for my post, I have been blown away by the reality. Coming to work is a real joy. I work with like minded people who put children at the centre of all they do. No two days are the same and there are lots of laughs and fun along the way.  I can highly recommend AWW Ltd. 

There’s a lot of changes throughout the company and all at once so a lot of the staff and management are changing. Management leave with immediate affect and have different managers coming in with different styles.
Staff who have worked there for a long time are often stuff in their ways and have made friends there which causes you to be left out often as a fellow staff member.
The training weeks are amazing and the staff involved really make you feel welcomed. However, once on shift the job is very different to what is explained.
You do not receive any guidance and are often thrown into a home to figure out systems and the ways of working with no support.
The pay is good but when travelling, you could use up to £600 in fuel in one month and after tax will only get £100 in fuel allowance. On the training weeks you are expected to front costs before being paid which do not get approved through your expenses.
You will be often moved between different homes with different staff and the rota is done the week before so you do not know how far you’re needing to travel until sometimes few days before hoping there’s not changes.
There’s a lack of care towards staff and understanding and more criticism and demanding attitude which doesn’t make you feel valued.
The rota is 2 on 4 off but you will be required to stay at work until 10am on the morning of your day off and then travel home so ends up being 3.
Staff advise you to record everything as they’ve had a very untrustworthy experience.

I've worked with AWW since 2022 and started as a senior then after 2 years I progressed to Assistant Manager then Registered Manager.
I'm not gonna lie, it has been a rollercoaster of a ride but I'm still here and even after considering other companies I find it so hard to leave as the team around me are so supportive.
The company are looking to bring in new changes to shift patterns and holiday allocation which understandably has caused upset amongst existing staff but I am confident that once the changes have taken place and the staff have adjusted, they will see the benefits and not look back. The bottom line I guess is that noone likes change even when they ask for it!
I love supporting the teams around the children and getting them to reflect on their approaches in a child centred way. I also love watching the children make progress and settle in our care.
The hardest part of the job for me is the referral stage where there is a lot of pressure to make decisions on admissions, sometimes with very little time and information - however, our Operations managers are always supportive of our decisions and want to make sure we match our teams with the right children.


The job is never like advertised cause it changes so quickly. You end up having to spend more time doing paperwork than actually caring for anyone which is just constantly repeating yourself. The only reason they ask for so much paperwork is to save people higher up having to do as much work. The management is awful in some services. If you get injured or the child is heightened then it’s your fault, the support is almost none existent even though it’s something they preach about beforehand. I was really looking forward to working here until I realised it was nothing like advertised. I was lucky to have a good strong team behind me but my mental health still took a major dive after this job unfortunately and not even because of the children I was caring for but the way you are made to feel is appalling. Lack of training and put into a house with a new member of staff after 2 weeks and both no prior experience. They train you on what to say to reg 44 and ofsted and if you tell the truth, that will be wrong. You just can’t win and as much as you want to help the children, it feels like an impossible mission here unfortunately. I was laughed at when I handed my notice in as it was seen as ‘a downgrade’ however since leaving I am soooo much happier! Put yourself first and realise when it’s not worth it. You have been warned but sometimes you need to experience it for yourself to believe it! 

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Support worker 2502 salaries reported	£34,254 per year
Home care worker 19 salaries reported	£34,352 per year
Childcare provider 1 salary reported	£49,500 per year
Assistant manager 199 salaries reported	£42,165 per year
Registered manager 6 salaries reported	£54,652 per year

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