support worker

support associate

domestic worker

project manager

mediator

Llamau

Typical support worker / tenancy officer jobs involve you managing your own caseload
Of 10-20 people depending on which project. You support young people to manage their tenancy,
Budget, pay bills, engage with substance misuse and secure training, education or employment as well as making referrals and attending reviews.

I absolutely loved working with the young people. The job is very rewarding. I can’t say the same about the staff.

I have worked in several projects with mixed experiences. One, was very busy which is great, working with a manageable caseload of 10 young people, however the team were awful to work with and liked to cause drama with gossiping. Everyone was out to make a name for themselves and impressive the inexperienced manager.

My second project was outstanding. A fantastic team with an amazing manager who truly encompasses Llamau’s core values. 

Senior management are mostly approachable. 

The training is brilliant. A large variety of training offered through llamau and other agencies, which benefit your practice massively.

I have had some negative experiences at llamau, which were down to staff trying to make themselves appear more competent that they are off the back of my experience and work. But every company has staff like that I guess.

All in all, llamau is a wonderful company and have some dedicated staff who truly believe in the work they do. The majority of staff you meet are passionate and highly experienced, always willing to help you progress. 

Do some research on the role you are applying for as the company have a wide range of services and some are better than others.



I’ve done both support worker and support assistant for Llamau in Cardiff. 24 hour periods, alone on a project with volatile young people is enough to put anyone’s nervous system in a state of constant panic. There is no eviction policy for these young people, their behaviour can be really unpredictable as you can imagine in this day and age but the senior managers are so out of touch with this. sometimes I feel as though the safety of the staff and other young people is ignored by trained staff who actually know and work with these individuals. Preach being psychologically informed but neglect to listen to what the staff on the ground, dealing with these young people are telling them. “It’s the nature of the job” the job has evolved massively, the company has grown massively but again there’s no proper infrastructure in place to actually support how rapid it’s growing and the trends of the young people these days.  the staff don’t know whether they’re coming or going, communication between senior managers is poor, along with other sections of the business.  little autonomy in decision making. The only perk I’ve found is there is an element of flexibility to the support worker role and you can make good money if you pick up the night shifts. The pay doesn’t reflect the amount of work you put in and the risk you’re dealing  with in some of these projects, whereas I think if some of the senior managers actually picked up a shift of an SA they would soon realise that. It is worthwhile when you get that 1/10 young person who actually wants to engage in the support, you actually feel like you’re making a difference then but again very few and far between. 

A rewarding job with some great colleagues and  it used to be a great work/life balance and a lovely place to work, however that was a long time ago. Unfortunately there were no pay rises in 10 years (apart from for the higher management!) In fact the job went from 3 nights a week to 2 days and 2 nights, meaning you're on the project A LOT and effectively, my hourly rate actually decreased after a decade of working there! Cuts to services constantly blamed despite having a £20 million turnover! 
Onto the actual job - as a support assistant you will be working alone all night (16.5hrs with a sleep in) in a project with up to 8 flats so expect the fireworks that can come with the client group you're working with - regularly liaising with emergency services, reporting MISPERS every night, dealing with some pretty crazy situations and if you're kept up all night (which you will be)  that's just tough luck because you're getting your minimum wage throughout the night. It's not an easy job and should be rewarded as such. But it isn't. Having said that I loved working with the young people and have many a story to tell over the years, even with the challenges it brought. I also made some amazing friends at work although most have now left the company like myself.

It's a real shame, but for me,  Llamau went from a wonderful place to work where staff were valued and were proud to work there, to more of a corporate machine, getting more and more out of their workers while giving less and less in return. 

Llamau provides a much needed service to young homeless people and victims of domestic abuse. The head office is fantastically situated in the centre of Cardiff. Management and colleagues have always been supportive and friendly. A great place to work if you care about the ethos and culture of where you work. Most enjoyable part of my job is the friendly atmosphere from all levels of the organisation.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The values and ethics, they care about their employees 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The pay isn’t great and you won’t enjoy it if you get a bad line manager like I did. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very caring, they do honestly care about their wellbeing of their employees 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Wasn’t all that bad working from home, but I didn’t like office days.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The young people you meet and can support. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
I can't talk for the whole of Llamau, but the Learning 4 life department has very toxic managers. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Some of the managers at Learning 4 life, who work for Lamau, are toxic bullies. They bully the young people and staff.

Llamau offers a number of services for young people & vulnerable adults. 
I worked for llamau for years and recently left.
Staff are hardworking and care for the
 vulnerable people they support.

Project staff and support workers are super friendly and accommodating. Always striving to support young people the best they can . However there is extremely poor management and genuine care from the management side for the young people. A money hungry company to work for . Staff are continuously left unsupported also

I really enjoyed working with the young people. It was one of the most rewarding parts of the job. The day to day work was was varied and no two days were ever the same. However, the long hours and low pay eventually led me to look for work elsewhere. There was a lack of support when it came to addressing behavioral issues, which often left me feeling like I had to deal with difficult situations on my own.

If you have an opportunity to work for Llamau don’t hesitate to do so!! They really are a great charity to work for. They are a values led organisation and practice what they preach. They have a great management structure where you feel supported at all times. 

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Support worker 31 salaries reported	£13.40 per hour
Support associate 22 salaries reported	£12.85 per hour
Domestic worker 27 salaries reported	£13.07 per hour
Project manager 6 salaries reported	£28,546 per year
Mediator 1 salary reported	£13.27 per hour

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