support worker

housing officer

service leader

learning support assistant

coordinator

Nacro

Every day would involve new challenges, not just with the YP we were helping but with new management and new ideas to be put into action asap.  My day would start by reading the night log security filled in throughout their shift and any "problems" would be discussed amongst staff and after contacting the YP concerned actions would be put in place.. All yp booked in that day in my diary would be visited in their shared homes in the community.. During visits to their homes letters would be posted under their doors if not at home advising of date & time of next house meeting or health & safety check or fire checks or
repairs to be carried out etc. All YP had access to my work mobile phone number and felt they could call me with any issues that may be causing them concern. When back at the office all visits would be written up in reports. All action plans updated as well as various other
paperwork filed . Phonecalls to local agencies for updates and discussions on behalf of YP . Meetings to be attended with YP and sometimes families in attendance. All action to be updated in files. Time spent with YP who have just called into office for a chat but usually find something worrying the YP and discuss issue and make further appointment to spend more time with YP to get a solution to whatever issue may be. Important the YP has confidence in me as a project worker to help "solve" any outstanding issues. I find just listening plays a big part in letting YP "get things off their chests". The workplace culture has always been quite positive but since new management and re structure of employees it is still positive but looking more to obtaining Balance in all work aspects. Including seeking Balance with the YP i work with and explaining the importance/benefits of obtaining this in life. 
The hardest part of my job is realising there are too many YP needing help and not enough resources and not enough people who genuinely want to help or even care. The best part was working for an organisation who do care, and the YP i have helped and they finish their resettlement programme and have the tools to live independently and confidently, i give myself a pat on the back and know thats now one more YP who has a much better chance at this thing called "life".

I am surprised to read such positive reviews about Nacro. I think it does depend on which part of the country you work in, as my experience(in Coventry)  is completely different. I just hope that people read this and head my warnings. 
The issue has always been management, or rather lack of. for the first four years we didn't have one and then we had two within a year, both of who left the company less than 12 months in post. Ask yourself, why?
The only positive thing I can say is that working with offenders/ex offenders is a rewarding experience, I learnt so much from them and the days were always different and challenging. 
However I would say that more and more of the job is doing administration and less and less about the clients. this due to an uneven ratio of computers to staff and again no management. We were given 3G tablets with no wi fi  and little IT support in using them, not that they ever worked anyway. Stress levels were high.  With having little to no management support, no senior, no guidance, no structure, no proper paperwork, no Health and safety...i could go on it was almost impossible to ensure a uniform way of working.   The only thing that kept me going was the fact that I cared. In the end I had to put my own wellbeing first and moved on to pastures new.
Anyone who is looking at Coventry I strongly suggest you do some research into which company actually are the contract holders for homeless and ex offenders.
If you are thick skinned and looking for some experience working with offenders then this is the post for you. But don't think for a second that you will be supported or that hard work is acknowledged because it is not. I would not recommend this company. I hope this review is published because I wish someone had warned me. People are not always what they seem.

I was offered an interview as a reducing re-offending worker, I traveled over 3 hours for the interview arrived at the venue, only to have staff look at me blankly and have no clue who I was there to see. After 15 minutes of back and forth, I was told the location of the interview had been moved however, the information had not be shared and the staff had no clue where I was supposed to be going. I spent 30 minutes wondering around trying to find the building, asking locals and no-one had any idea. I finally got a phone call 1 hour after my allotted interview time by the interviewer to ask if I was okay - after being given correct directions I then had to wait around for 2 more hours until the next interview slot. The interviewers were very apologetic and the interview went very well, I felt I had the knowledge and experience to answer the questions and they seemed impressed. I even had several questions for them which they were happy to answer. I was told I would hear back the following Monday/Tuesday (I interviewed the previous Thursday). Those days came and went with no contact from anyone, before I knew it weeks had passed and I had had no communication from anyone at Nacro. By this point I assumed I did not have the job. I have never been to an interview and not been contacted afterwards - I think it is incredibly poor not to contact someone, even if it is just to say they were not successful. Wanting answers I have attempted to contact them through the 'contact us - application query' link on their website and after 3 weeks I am still awaiting a response from that. At the very least a little bit of feedback regarding the interview would be great. I think the overall communication has been really poor, which is disappointing as they do great work and I would have really enjoyed the job I interviewed for.

Nacro is full of people who want to help. The frontline staff in my centre are all amazing, but due to cuts and a lack of funds, the organisation as a whole is being forced to cut services back dramatically and review those that may not be performing as well as they should. Though these measures are necessary, it can often be seen as contradiction in values, particularly if these 'restructures' are affecting you in some way. In turn this has lead to a loss of job security.

Before these cuts took hold, my job at Nacro could be considered a bit of an adventure, filled with experiences that galvernised a strong team of naturally gifted youth workers, mentors and tutors.

In my current role, I feel that I have had to progress and change the way I work, which has had to become more formal and structured. As a person I have had to become more organised and proactive in my growing number of duties. This includes learning many new processes surrounding the funding processes of further education courses like our own, as well as maintaining my understanding of teh various issues my often troubled clients have. Though this has not always been easy, it has never stopped been rewarding and has been beneficial to me in countless ways.

The working day flies by, no day is the same  therefore I'm never bored by repetitive or mundane tasks. 
The work is challenging  , because   the need to engage a client in order to deliver our service, is not always easy .This is because of the clients varying needs and issues. 
 I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge. 

Management in general is supportive and approachable.
  Although there are always exceptions to the rule.  
I personally have never had any issues.  I think this is because I respect the position of the person,  rather than the personality. 

The workplace culture is respectful and non judgmental.
 Some of our staff are rehabilitated addicts and offenders.
 I believe that their personal knowledge and experience , is invaluable to some of our client groups support delivery. 

The hardest part of the job is switching off at the end of the working day. Some clients especially those with children who are in child protection, tend to occupy  my thoughts  more than other client groups.
  I think this is because I have a duty of care toward the children, even though I don't work directly with the childrent. 

The most enjoyable part of the job is being able to empower the client to sustain their tenancy, budget effectively and access services when needed. To be confident and independent.
 I suppose it's also the clients most enjoyable part of the  job .

What is the best part of working at the company?
A sense of helping people to overcome barriers to have a ‘normal’ life. 
Some great and passionate people to work with. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
A culture of power struggles and mind games, no clear direction and your face has to fit to get anywhere or to get things done. 
Micro management and mind games, having to second guess what is really expected of you and not being given credit for the work that you do. 
Being made to feel as though you are inferior and massive workload where you are set up to fail. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The culture is one of power struggles between directors, and you don’t get the support needed to be successful instead you are used as the scapegoat and told that you can’t have an opinion. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Highly political with so much in-fighting and you work being either tossed out or your boss taking credit for what you’ve done (if they deemed it good enough), never being able to finish or complete a project before it being scrapped or directors changing their minds and wanting something different because someone they like told them something different. 
Everyone telling you how to do your job when you have years of specialist experience.

Having worked for many years within the criminal justice system i find it difficult to express how NACRO have managed to remain well thought of in high places and somehow make the head lines.To my knowledge during my 5 yrs employment there have been 3 restructures supposedly to improve the service ingeneral. I feel NACRO talk the talk but have little to no idea how to operate from the shop floor so to speak.D uring my period there was no evidence of managment or support and was left to it with colleagues to delver the scheme. This done very effectively may i add and was well respected within the coventry area.H aving lost the offender ex offender contract things have worsened and the majority of time is spent doing admin leaving very little time to support clients and complete inter agency work effectively.
Please be wary as the contract and job descriptions are deceptive and seem to change to suit the contract holders . 3 staff have recently left the project i. The last 6 weeks. You may ask why.

A typical day at work would involve; getting resources and lesson plans ready, then taking the learners to the workshop so that the learning can begin for the morning. I would 
then deliver a session on motor vehicle for the duration of the morning then come back to the office for lunchtime. The learners would then go home for the day and I would have the rest of the afternoon to mark work, assess portfolios, create session plans and create resources for future lessons.

Whilst at Nacro I participated in a teaching qualification, which I achieved at level 3, I also took part in different training courses provided by the company such as, safeguarding, professional working practices, equality and diversity.

I worked with some good people, people I would like to work with again in the future if the opportunity should arrive. However I found the management side to be a bit of a farce, dealing with management was one of the hardest parts of the job. The most enjoyable part of the job was working with the young people.

Rewarding experience working with the kids, unfortunately that is the only positive thing I can think of to say.  
The kitchen is very poorly equipped for the amount of students, very little training was given, no feedback from management on how I performed in my role,  was misled as to when the job may become permanent, poor pay.
Center itself was rundown and dilapidated.
The center was under staffed, however staff were frequently taken out to go and work at NACRO Doncaster despite cover being available from another branch.  Staff frequently having to cover areas outside of their vocational expertise, which was no good to the students. 

The senior management was non existent.  One member of staff commented that you would get more sense out of the kitchen bin than form the area manager.  Other areas of NACRO were exceptionally inefficient notably payroll, it was a struggle just to get paid correctly and on time.

I would not recommend working for this company.  The only benefit would be to gain experience to get a job elsewhere.

If you want to be working high case loads, be stressed all the time. People who actually do the work get treated much worse than those who do the bare minimum and get praised for it. 

One rule for one staff member and another rule for the other, no equality, fair treatment. If you aren’t best friends with management then you are nobody. 

You are expected to keep on top of the never ending work, the pay doesn’t reflect the amount of work every single staff member do. The managements approach is to try micromanage a set unrealistic expectations, though they haven’t actually worked the role themselves. 

No clear directions are set, management push everything under the carpet when people make complaints about different treatment or unfairness. 

Overall, the worst work place I’ve ever worked and I cannot recommend anyone to join this place. Zero flexibility, zero support, overworked, always stressed and not paid enough. Everyone is in the same boat, if you’re planning on joining, I wish you all the luck. 

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Support worker 116 salaries reported	£26,486 per year
Housing officer 26 salaries reported	£26,454 per year
Service leader 3 salaries reported	£37,389 per year
Learning support assistant 1 salary reported	£23,599 per year
Coordinator 46 salaries reported	£26,870 per year

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