National Leadership Circle Fellow - Foster America

Organization Overview

Foster America is transforming our nation’s approach to supporting families. 

Since 2016, we have partnered with the boldest governments, community leaders, lived experts, and advocates to transform our child welfare system into one that meets families’ needs – before a moment of crisis. Together, we’re expanding resources and bolstering relationships to achieve systemic change for the well-being of all children and families.

That transformation is driven by people. Across our work, we champion opportunities to connect changemakers who share our vision, helping them develop the skills to make change possible – until every family thrives.

We do this by promoting:

• Talent: Seeking out and supporting those — both in and beyond the child welfare field — with the determination and imagination to drive transformational change.
• Knowledge: Actively listening to, learning from, and supporting communities as they test new ways to serve families.
• Innovation: Imagining, implementing, and advancing equitable approaches that meet families’ needs.

About the Fellowship

The National Leadership Circle is a professional and leadership development fellowship for people who have been personally impacted by the child welfare system. Foster America is seeking 10-15 early-stage adult leaders (three years or fewer working in advisory roles) for this 12-month paid opportunity.

We aim to create a cohort experience where changemakers are empowered to grow and learn, develop new solutions, connect to community, and promote healing and belonging for those affected by the child welfare system.

Over the 12-month fellowship, participants will:

• Join live virtual programming (2 hours/month).
• Note: Each monthly session will consist of: (1) a grounding/mindset opening activity; (2) skill development and application of learning; (3) group project development; and (4) a closing/healing activity.
• Engage in 1 hour of independent online pre-work.
• Travel to 1-2 in-person convenings.
• Note: This includes the Treehouse Foundation ReEnvisioning Foster Care National Conference on Nov. 14-15, 2024, in Boston. This conference is organized by people with experience in the child welfare system and promotes efforts to drive change in the child welfare system. 
• Develop a group impact project.

Fellows will be compensated $150/month for their participation. Additionally, Foster America will cover travel expenses, lodging, and meals for in-person convenings (as well as provide an income per diem).

Resources available to fellows include:

• A program facilitator (individual coach/mentor & program lead).
• Group leadership coaching.
• Subject matter experts related to leadership, professional and project development.
• Grounding and healing activities (voluntary).
• Professional and leadership development.
• Access to Foster America’s Alumni Services upon fellowship completion.

By the end of the fellowship, we expect that candidates will have strengthened their leadership and professional skills, gained a community of support and care, and worked collectively to develop a curriculum for child welfare system stakeholders (on creating spaces of belonging and authentic participation). We hope this experience will result in future paid opportunities for fellows to gain exposure, conduct trainings, and facilitate systems change activities.

Background

The delivery of child and family services is more inclusive when diverse perspectives, including those of people with lived experience, are engaged in system design and decision-making.

The child welfare system has begun to embrace the value of providing lived experts with opportunities to collaborate with and advise child welfare system stakeholders. However, there is an assumption that lived experts feel safe to speak up, prepared to participate, and capable of navigating the very spaces of power they personally experienced.

Justice for people impacted by the child welfare system requires that spaces be created for them to be seen, heard, supported, protected, and prepared to collaborate effectively with child welfare system stakeholders.

The National Leadership Circle seeks to provide people who have experienced the child welfare system with a community of support, leadership, and professional skill development to mitigate the risk of exploitation and tokenization.

Requirements

Eligibility Requirements

We are recruiting at least one fellow from each of the following jurisdictions: Washington, D.C., OR, KY, CO, SC, and Washington state. Other fellows may be located nationally.

Applicants should:

• Have experienced the child welfare system as a child or youth. 
• Be professionally engaged as a lived expert with a public service agency or other family-serving organization (with the expectation they remain engaged throughout the duration of their fellowship).
• Have access to a computer with a reliable internet connection.
• Be available the third Wednesday of each month from 12-2pm Eastern for virtual meetings (beginning Oct. 16, 2024).
• Be able to commit to three hours each month. Fellowship activities include one hour of independent work before each two-hour live virtual meeting. 
• Be interested in developing professional, leadership, and advocacy skills, deepening their understanding of the child welfare system, and joining a community of care and support.

About the process

Foster America is accepting applications at foster-america.org/careers on a rolling basis until Friday, Aug. 16. For priority consideration, please apply by Monday, July 15. Phone screens and interviews will be conducted in July/August 2024. Invitations to participate in the fellowship will be extended in September, with our kickoff session to be held on Oct. 16, 2024.

Benefits

Note: This is an independent contractor role and is not eligible to receive benefits such as health care, retirement contributions, PTO or disability.