Kin Link Specialist - 30 Days to Family

Position: Kin Link Specialist – 30 Days to Family 

Job Type: Regular, Full Time   

Reports to: Kin Link Program Director 

Positions Supervised: None 

Who we are:  

Ampersand Families walks alongside youth, families, and communities who have been impacted by the child welfare system with a commitment to build and restore meaningful relationships while centering and upholding a youth’s whole identity. 

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  

Starting Salary: $50,000 - $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, and Paid Family and Medical Leave through the state. Social work licensure supervision is available on site. 

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 Kin Link Specialist will be part of an innovative service area at Ampersand Families focused on locating, engaging, and supporting relative and kin resources for children entering foster care due to child protection concerns.  Part of this position involves working within the parameters of the 30 Days to Family® model, while other cases and activities will be similar in nature in working with urgency and creativity to ensure kids remain connected to relatives once they have been removed from their parents care. The position is funded through the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families (MN DCYF). This is a professional position requiring a significant amount of self-direction, team collaboration, irregular hours and travel throughout the state. 

Ampersand Families is partnering with Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition as a replication site for 30 Days to Family®, which has been categorized as an evidence-based practice through the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse. 30 Days to Family® is an intense and short-term intervention that aims to place children with safe and appropriate relatives within 30 days of entering foster care. This program aims to meet mandates which require states to identify and provide notice of the child entering foster care to all adult relatives within 30 days of the child entering state custody. The concentrated efforts and low caseloads of 30 Days to Family® are designed to make placement with relatives possible, while also aiming to support the family so placement stability is maintained. 30 Days to Family® utilizes workers with experience in child welfare and/or other experience that gives them skills and comfort level required to effectively locate and engage with relatives.   

• Work as a team with other specialists and program supervisor to utilize the tools, guides, and practices of the 30 Days to Family® model to identify and contact all known relatives for a child entering foster care.   

• Contact “priority” relatives within one day and contact all relatives out to 4th generation within 5 days of receiving a case.  

• Engage, assess, and support relatives who have interest in playing a role in the child’s life, thinking outside the box to break down presenting barriers.  

• Operate with urgency to identify 1 placement resource, and 2 back-up options, for each case. Due to the intensity of this work, typical caseload size is 2-3 cases at a time, 30-45 days each.  

• Meet with relatives in-person in their homes and the community, virtually, and via phone and email.  

• Maintain regular communication with case partners regarding progress, barriers, and next steps.  

• Build effective relationships with the other individuals, professionals, and agencies or resource partners involved in the lives of each family and leverage those relationships to achieve family placement.    

• Manage the documentation required to meet agency and DCYF requirements for client services, including frequent case noting, case plan summaries, reporting of outcomes and foster care licensing requirements.  

• Frequent and in-depth consultation with peers to develop strategies, promote creativity and maintain balance in this position which has a potential for higher stress and emotional impact. 

• Commitment to developing a deep understanding of the social and systemic influences that contribute to disparities and over-representation of older youth and youth of color in the child welfare system.  

• Travel throughout the state of MN, which may include occasional irregular hours, including overnight stays. 

• Participate in Ampersand Families community engagement events, caregiver roundtables, retreats and/or staff committees. May include some evenings and weekends. 

• Other duties as assigned. 

What we’re looking for: 

• High school Diploma/GED Required. Bachelor’s degree in social work, sociology, family social science, or another related field preferred. 

• Experience working in foster care/permanency/adoption, direct family support and crisis intervention, children’s mental health and/or trauma-informed care preferred. 

• Bilingual Hmong, Karen, Somali, and/or Spanish speakers a plus. 

• Ability to work with an extreme sense of urgency, while remaining calm, and collected. 

• Flexibility in working schedule and responsive to immediate and unexpected tasks. 

• Ability to use creative problem solving and strategizing. 

• Relentless curiosity and commitment to overcoming barriers. 

• Ability to lead and educate the professional team, family, and stakeholders towards innovative solutions that challenge “services as usual”. 

• Strong advocacy skills. 

• Ability to be self-directed as well as to work as part of a team. 

• Excellent written and oral communication skills. 

• Strong organizational skills, ability to prioritize multiple projects and deadlines, attentive to detail, and consistent in meeting goals and deadlines. 

• Personal and professional commitment to Ampersand Families’ mission, vision, and goals and to advancing the Agency’s commitment to anti-racist and anti-oppressive practices. 

• Competency with a variety of technology and computer programs (Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint). 

• Valid driver’s license, insurance coverage, and clean driving record. BCA and social services fingerprint background check required. 

How to apply:   

To apply, please send a resume and complete pre-interview questions here: https://ampersandfamilies.applytojob.com/apply/ As a part of our equitable hiring practices, we do not require a cover letter.    

An initial review of resumes will begin on August 3, 2026; however, the position will remain open until filled.