social worker

team leader

senior social worker

deputy manager

support worker

Choice Care Group

THEY WILL WORK YOU TOO THE BONE. 
You’re not appreciated for your hard work and dedication, instead you’re tossed aside when you’re no longer useful. 
Management from head office is appalling. They look down their noses at people who work in the homes, they only like people who brown nose. 
If your face doesn’t fit you might as well give up as you won’t get anything in ways of promotional opportunity, management only promote those who brown nose and don’t ask questions; the minute you stop doing this you will be shunned. If your face doesn’t fit you will get no support from management or senior staff with anything what-so-ever you will be left to fend for yourself. 
There is a culture of treating new staff badly, senior staff give new staff the really hard jobs and do not help them, they will tease and make fun and laugh at new staff until they are pushed out/  especially if you do not fit in with the ruling group of , for lose of a better word, bullies. 
There is little to no support from management, they spend all their time in office and don’t support their staff on the floor and if it is a weekend you can forget about management picking up the phone during a crisis and sometimes their phones are off during the weekend. 
The company as a whole is very understaffed , meaning contracted staff have to pick up extra shift sometimes doubling their contracted hours and they still have to call in agency to fill the rest. You can forget about working in the home you applied to work in if another home is understaffed you will shipped off to that home without being spoken to about it and you don’t get a choice in matter you have to go or face being disciplined. Doesn’t matter where the home is, whether you drive or not you will be made to go. When you do eventually overwork yourself and need time off/go off sick you’re treated as if you have committed a crime and shunned on your return to work. 
The company only cares about filling beds and cashing the cheques , they do not take into consideration the needs and  suitability of the service user they only look at how much money they can get out of them. Even if the home is understaffed they will push more service users in, sometimes dangerous and violent service users creating a dangerous work environment and when you express these concerns to management and management from head office they will simple say “you knew what you were getting into when you applied for the job”. 
There is a culture of manage with an iron fist , managements word is law, people who run the shifts word is law you don’t a choice in anything (funny considering the company’s name is choice). 
The pay is horrendous for what you have to deal with on a daily basis. Just avoid working choice care group , there are better companies out there. It’s just a shame these service users have to live in their unlooked after, badly maintained, badly run homes.

I have been working for Choice Care Group (CCG) for the best part of 8 years now. 

I started as support worker and progressed to the activities coordinator role in 2015, I absolutely love the role that I do. I have noticed that it is possible to progress through the company and whilst doing so I have managed to complete NVQ levels 2 and 3 for Social Care
through the company as well. CCG have provided me with lots of support along with all the training they provide and offer refresher training annually where needed.

I love to work here and I am passionate about working with the service users and encouraging them to live a more independent life. I have taken them on holidays and we have been to a variety of places, including the Isle of Wight and Cornwall. I support them by also taking them to college courses as well. 

Alongside the team that I work with, we strive to make a difference and also encourage our service users to live a full and enjoyable life.

If I were to choose a company to provide care and accommodation for myself or a family member, I would definitely choose CCG without a second thought.

I think that the management of CCG do an excellent job of maintaining the employees and making sure both the staff and service users work and live in a safe environment. The manager of where I am based is very supportive and also listens to any concerns that I have.  We have the use of a Perks/Rewards Scheme. There is also an ample entitlement of Annual Leave available.

I find that my role is a very rewarding and a friendly place to work. There is a great quality of staff training and I would recommend CCG to anybody. We receive ongoing professional development and career opportunities through working with CCG.

We are encouraged to participate in local charitable events and fun days, which I love to go to and we always have FUN! along with company social events to encourage team building. 

Throughout the pandemic, CCG have provided us with a very healthy amount of full PPE, and has therefore made a difference to all of our service users and also keeps us and them safe.

Choice Care Group is overall a fantastic company to work for, and would rate at nothing less than OUTSTANDING.

I’ve been in this company for several years and must say it was much above the Minimum wage when I started, as time has progressed it has almost equaled to the current minimum wage. Pay does not reflect on the cost of living in the area. No extra holiday increase for long term staff or pay increments, no bonuses (unless you count store vouchers at Christmas or on your 5th or 10th anniversary working with the company). You are entitled to 3 weeks sick pay a year and this too does not increase with your employment. Staff with NVQ Level 2 or 3 in Health and social care receive the same amount of pay as those staff without the qualifications. I do believe however if you completed a level 5 qualification (Management Level)  your pay was increased.
Expansions of new care homes within the company are often but as brilliant as this looks on paper, the company lacks employees to keep the service maintained at a good standard. Staff are stressed, over worked and exhausted. Unfortunately this does have a impact on the Service users who at times do not receive the level of attention they require and only their basic needs are met during these periods. 
You will most likely be seconded to a home that is lacking in employees during your employment. You will be paid £50 a week extra as a good will gesture, but this rarely compensates for the inconvenience. 
I must add that the Service users are wonderful and many of a staff (including Management within the home) will go out of there way to support you and welcome you within the service given the current situation the company is in. 
Choice had so much potential and was one of the better companies to work for, but it has deteriorated in recent years.

Have been working for this company for 3 years now, started as a team leader moving to a trainer and now an assistant manager. My very first day I was approached by a member of management team and told that I had to make a choice and I was either one of them (support worker) or one of us (management). So my back was up from the get go. I have always had people comment how I am not like a normal team leader or manager as I do 'shop floor' tasks as well which my response is always well without a team who would I lead or manage so if I can help my team out I will do.

Lies and false promises are a plenty and if you want a job where you are made to change shifts or pick up shifts with at times  not even a days notice and told its policy or in your contract so we can do this then this is the company for you. This also goes for secondments to other homes expect long hours and days away from family and again if you try to combat this its in your contract or its policy.

All staff teams I have worked in are great and they pull their weight and as long as you are open with them they take on board what you say and will be productive and top standard but there are so many times when the staff are undervalued or not appreciated that you have them with their guards up and will do the minimal they can not their fault in my eyes as if you treat someone as a child I think you should expect childish responses. 

No one gets into care for money and if you think you are you are foolish especially here but a little rise across the board goes a long way.

I have learned a lot from working with Choice Care Group, and really grown as a person. Unfortunately over time as funding has dropped, and the company has chosen to specialise in supporting the most challenging individuals, it has become a very high-pressure environment.
There is a great culture within the workplace, among the more experienced employees. Everyone works together to cover shifts and keep things running smoothly. We all try and make sure no one gets totally overwhelmed by work. Unfortunately the severe lack of staffing can make this very difficult.
I have really enjoyed making a positive difference to people's lives, and learning how to best support them. I have also enjoyed developing new tools to help with this, and arranging activities that will help with this. I also tend to build up good relationships with the families of our service users, which really helps us deliver the best possible care.
Sadly, it is getting to the point where we can't even reach minimum staffing levels, and I don't have time to arrange as much as our service users deserve. My colleagues and I are working an unhealthy amount of hours to try and ensure adequate care is provided, and we are still struggling to achieve this.
During my time with this company, I have developed my interpersonal skills, time management, and a strong sense of responsibility. I have also learned to liaise with professionals, and complete various paperwork, such as risk assessments.

As stated above its a job like Marmite, you either love it or hate it.
It's definitely not for everyone and I would suggest that if you feel the job isn't for you to start with then this is probably the case and you should leave.
It is stressful and you have to give it your all otherwise you won't be providing the best care to the service users and also you will end up damaging your mental health. 
Some homes have great management others not so much. 
It is very easy to progress within this company which is good in some ways but not so good in others. The interview process relies to heavily on interview questions and you end up with staff and especially management that can talk the talk but very rarely walk the walk. 
Personally for me  I had some amazing times and great memories from working with Choice and miss the service users. Yes there was hard days but I liked the uncertainty of not knowing what the day would hold.
To sum up if you have what it takes and have a thick skin (as you will be called many things, threatened and assaulted, which you are warned in your interview and trained for) then it could be the making of you.
Oh forgot to mention don't expect to be paid fairly, I've been to a "challenging home" that wasn't challenging and got payed more than a "non challenging" home where you can get seriously hurt. Don't expect a Christmas bonus, there a big company but feel your only worth £40 voucher and you get a sick bonus of £50 per quarter (around £16-£17) a month. Don't even get me started on the bonus you get based on how long you've worked there, it's awful.

Not a place you would want to work long term. The service users are great. Staff are amazing, they make you feel very welcome and you immediately feel comfortable with your co-workers.

The home has potential to be an amazing place to work but a few things would need to be changed first, namely how it is managed & the pay.

Progression is easy and available as long as the manager likes you or can be bothered to do your interview, I was hired under the intention of being Team Leader and the interview never came almost a year later. The current manager was asked many, many times  over the last 6 or so months to do my interview and it never happened. The communication around this was terrible.

You'll constantly be working below legal minimum staffing levels and be told it's fine.

Any complaints you make will be ignored or have you ostracised for being honest.

You do however get to go on a lot of trips out which tend to be great fun, even if it is just a drive around the countryside & being a driver ensures you're very rarely stuck in the house all day. However. Expect to do a lot of drives on your own with 3 or 4 service users.

Overall, I would love to have continued working here because of the other staff but the rate of pay is terrible and it is very poorly run. For now it is best avoided until these issues can be resolved.

Do not accept subpar pay for a challenging home when there are plenty of other services that pay more for easier work

I have worked for Choice Care for over 2 years within the Positive Behaviour Support Team (PBS team). I love working for Choice Care and in a team that is supportive, caring, and passionate.

Induction:
There was a great induction process within the first few weeks I shadowed colleges, has an IT set up day, face to face training, online training, and supervisions. I was quickly introduced to the whole team through face to face introductions (and those who started during Covid had their introductions on Microsoft teams). 

Communication and support:
The team has excellent communication and supports one another. I can quickly get support from the team and work collaboratively, and I always feel I can ask for help. I also have supervisions regularly and within the team we have peer supervisions/ support meetings. 

Work load and Work life balance:
Work life balance is actively promoted within the team and addressed during supervisions and peer support meetings. The work load is a lot given the amount of services each person in the team has, however with that said the team supports one another to manage this and I always feel supported.

Progression:
There is the opportunity to progress to a senior role, also the clinical lead within the team has supported me to gain additional qualifications, skills and work experiences. 

Overall:
I love working for Choice Care within the PBS team and recommend the role of Behaviour Practitioner within Choice care highly. 

Your typical day at work will consist of; cooking, cleaning, personal care etc. You will often get ordered to clean while you're eating or trying to interact with a service user. If you don't smoke you aren't allow fresh air breaks, which is ridiculous. You will get cornered and forced to do extra shifts on your day off, if you're on annual leave you will get called up to told you have to work. On top of this you will be forced to work in other homes because they don't like to use agency. 

Ironically 'choice' isn't the main focus of the company. Personal centred planning isn't followed, and due to funding staffing levels are very poor... staff are forced to work long hours at a low rate of pay for that sector. Due to many of the homes being challenging behaviour, staff are often hurt due to the poor staffing levels. If you get hurt while at work they will do everything and anything to avoid accepting responsibility. 

Management are extremely ineffective at their job and pay favourites, including; hiring and promoting friends, excluding other staff. 

The training you receive is excellent, however is over shadowed by the fact you have to attend training on your days off. 

Most of my co-workers quit and went to other companies where they were treated a lot better! For the most part the support workers are amazing and go above and beyond to try and give the su the best quality of life possible. However it's hard when seniors over rule your decisions. 

I would honestly say to anyone who wishes to work in care to avoid CCG at all cost.

I have been working for this company for almost 4 years now.  I started as a night staff and became deputy manager.  I benefited enormously from the support of the manager and I learned so many things that help me complete my tasks every day. It is very nice to see that this company appreciates its employees and offers them the necessary support to progress in their career.  Recently I had the opportunity to be registered for a training where I can get a qualification.  The company provides the necessary training to be able to meet the requirements of the job.  The training is paid and the transport is settled.  I like to work here and most of all I like to spend time with service users.  I had a beautiful experience and I continue to enjoy this job.  The staff is very attentive and caring with the users.  The management side is very involved in forming a good staff team.  I had the experience of being seconded to another service in this company and I was pleasantly surprised to see how good it is to work with external colleagues and to be able to exchange experiences.  Users are happy to live here and are always happy with the activities and company of the staff.  I recommend this job if you are a person who cares.  Lack of staff is a problem, but the HR team always helps and tries its best.  No day is the same and the most important thing is that at the end of the day, you brought a smile on the users' faces.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Social worker 940 salaries reported	£12.57 per hour
Team leader 112 salaries reported	£13.32 per hour
Senior social worker 137 salaries reported	£13.17 per hour
Deputy manager 134 salaries reported	£13.87 per hour
Support worker 47 salaries reported	£12.78 per hour

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