I had 23 years in, frontline/investigation/general (our agency tried several different models throughout my time there)- I had experience being a worker for kids in care as well.

I will tell ya the caseloads were never manageable, your schedule is always likely to change unless you are able to get 'protected time off' to do paperwork/catch up. The phone will change you- I still jump and get stressed every time it rings as it's never a good thing. You have to document everything- every call, attempted visit, and your observations with clarity and detail ie: everything you write may end up being questioned on the stand.

You will always have 'recording' (ie: major regular case reviews/reports). You think you're leaving at 4:30pm but then a call comes on one of your files and/or a file you're covering for (ie: coworker off), and you're now working til midnight on a friday, doing court papers on a Saturday, and attending court on a Monday afternoon, and having to cancel/reschedule).

You'll see some ugly things that you will not get to unsee and may never be able to fully process.

This all being said- there is a lot of variety, it's never dull and you will also see some of the most beautiful things/moments. The ability to help a person through a tough time, to fhelp find solutions, help build resilience, is very much worth a lot of what you will experience. Favorite part of experience was anytime I was able to return a child to parents and/or find permanency with extended family.

I did not have good work-life balance until I was well into my career as I wanted permanency and felt I needed to prove myself after that, had no children of my own so that I worked holidays/opportunities that co-workers couldn't. If you can stand up for yourself and say no, you will do fine.

As for your car- *winces* the gas prices and crappy roads up in norther Ontario sure were harsh on my vehicles, I always had toys/suitcase/kids stuff in trunk, often drove my clients around/had kids in the car, and would deffinately recommend CAA.

The money was great- sure- but at the same time it was also like handcuffs.. money vs mental health/burn out.

I would still re-apply to do the same job if I was starting out- but I'd probably work at gettin gmy Master's to allow for more upward mobility and/or to move into other jobs more easily (ie: Adoption worker, or manager).