Help Young People Build Connections That LastAt Plummer Youth Promise, we believe every young person deserves a family, a sense of belonging, and people they can count on for life.We are seeking a Permanency Worker to join our Residential team in Salem, MA. This position works directly with young people in our residential programs to strengthen family relationships, build lasting connections, and advance legal, relational, and physical permanency.This is more than traditional case management. Permanency Workers are persistent, creative relationship builders who help young people identify and strengthen the family and natural supports that can remain in their lives long after they leave our care.Using Plummer's evidence-informed Permanency Intervention, this role focuses on three core areas: Family Search & Engagement, Permanency Readiness, and Youth Guided/Family Driven Teaming.What You'll Do
- Facilitate Youth Guided, Family Driven team meetings that center youth voice, family participation, and progress toward permanency.
- Engage birth parents, relatives, extended family, caregivers, significant adults, and professionals in planning and decision-making.
- Conduct ongoing family searches to identify, locate, and reconnect relatives and other adults who are significant to each young person.
- Persistently engage family and natural supports, including when outreach is met with uncertainty, ambivalence, or rejection.
- Use record reviews, family mapping, outreach, and other strategies to uncover and strengthen potential lifelong connections.
- Help youth and families prepare for lasting relationships through clarification, integration, and actualization work.
- Support young people in processing grief, loss, ambivalence, and loyalty conflicts through clarification conversations and life narrative work.
- Provide trauma- and attachment-informed education and support to families and caregivers.
- Use permanency tools such as timelines, life books, and family trees to support progress.
- Collaborate closely with residential staff, clinicians, DCF, families, and community partners to ensure permanency remains central to each young person's plan.
- Maintain accurate and timely progress notes, assessments, plans, and other required documentation.
- Support family and community connections, including providing safe and appropriate transportation for youth as needed.
- Help youth maintain connections to cultural, racial/ethnic, spiritual, linguistic, identity-based, and community-of-origin supports.
What We're Looking For
- Bachelor's degree in a relevant field or a minimum of an LSWA combined with two years of experience working with children and/or families.
- Social work license preferred.
- Experience in child welfare, residential services, behavioral health, or social services preferred.
- Bilingual English/Spanish strongly preferred.
- Strong ability to authentically and creatively engage youth and families.
- Excellent communication, organization, and interpersonal skills.
- Strong professional boundaries and sound judgment.
- Ability to collaborate effectively and navigate complex situations.
- First Aid and CPR certification.
Additional RequirementsCandidates must possess a valid driver's license, maintain an acceptable driving record, and have access to a registered and insured vehicle. This position requires the ability to safely navigate stairs and bend, reach, move, and lift up to 20 pounds as needed.We encourage all applicants to submit a cover letter.About Plummer Youth PromisePlummer Youth Promise is committed to creating lasting change for young people who have experienced the child welfare system. We believe young people need more than services—they need permanent relationships, meaningful connections, and people who will be there for them for life.If you are a persistent relationship builder who believes deeply in family, belonging, and lifelong connection, we encourage you to apply!
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Plummer’s mission is to set a standard of excellence that improves outcomes for young people in or at risk of entering state care by deeply engaging youth, families, and the systems that impact them to develop permanent family relationships, skills, and community connections.
We envision a world in which every young person has a family unconditionally committed to nurture, protect, and guide them to successful adulthood.