Kinship Care Licensor | Social Service Specialist ; SSS- Vancouver

Kinship Care Licensor | Social Service Specialist 3 (SSS3)

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is seeking a passionate and dedicated Social Service Specialist to join our Kinship Licensing team in Vancouver, Washington. This is an exciting opportunity to become part of a supportive, collaborative, and mission-driven team while enjoying the flexibility of a hybrid work environment. At DCYF, we work alongside Washington's vulnerable children, youth, and families to foster safety, stability, and better outcomes by strengthening opportunities, connections, and community.

Our Kinship Licensing team plays a vital role in helping children remain safely connected to their families, cultures, and communities whenever possible through a kin-first approach. Based in the vibrant Vancouver community, you'll have the opportunity to partner with families, caregivers, and community organizations to make a lasting impact in the lives of children throughout Southwest Washington.

We are seeking someone who is compassionate, organized, open to learning, and committed to making a meaningful difference in the lives of children and kinship families. Essential skills for success in this role include excellent communication, strong assessment and critical thinking abilities, the ability to work both independently and collaboratively, and relationship-building skills. The successful candidate will be able to prioritize competing demands while responding to the needs of families, children, kinship caregivers, and the agency in a timely and professional manner.

If you're looking for rewarding work, workplace flexibility, and the support of an exceptional team, we'd love to hear from you.

This position offers a unique and rewarding blend of specialized family support, advanced clinical assessment, case management, relationship building, and advocacy while supporting children and families through a kin-first approach.

As a Kinship Care Licensor, you will perform advanced-level specialized case management on complex or potentially high-profile cases involving children and vulnerable adults. You will conduct comprehensive kinship licensing assessments that evaluate caregiver strengths, challenges, family history, parenting capacity, trauma-related experiences, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and available support systems. Through ongoing engagement, home evaluations, and collaboration with caregivers and community partners, you will identify and address barriers that may impact a caregiver's ability to provide safe, stable, and nurturing care.

Using a kin-first approach, you will help children in the care and custody of the Department maintain meaningful family, cultural, and community connections throughout the life of a case. This position is responsible for meeting all case management directives required by law while exercising sound professional judgment, applying strong clinical assessment and critical thinking skills, and ensuring licensing decisions support child safety, permanency, and well-being.

This role requires a commitment to DCYF's Racial Equity and Social Justice Framework, applying trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and family-centered practices while building collaborative relationships with caregivers, Tribal partners, service providers, and community organizations to achieve the best possible outcomes for children and families.

Some of what you will get to do:

• Conduct assessments through intensive interviews and information gathering to complete Family Home Studies for kinship placement, certification, and/or licensing in compliance with the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) and Washington Administrative Code (WAC).
• Consult with applicants, refer them to services or training, and support them throughout the home study, licensing, renewal, and amendment processes while ensuring assessments are completed within established program time frames.
• Prepare clear and thorough written assessments describing caregiver family history, strengths, trauma-related experiences, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), parenting capacity, and areas of concern to support licensing recommendations.
• Assist caregivers in identifying and overcoming barriers that may hinder their ability to care for children, become licensed, maintain licensure, or successfully complete the renewal process.
• Complete in-person inspections of homes, outbuildings, and surrounding premises to assess safety, licensing compliance, and ongoing health and safety requirements.
• Review completed background checks, collateral information, waivers, disqualifications, licensing complaints, and other required documentation to ensure compliance with licensing standards.
• Monitor licensed kinship homes by completing required health and safety visits, processing license renewals, amendments, and changes in circumstances, and communicating licensing requirements and status updates to caregivers and child welfare staff.
• Provide timely, responsive customer service by…