Amara is committed to positive long-term outcomes for children and families. We drive systemic change, promote healing, and advance racial and LGBTQIA+ equity by offering programs and services to families engaged with foster care and to adoptees and families, post-permanency.

At Amara, we believe that a supportive, equitable and inclusive workplace, where everyone feels valued, trusted, and nurtured, is key to shaping organizational culture and investing in underrepresented communities. Amara believes that a diverse workforce and inclusive workplace culture enhances our ability to fulfill our mission. We strongly invite candidates from diverse backgrounds, including Native American, communities of color, the LGBTQIA+ community, veterans, and people with disabilities to apply. 

We are seeking to hire a Kinship Caregiver Support Specialist to work closely with our Family Connections Program (FCP) and our Kinship Care programming. This position will be expected to work with staff in both Amara offices (Seattle and Tacoma) and will work with families throughout the state.

This position will help relative caregivers and children’s parents to build a working relationship to maintain essential connections for the child placed in out-of-home care and will lead the agency efforts in educating our community around shared parenting. The goal of the programs supported is to reduce the trauma experienced by children entering out-of-home care by supporting and facilitating a positive relationship between the child’s parents and caregivers. This position will use the FCP specialized training of a peer-to-peer approach as well as specialized training for supporting kinship families specifically. 

Reporting to the Associate Director of Programs – Kinship Services, the Kinship Caregiver Support Specialist is a member of the Kinship Services team and works closely with Amara’s Family Connections Program team and other staff across the organization. 

The Kinship Caregiver Support Specialist will:

·         Provide peer mentoring and individual support related to building and sustaining parent/caregiver relationships to relative caregivers who are caring for a child placed in out of home care.

·         Provide peer mentoring and individual support to relatives as assigned.

·         Facilitate Connections Conversations (meetings between relative caregivers and parents or foster caregivers) as assigned.

·         Provide family support and facilitate educational workshops around available resources that support parent/caregiver partnerships.

·         Liaise with professionals in the child welfare as needed.

·         Assist agency staff with regular data entry, tracking, and other items as needed for evaluation efforts across all lines of work.

·         Collaborate with Agency staff and lived experts to create a library of trainings and resources on building and supporting parent and caregiver partnerships (e.g., shared parenting resources).

·         Represent Amara at community, outreach, and stakeholder education events.

·         Assist with reports, documentation, and administrative tasks as assigned.

·         Be willing to flex hours to accommodate family needs on an occasional and ongoing basis.

·         Other duties as assigned.

The Kinship Caregiver Support Specialist will be highly skilled in helping others to successfully navigate complex relationships. The successful candidate will be highly organized, have strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to hold firm boundaries while also acting with a high level of compassion for all parties.

Qualifications

• Personal lived experience with the child welfare system as a relative caregiver AND personal experience navigating complex relationships between parents and caregivers is required.
• Education/Experience Requirement –
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Human Services or related field with a minimum of 2 years of experience OR
  • Master’s degree in Human Services or related field and one year of social services experience
  • A practicum may be considered as a substitute for one year of paid experience.
  • Degree must be in social services, human services, behavioral science, or an allied field.
  • Relevant lived experience may substitute for educational requirement or paid social service experience.
• Knowledge of child development and family systems
• Knowledge of child welfare, foster care, guardianship and adoption and the needs of families supporting children through transitions and post-permanency
• Ability to demonstrate initiative, discretion, maturity, flexibility, and independent judgment required
• Ability to work with individuals across the spectrum of age, religion, race, culture, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and gender expressions & identities
• Ability to work collaboratively with an outstanding professional team, DCYF and community providers
• Must provide proof of current COVID-19 vaccination.
• Must be at least 21 years of age.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ability to effectively communicate (verbal and written) with Spanish-speaking families.
• Experience coordinating and managing individual, and group supports.
• Strong writing skills
• Experience with MS Word, Teams, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Excel
• Willingness and ability to work in Seattle and Tacoma, and travel as needed to other WA state counties.

Salary and Benefits

This is a full-time position with a rate of pay between $26.25-$29.35/hour DOE. Generous personal leave and benefits package, including paid time off, paid sabbatical, health, vision and dental insurance, 401k with a company match, life, and disability insurance. Amara supports a hybrid work schedule including some flexibility to work-from-home.  

Criminal Background Check

Because this position has access to confidential client, employee, or financial information OR direct interaction with children any final candidate hired into this position must successfully pass a criminal background check performed by the State of Washington. Any job offer is contingent on successfully passing this background check. A list of disqualifying convictions for this position is available at https://www.dshs.wa.gov/sites/default/files/bccu/documents/Secretary%E2%80%99sCrimesListforALLPrograms.pdf

Vaccination Requirement:

Amara requires that all employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. This requirement is designed to prioritize the safety of the children and families we serve. Exemptions may be sought only for documented medical or religious accommodations.

To Apply

To express your interest in this position, please submit your resume and a one-page cover letter indicating why this position is the right opportunity for you. Resumes submitted without a cover letter will not be considered.

Amara is an Equal Opportunity Employer