Forward thinking - Finance Manager Forge Care Employee Review

Children are the only pro about this role.

I want to be clear about what it was like working for Forge Care, as I don’t think people are told the reality when they apply. Excessive Hours: Staff are regularly expected to work well beyond their contracted hours. If a child is unsettled, you are not allowed to go home, even if that means staying up all night. Unsafe Placements: Decisions are driven by money. Children are placed together who should never have been in the same environment, purely because Forge receive higher fees for them. This has directly led to unsafe situations, including young people going missing, being exposed to drugs, and suffering serious harm. Lack of Care for Staff: Staff wellbeing is not prioritised. New starters, in particular, are left to deal with the most challenging situations with little support. Physical assaults, verbal abuse, and unsafe lone working are common. Paperwork Pressure: The administrative burden is extreme. Staff are expected to complete endless reports and paperwork on top of already exhausting shifts. Falling behind on mandatory qualifications (such as the Level 3 Diploma) results in threats of dismissal rather than support. Profit Over Care: Forge Care’s approach is financially motivated, not child-focused. Their priority is filling beds, not providing a safe and therapeutic environment for children. This has already resulted in one of their homes being closed due to safeguarding failures. The Impact Many staff, including myself, eventually left because our professional voices weren’t listened to. Despite raising concerns, profit continued to come before children’s safety. Staff felt burnt out, undervalued, and placed at risk. Conclusion Forge Care market themselves as providing quality residential childcare, but the reality is very different. They are not an employer I would recommend to anyone genuinely interested in working with vulnerable children. Smaller, independent homes offer a much safer and more supportive environment for both staff and young people.

It's a decent place to work, depending on which home you in and the staff on shift. Overall not bad

Some days are chaotic like every other workplace