Regional Support

Mentors help you by providing emotional support, sharing their experiences, and connecting you to regional and state resources.  They are experienced caregivers who are familiar with the supports and services available in your region. Mentors are generalists who can help all types of caregivers statewide find the resources and support they need for successful placements. Mentors do not  offer legal, medical, or mental health advice.

Amanda Merriman

CaRES Mentor & Connector Region 6
AMerr7@uw.edu

Amanda and her husband have been foster parents since 2015. They have welcomed many children into their home and helped to facilitate successful reunification. Amanda strives to maintain supportive relationships with families during the course of their case and after reunification. In doing so, she has gained great perspective on the importance of nurturing relationships between biological families and their children. This became a passion of hers after the adoption of her daughter in 2020. It also led to experience as a kinship caregiver when one of her children’s relatives entered care. She now hopes to use her experience to support fellow caregiving families in their journey.

Nathan LaChine

CaRES Mentor Region 5, 6, & LGBTQIA+ Community Specialist
NLaChine@uw.edu

Nathan has been a therapeutic foster parent with Community Youth Services serving BRS Youth for the past 16 years. He has held a variety of roles within the foster care community and has been a strong advocate within the LGBTQ2IA+ community. Through his teaching and public speaking, Nathan hopes to elevate and provide a voice for system involved families.

Racheal Turner

RTurner4@uw.edu
CaRES Mentor Region 6

Racheal Turner is from Port Angeles, WA. She is married with two biological children, two adopted children, and guardianship of one. She and her husband have been foster parents since 2007. They specialize in teenage foster children. She has a bachelor’s degree in business management, a master’s degree in teaching, and currently holds a teaching certificate in Washington State. She and her family enjoy racing, camping, hunting, fishing, and the outdoors.

We know relatives and foster parents feel more successful in their journey when they are connected to others who “get it.”  That is why Alliance CaRES is in the community to help you get connected with local foster and kinship families to share common challenges, feel heard, and solve problems.

CaRES Connectors are foster and kinship caregivers themselves; they organize in-person events and community groups to bring families together for support, resource sharing, and connection. You might even build a new respite opportunity! Meet your region’s Connectors below.

Amanda CaRES Mentor & Connector Region 6

Aric CaRES Connector Clark County

Mauri CaRES Connector Grays Harbor Area

Caregiver Continuing Education (CCE)

Visit the Caregiver Continuing Education (CCE) webpage to learn more about the ongoing training requirements to maintain your home’s foster license and find training recommendations. 

Topic Support Groups

Topic-based conversations bring caregivers with similar needs together to find solutions while earning training credit. Caregivers’ knowledge is the foundation for shared problem-solving and self-advocacy skills. Check the calendar below for current listings or, for a complete list of our Topic Support Groups groups, click here.

Join us for a CaRES Book Club!

Big Baffling Behaviors Book Club, Introduction: This 2-week book club is an introduction to the concepts detailed in Robyn Gobbel’s book, “Raising Kids with Big Baffling Behaviors.” The weekly discussions are focused on section one of the book. Throughout the guided conversations, you will have the chance to consider how the neuroscience of behavior can help you better understand your child’s actions and needs. This book club is an encouraging and welcoming space for foster parents and kinship caregivers to engage in foundational learning about trauma, behavior, connection, and regulation. Participants may participate in this group as a mini-book club or as the pre-requisite for the Topic Support Group: Big Baffling Behaviors Book Club, Continued. Register here!

And

Big Baffling Behaviors Book Club, Continuing: This 4-week book club is an extension of the Topic Support Group: Big Baffling Behaviors Book Club, Introduction. The weekly discussions will cover sections 2 and 3 of Robyn Gobbel’s book, “Raising Kids with Big Baffling Behaviors.” Throughout the guided discussions, you will have the chance to consider how the concepts of the Owl, Watchdog, and Possum brains impact your child’s behaviors, develop parenting strategies tailored to your home, and build your own self-regulation toolkit. This book club is an encouraging and welcoming space for foster parents and kinship caregivers to engage in the next step in peer-to-peer support, problem-solving, and learning facilitated by a TBRI practitioner or CaRES Mentor. Register here!

Most of these are available to foster and kinship families, some require proof of caregiver status, usually in the form of a foster care license. This is noted whenever we are aware of it. The Alliance CaRES program does not support or endorse any of the listed items; they are compiled for your convenience. We make every effort to keep these up-to-date, if you know of a correction or an item not listed, please let us know by emailing NotifyCaRES@uw.edu

Click here for resources available statewide, guides for licensure, and more.  

Check out these places in your area that offer discounts or free opportunities or items to families in the care system:

Birdie’s Blessings Clothing Closet: This free clothing closet is up now up and running! To schedule a visit to the shop, please reach out to our Community Connector, Mauri, at (253) 392-7223 or GraysHarborCaRES@gmail.com. Visit the closet, by appointment only, at Montesano Assembly of God, 125 S Sylvia St, Montesano, WA 98563 

Bridge the Gap: Bridge the Gap provides funds to ensure that children in out of home placement have access to the same enriching experiences as their peers. They provide financial support for activities like swimming lessons, dance classes, athletics, horse riding, martial arts or music lessons. They also offer generous funding for kids to attend camps and have availability to pay for tutoring. Bridge the Gap also has some tangible goods to fill requests, as needed, so feel free to ask. Serving all children in out of home placement residing in Clark, Cowlitz and Skamania Counties

Cloth+Foster: Cloth+Foster is a clothing and resource closet that supports children and families experiencing foster care in Southwest Washington and surrounding counties. Here you will find access to concrete goods such as clothing, gear, toiletries, shoes, toys, books and for all children from infants to young adults.

Capital Kids Connection: Capital Kids Connection seeks to make a positive impact on children experiencing foster care by granting “wishes” for children and youth living in Thurston, Mason and Lewis Counties. Capital Kids Connection offers $100 towards a special item or experience of a kid’s choosing and can also provide holiday gifts for children in out of home care.

Compelled to Care: Compelled to Care provides direct services to foster, adoptive and kinship caregivers including family dinners with childcare and training, parent night outs, and a care team that can offer meal trains and care packages to caregivers. They host community and holiday events as well as monthly meetups. Visit their website or Facebook page to get connected and learn about all the support they offer to caregivers in Thurston and Grey’s Harbor Counties.
In Thurston County, Compelled to Care also coordinates Care Boxes for children immediately upon their placement in foster care as well as special Graduation Boxes with cases in Thurston County, so check with your DCYF worker to get connected to these resources.

Community Health Care Foster/Adoption Clinic: The Foster and Adoption Clinic at Community Health Care provides full-service health care for adults and children that are part of the foster, adoption, kinship, and guardianship community. This includes caregivers, as well as their biological children and placed children. The clinic offers medical, dental and behavioral health care as well as an on-site pharmacy and lab services for a convenient one-stop shop. The clinic is located in Tacoma and serves families in Pierce, Kitsap, King and Thurston Counties. They accept most insurances and sliding-scale fees for those without coverage. No one will be turned away for financial reasons.

DCYF Caregiver Supports Project: Fosterful can provide a caregiver support plan based on the needs of the child or youth in your care. For placements at level 3 or above, case-aid hours are available to help meet the needs of the child or youth. A 24-hour on-call line is available to all caregivers in their service area. Fosterful serves Clark, Cowlitz, Skamania, and Wahkiakum Counties and can be reached at 360-828-1842. 

DCYF Caregiver Supports Project: YouthNet can provide a caregiver support plan based on the needs of the child or youth in your care. For placements at level 3 or above, case-aid hours are available to help meet the needs of the child or youth. A 24-hour on-call line is available to all caregivers in their service area. YouthNet serves Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, and Thurston Counties and can be reached at 360-336-1610 or 888-996-8846 (toll free). 

Dry Tikes and Wet Wipes: This program supplements the diaper needs of low-income families, including foster and kinship families. They serve Olympia, Tumwater, Lacey and the surrounding areas.

Foster Supports of Jefferson County: Foster Supports of Jefferson County provides access to clothing, new shoes, educational support and activity sponsorship for children experiencing foster care. They also host special events for families and children.

Foster the Harbor: Foster the Harbor is a faith-based organization in Grays Harbor County, Washington, dedicated to supporting foster, adoptive, and kinship families. They host monthly dinners and quarterly family events to provide encouragement and build community among caregivers of vulnerable children.

Hands On Children’s Museum: Hands on Children’s Museum offers discounted museum memberships for any state-dependent child. You may be asked to show their Apple Healthcare card for eligibility. This discount is available to families throughout Washington.

Olympic Angels: Serving children and their foster caregivers on the Olympic Peninsula, Olympic Angels provides Love Boxes which support entire family units with gifts and resources. Trained volunteers also provide mentorship for adolescents and young adults through their Dare-to-Dream program. Support is available to children and their family whether they are state dependent, in a voluntary placement agreement, recently returned home or are in post-permanency with a guardianship or adoptive family or have aged out of care. All caregivers, whether licensed or not, are eligible.

Pizza Klatch: Pizza Klatch supports LGBTQIA+ youth and their allies by offering groups during lunchtime at participating schools in North Thurston, Tumwater, Olympia, Rainier, Tenino, Rochester and Yelm school districts.

South Sound Foster/Adoptive Clothing Closet: This Facebook based organization provides free clothing for children experiencing foster care, aged 0-12 in Olympia area. They can also offer shoes, gear, toys, strollers and other concrete goods.

The Wishing Well Foundation: The Wishing Well provides concrete resources to foster and kinship caregivers within Regions 5 and 6. A physical store is in Parkland (Pierce County) where caregivers can access clothing, formula, diapers and other necessities for children newborn-21. For youth in Extended Foster Care or kinship care, The Wishing Well Foundation also provides a furniture bank.

Youth to Teen Essentials: Youth to Teen Essentials is a clothing bank in Shelton, serving children in foster, kinship or adoptive care. They stock sizes newborn to 3XL.

Mentors and Specialists can help you by providing emotional support, sharing their experiences, and connecting you to regional and state resources. Specialists can help caregivers by providing emotional support, sharing their experiences, and connecting them to resources.  They have an area of dedicated knowledge that may be especially important for a caregiver looking for understanding.  Mentors and Specialists do not  offer legal, medical, or mental health advice.

April Burrer
CaRES Lead Mentor
ABurrer@uw.edu

April has been a licensed foster parent for 15 years. She has spent the last six years recruiting and supporting foster families. She enjoys encouraging caregivers and helping build caregiver support communities. She began her career working in child welfare as an intern for DCYF, getting a behind-the-scenes look at the dependency and foster care process (as well as heavy use of a copy machine!). April and her husband are nurturing a host of kiddos (bio, adopted, and foster).

Christina Urtasun
CaRES Statewide Mentor
CUrtasun@uw.edu

Christina has been a licensed foster parent, in Oak Harbor, for twenty years. She has been involved in many aspects of the foster care community including providing liaison services with Fostering Together program for 13 years and being a co-trainer with the Alliance for Child Welfare. Christina is excited to join the Alliance CaRES program as a mentor so she can continue supporting and encouraging families as well as help them navigate the system. Christina has four sons and one daughter. In her spare time, Christina loves to be hiking, camping, reading, and spending time with her family.

Nathan LaChine
CaRES Mentor Region 5, 6, & LGBTQIA+ Community Specialist
NLaChine@uw.edu
Nathan has been a therapeutic foster parent with Community Youth Services serving BRS Youth for the past 16 years. He has held a variety of roles within the foster care community and has been a strong advocate within the LGBTQ2IA+ community. Through his teaching and public speaking, Nathan hopes to elevate and provide a voice for system involved families.

Would you like to have one of our wonderful mentors reach out to you for individualized support? Send us an email or leave a voice mail with your contact information, a sentence or two about what general areas you need support in, and if you need language support or interpretation.  If you are sending a referral on behalf of a caregiver, please also let us know if they are expecting a call from us. Mentors will respond within 48 hours.

AllianceCaRES@uw.edu or call 206-221-4913

If you are a caregiver going through an investigation, be sure to visit our page on support for allegations and investigations.

If you are a caregiver experiencing challenges in your fostering journey, visit our page on caregiver challenges for training suggestions.