Youth Permanency Specialist

Position: Youth Permanency Specialist

Job Type: Regular, Full Time

Reports to: Youth Program Director

Positions Supervised: None

Who we are:

Ampersand Families provides permanency and adoption services to older youth and families who face barriers to equity in child welfare, and champions systemic changes that advance belonging, dignity and hope.

Ampersand Families strives to strategically address systemic inequity and barriers within the child welfare system, specifically for older youth, youth of color, sibling groups, and relatives and kin. We are seeking professionals who understand the profound impact that child welfare intervention has on the lives of children, youth and families.

Why you’ll love working here:

Ampersand Families is committed to doing our part to create a more equitable child welfare system.

We provide equal employment opportunity for all persons regardless of race, color, religion, nationality, ethnic background, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, marital status, socio-economic status, status regarding public assistance, political affiliation, veteran status, other non-visible differences, and other protected attributes.

Ampersand Families is proud to be an employer of choice with an organizational culture of excellence that embraces continual growth and learning, as well as collegial support and connection. We employ professionals who champion our core values of equity, belonging, dignity, hope, integrity, and leadership.

Pay & Benefits

Salary: $48,500-$62,000

We are committed to equitable hiring practices which includes offering the highest starting salary based on our agency’s compensation philosophy, and we do not engage in salary negotiations at hiring.

Ampersand Families has a competitive benefit package including Health, Dental, Vision, Life, and Long-term Disability Insurance, Simple IRA Plan, 20 Days of PTO (accrued per year; increases with each year of employment), 10 floating holidays plus Juneteenth and every other Election Day as office holidays, Paid Parental Leave, and an Emergency Medical Benefit bank for short term medical leave (8 days per calendar year, prorated based on start date).

Before accepting an offer, candidates are given an opportunity to meet with current staff to get a further sense of the organizational culture and to ask any questions they may have.

What you’ll be doing:

The Youth Focused Permanency Specialist provides a broad array of child-specific recruitment, adoption preparation, and support services for Minnesota foster care youth, primarily ages 10-18. Youth Focused Permanency Specialists work with youth and their county teams to achieve permanency through adoption and support long term positive relationships with their relatives and kin. This is a professional position requiring a significant amount of self-direction, irregular hours, and travel throughout the state of Minnesota.