Join our amazing team, serving on the front line of gospel-centered family preservation!

Supervisor: Area Coordinator                          
Classification: Exempt, salaried, 40 hours per week

OUR MISSION:
Alongside Families exists to connect isolated families in the Carolinas to local church communities that champion family preservation and physical, spiritual, and emotional thriving.

Alongside Families is a non-denominational, Christian nonprofit religious organization with a statement of faith that all board members, staff, partner churches, and volunteers believe in.

THE NEED:
When difficult circumstances arise, many people rely on relatives and friends for support. But for some parents struggling with social isolation or poverty, this is not an option. During times of crisis such as homelessness, hospitalization or mental health struggles, parents without a support system may be unable to provide a safe home for their children. Children may eventually be removed into the child welfare system if parents are not given the support they need.

THE ALONGSIDE FAMILIES SOLUTION:
Alongside Families provides safe, loving homes where parents may voluntarily have their children cared for temporarily while seeking to restore stability in their lives. Alongside Families gives parents space to address their situation without the fear of losing custody and builds lasting social capital for isolated families so that they can thrive within community.

OUR HOSTING MINISTRY TEAM:
We are a volunteer-driven, staff-supported organization in the Carolinas focused on family preservation. Our dedicated volunteers serve the community and are supported and directed by our staff who passionately invest their lives in engaging churches, supporting and training volunteers, coordinating the hosting of children and coaching of parents, and much more.

OUR CORE VALUES:

• Gospel-Centered: Am I living out the Great Commandment and the Great Commission?
• Grace: Am I suspending judgement and seeking to understand?
• Community: Am I choosing together instead of trying to go-it alone?
• Relationship: Am I emphasizing relationships over transactions?
• Dignity: Am I empowering and doing-with rather than compelling and doing-for?
• Excellence: Am I rooting my service in best practices and what works?
  

Family Care Manager Position - Asheville

OVERVIEW 

Alongside Families is seeking a full-time (40 hours per week) Family Care Manager to support both isolated families that we serve in the greater Asheville, NC area, and volunteers in local churches serving those families.

IN THIS POSITION: You will be the primary staff member in the Asheville area responsible for oversight of our family care services ensuring safety and assisting volunteers throughout. 

You will address requests for support, learn more about a family's story, and then facilitate meetings and agreements between requesting families and volunteers. You will ensure proper documentation. 

You will provide training, supervision and discipleship to volunteer Family Coaches and Parent Allies, with an emphasis on building leaders who build leaders: empowering them to develop their skill sets and learn new skills to serve parents in need and volunteers with excellence. You will serve and support the family in need and volunteers, resulting in successful reunification of children with their parent(s) and well-supported volunteers.  

This position is directly responsible for spiritual discipleship, encouragement, and mentoring of volunteers and of families served. Responsibilities include leading prayer, devotions, sharing Scriptures, and re-centering focus on the Gospel-centrality of our mission.    

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE 

An ideal candidate will have a master's degree in social work or another human services-related field with at least three years of direct experience working with vulnerable families. A bachelor’s degree with very extensive, strong work experience may be considered. 

In addition, an ideal candidate will have a background engaging with Gospel-centered churches and will have a passion to call out the Body of Christ to serve the marginalized. She/he should feel called to minister Christ’s love to isolated families and should share our passion for keeping families intact. She/he will be a self-starter who is comfortable taking ownership and serving with excellence.

CULTURE & FIT 

Success at Alongside Families depends not only on a person’s skills but also on their ability to match our values and culture. If you answer “yes” to the following questions, you may fit into our team. Be prepared to give concrete examples of how you embody these values during the interview process. 

• Do you lead a Gospel-centered life and bring that centrality into your work as well? 
• Do you believe that foster care is not always the best option for children when abuse or neglect has not occurred? That, whenever safely possible, it is best for a child to be with their parent? 
• Do you value relational interactions over transactional interactions? 
• Are you detailed-oriented, maintaining thorough records and ensuring your i's are dotted and t’s crossed? 

• Are you able to maintain hope and a long-term impact vs immediate results perspective? 
• Do you thrive when challenged (sky’s the limit!) rather than feel intimidated by big goals? 
• Are you able to see what needs to be done and execute without needing a lot of handholding? 
• Do you have compassion for someone who is struggling even if poor personal choices contributed to the situation that they are in? 
• Do you have a good understanding of the impacts of poverty and trauma? 
• Are you willing to proactively engage in conflict when needed to strengthen relationships? 
• Do you feel that no job is beneath you and are willing to accomplish what needs to be done? 
• Are you a creative problem solver? 
• Are you able to manage multiple tasks at once and prioritize as needed? 

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

The Family Care Manager will have four primary areas of responsibility: 

• Volunteer training, cultivation, and engagement  
• Home Evaluations
• Intake of families in need
• Supervision and support of volunteers while they serve families in need 

1. Volunteer Training, Cultivation, and Engagement 

• Interview, train, and equip volunteer Family Coaches and Parent Allies 
• Identify volunteer strengths and weaknesses and support volunteers to further develop required skills where needed 
• Lead with a multiplication mindset: build leaders who build leaders 
• Cultivation and stewardship of volunteer relationships 

2. Home Evaluations

• Ensure that Host Families receive and understand hosting policies and procedures 
• Perform an in-depth, on-site interview of a Host Family in their own home 
• Assist Host Families in completing required checklist for approval 

3. Intake of Families in Need

• Receive new intake needs from the Support Line Coordinator and follow through with all aspects needed to begin serving a family in need, following ASF policies and procedures 
• Arrange and facilitate meetings between families in need and assigned volunteers 
• Ensure that all required paperwork and documentation is completed before a hosting begins 

4. Supervision and Oversight

• Support, engage, and supervise volunteer Parent Allies and Family Coaches; Support Host Families and Community Friends to serve well and build strong relationships with parents 
• Make child safety decisions, assess child safety before discharge, and submit child protection reports if needed 
• Adhere to ASF policies and procedures and ensure the same from volunteers 
• Coordination of wrap-around support for volunteers  
• Address crisis situations in a calm, supportive way; thoroughly assess situations and make appropriate safety and support decisions 
• Keep thorough records and documentation 
• Serve as Family Coach and/or Parent Ally as needed when no volunteer is available 

Other Requirements: Other duties in addition to those listed above may be assigned. Alongside Families team members share in all work needed to meet the current needs of the ministry. 

DETAILS, LOCATION, & COMPENSATION 

This position is full-time, exempt, and reports to the Asheville Area Coordinator.  

Flexibility required: Work during evenings and weekends will be needed at times (family service crisis needs, intake/hosting meetings, supervision, events, training). The Family Care Manager will share the on-call schedule rotation with the AVL Area Coordinator. This position requires general availability during business hours to support volunteers and parents served as needed (this position will not be set hours each week) but also allows for flexibility in your schedule.  

Candidate must live in Buncombe County, must be willing to drive to serve families across Buncombe County and outside of the county as needed, must be able and willing to safely transport clients (adults and children) when needed and must have reliable transportation and a driver’s license.  

Candidate will work from home with in-person weekly staff meetings. Candidate will regularly spend time out in the community as part of their work.  

Background checks and reference requirements: Candidate must be able to pass background checks: fingerprinting, federal and state criminal background checks, sexual offender registry, and child abuse registry.

Alongside Families is a nonprofit religious organization: In compliance with our bylaws and policies, candidate must provide a suitable pastoral character reference from a home church they are regularly attending and actively committed to and must adhere to and sign the Alongside Families Statement of Faith and Christian Fellowship Commitment.

Compensation: 

• 5 weeks of PTO
• 11 paid holidays in addition to PTO 
• Mileage reimbursed at the federal mileage rate 
• Salary: $45,000-$47,000 annually based on experience 
• No medical/health benefits available currently 

Instructions to apply for this position

Email your Resume and Cover Letter to career@alongsidefamilies.org for a link to a Get Acquainted Worksheet as the first step in our hiring process.

Your cover letter should include briefly sharing why you are drawn to this position and what unique perspective/gifting/passion you would bring to the position.