Assistant Caregiver & Family Support

Overview:

We’re a Denver family with three neurodivergent teens looking for a Caregiver & Community Support Specialist who is trauma‑informed, neurodiversity‑affirming, and comfortable in a busy, creative, sometimes chaotic home.

This role blends:

  • Gentle caregiving and companionship

  • Executive‑function support (helping teens follow simple routines and transitions)

  • Light household support connected to the kids

  • Occasional transportation/appointment help

  • Basic assistant support for parents around kid logistics

Our home is Black, multiracial, and LGBTQIA+ affirming. It matters to us that you’re genuinely at ease supporting teens whose identities, beliefs, and politics may differ from your own, and that you show up with respect and curiosity rather than judgment.

Primary focus: providing respite and safety at home for our teen daughters and teen son, especially when they prefer not to attend family outings or community events. Transportation is a plus, not the core of the role.

Key Responsibilities

Support for teens

  • Help teens get ready for and transition to/from:

    • Homeschool blocks and independent work time

    • Therapies and appointments

    • Community activities (e.g., Brick Club at Blossom House, park days, library, gym)

  • Help them remember items for outings (headphones, water, snacks, sensory supports, meds as directed by parents)

Transportation / accompaniment (as needed, not primary)

  • Accompany or drive (if permitted/approved) to local appointments and activities

  • Provide supervision and support during those activities as agreed (you are a calm, familiar adult presence)

Household & executive support (kid‑related)

  • Help keep a visible weekly schedule updated (whiteboard/calendar, simple checklists)

  • Light kid‑related tasks such as:

    • Dishes after snacks or simple meals

    • Resetting shared spaces used for activities (living room, dining table, Brick Club materials)

    • Assisting with simple “everyone‑can‑eat” snacks or reheats (no heavy cooking required unless agreed)

Emotional / relational support

  • Show up as a steady, non‑judgmental adult who:

    • Listens and respects boundaries

    • Uses calm tone and clear, direct communication

    • Follows the family’s communication preferences and coping plans

  • Use trauma‑informed, consent‑based approaches:

    • Ask before touch, respect “no,” support self‑advocacy

    • Pay attention to sensory and regulation needs

Required Qualifications

  • Experience supporting neurodivergent youth (formal or informal):

    • caregiving, para/DSP, mentor, camp/after‑school staff, or similar

  • Clear commitment to being trauma‑informed, and willingness to follow family and youth‑led coping plans

  • Comfort with LGBTQIA+ youth and families; actively affirming, not just “tolerant”

  • Cultural humility and specific comfort working with a Black and multiracial family

  • Reliability and good communication:

    • Able to confirm or reschedule in a timely way

    • Comfortable texting/using a shared calendar

  • Ability to manage your own regulation in stressful, loud, or rapidly changing environments

  • Ability to pass background checks required for caregiving/community roles

Preferred Qualifications

It’s a plus (not required) if you have:

  • Experience with:

    • Caregiving agency contracting / personal care services, respite, or similar programs

    • Homeschool, unschooling, or other alternative education settings

    • Group programs for youth (clubs, camps, after‑school)

  • Familiarity with:

    • Executive functioning supports (checklists, timers, visual schedules)

    • Sensory needs, accommodations, and co‑regulation

  • Lived experience as:

    • Neurodivergent and/or LGBTQIA+ and/or a person of color

If you don’t have all of this but feel aligned with our values and are willing to learn, we still want to hear from you.

Hours & Schedule

  • Approximately 20–24 hours per week

  • Ideal core days: Monday through Friday, with some flexibility

  • Typical time blocks will fall between 10:00 AM and 10:00 PM, set together in advance

  • Occasionally, there may be:

    • Short weekend blocks

    • Rare overnights or extended hours when parents travel (with advance notice and mutual agreement)

We’ll co‑create a schedule that works for both you and the family and revisit it regularly as kids’ needs evolve.

Pay & “Top‑Up” Model

We know this role is more complex than basic babysitting or generic respite. Agency reimbursement rates are limited, so we use a probation + top‑up approach to make the job more sustainable.

First 6 weeks (probationary period)

  • All hours are paid at the current agency rate of $23/hour (respite + community support).

  • This gives everyone a chance to see if the fit, rhythms, and expectations work for both sides.

After successful completion of 6 weeks and mutual agreement to continue

  • Hourly rate increases to $25–$30/hour, based on:

    • Experience

    • Agreed responsibilities

    • Schedule complexity (evenings/occasional overnights toward the higher end)

  • The agreed‑upon rate will not be reduced due to future changes in agency reimbursement.

  • All hours continue to be paid through the agency; if private or grant funding becomes available later, we may adjust pay or responsibilities by mutual agreement.

We want this role to feel like a stable, respectful partnership, not exploitative or precarious.

Apply Here

About Us

We’re a mission‑driven family behind Hampden Farms and Denver Brick Club, building neurodiversity‑affirming spaces for teens and young adults in Denver.  Our home is one of those spaces, and we’re looking for someone who wants to grow with us and be part of a team that values both the youth and the adults who care for them.