Licensing and Home Study Manager

Company Description

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 in the child welfare system.

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 enhances our ability to fulfill our mission. We strongly invite candidates from diverse backgrounds, including communities of color, the LGBTQ+ community, veterans, and people with disabilities to apply.

We are seeking to hire a Licensing and Home Study Manager. The Licensing and Home Study Manager will be responsible for managing all licensing work for families licensed through Amara. This includes both kinship and traditional foster families. The licensing work includes home studies and initial licensing, license renewals, modifications, and maintenance, and license investigations. This position is a combination of direct service, and managing others as required to meet programmatic needs.

Job Description

Position Summary: The Licensing and Home Study Manager will be responsible for managing all licensing work for families foster or kinship licensed through Amara. This includes both kinship and traditional foster families. The licensing work includes home studies and initial licensing, license renewals, modifications, and maintenance, and license investigations. This position is a combination of direct service, and managing others as required to meet programmatic needs.

Management

• Manage licensing and home study services at Amara.
• Manage a team of Specialists across Amara’s licensed caregiver service area to meet programmatic need.
• Manage, support, and develop the Licensing and Home Study team, including recruitment and retention, hiring, orientation, supervision, evaluation, and promotion of staff.
• Provide one-on-one and group supervision, utilizing reflective supervision skills. Develop clinical knowledge and skills, promote self-awareness, encourage collaboration amongst team members, and ensure consistent communication between staff and leadership.
• Assess the strengths and needs of staff; support and facilitate ongoing professional development. Monitor professional practices, ensuring compliance with local jurisdiction and agency goals, values, policies, and procedures.
• Monitor, manage and assign staff caseloads ensuring that services provided are high quality, consistent, and responsive to child and family needs.
• Review, assess, and edit work products such as home studies, home study updates and amendments, license renewals/modifications created by Specialists.
• Identify, recommend, and implement program and process improvements in concert with team feedback/guidance.
• Provide ad-hoc consultation to members of the Licensing and Home Study team as needed.
• Attend and participate in staff meetings and training as required, including in-person meetings in either Pierce County or King County offices
• At the direction of the Director of Resource Care:
  • Support the development of the Resource Care annual budget and provide ongoing monitoring of identified budget items.
  • Review, allocate, and approve program-related expenses
  • Complete data-tracking metrics and reports and highlight successes and challenges as identified.
• Maintain strong ethical boundaries and ensure staff are adhering to their professional code of conduct.

Direct Service

• Complete initial home studies and required documentation to license kinship and foster families.
• Conduct licensing investigations regarding Amara licensed families
• Complete tasks associated with license renewals, modifications, and maintenance in collaboration with the Foster Care Placement team members
• Guide kinship and foster families through the home study process. This includes writing home studies and licensing new families as time allows
• Meet requirements for timely, accurate, and thorough documentation for case files

Partnership/Engagement

• Inform and Facilitate family workshops, information meetings, support groups, and community events as needed
• Collaborate with staff and managers in other Amara programs as needed to ensure appropriate cross-program referrals and consistent service delivery
• Be an active participant on the Resource Care Leadership team; inform and enact the effective implementation of Amara’s Foster Care programming

Competencies: