Amanda Merriman
amerr7@uw.edu
509-557-0279
Mentor Region 6
Hello! My name is Amanda Merriman, and I am your CaRES Mentor. My husband and I have 8 children, 3 of whom were adopted from foster care. I am passionate about supporting a child's whole community while they work for reunification!
I am here to support you throughout your caregiving journey! Some of the ways I can help you are:
- Explaining how things at DCYF work, roles, terms, and expectations
- Connecting you to local and statewide resources like clothing closets, educational advocacy, and independent living services
- Suggesting tools, training, or resources specific to the needs of the child(ren) in your home
- Supporting you while you advocate for the needs of the child(ren) and your family
- Listening to your challenges, answering your questions, and being your go-to fostering contact
You will hear from me but you are also welcome to reach out to me at any time! You can text, call, or email me whenever you have questions or need a listening ear.
Here are some of our most popular links and resources to get you started:
- Our welcome page includes information about what to do in the first 30 days of a placement and links to local, statewide, and free resources.
- We can direct you to financial resources like Non-needy TANF for kinship (relative) caregivers, mileage reimbursement forms, and caregiver support determination (often referred to as rate assessment) for licensed caregivers, and WIC food program for children 0-5.
- Find local support groups, events, and supportive trainings. These are a great ways to connect with fellow caregivers and families.
- Find a training that helps you learn skills to support the children in your home and work with the child welfare system. Not sure where to start? Your Mentor can help you find the right training!
- Kinship (relative) caregivers can qualify for the monthly caregiver support payment with a kinship license.
- Find out who to contact in this DCYF publication that includes resources for foster parents and kinship caregivers or go directly to the DCYF website to access all of their resources.
- There are free and discounted resources across the state for kinship and foster families.
- Have information and events delivered directly to your inbox with the Alliance and DCYF newsletters.
These are just some of the resources and tools available. Call, text, or email me at any time! I’m always happy to help you find what you need.
You can also reach the CaRES team at AllianceCaRES@uw.edu or 206-221-4913 to request a Mentor contact, ask for a different Mentor, or share what you think about your Mentor’s support.
