Employee of the Month: Jamie Case

Meet EA’s Lead Placement Social Worker Jamie Case

How long have you been with EA? What roles have you had? 

Eight years—I started as a THP+FC Case Manager, then became an FFA Social Worker, then Placement Social Worker, and now Lead Placement Social Worker.

What originally made you want to work with EA?

At the time, my passion was working with youth aging out of the foster care system. I believed we had so many young people entering the world with such high expectations, and we had not done our part to prepare them to meet those expectations. I joined EA to be a part of the solution.

Describe what your best day on the job looks like.

My best day is when I see that my hard work has earned a person's trust. When a social worker can call me and trust I will do everything to find a home for their children in need. When a family talks through opening their home to a child and listens to what I have to say. When they know they can call me back and problem-solve issues that arise, and I will give them the time, without judgment. When my colleagues know they can lean in and on me for support. This job is proof of the quote "it takes a village" and my best days are working with my village.

What do you wish people knew about working in your field?

It is the greatest honor to be a part of so many people's stories. We have children who come to us in need of protection, understanding, respect, healing, love, etc., and I reach out to amazing families that are willing to open their homes and hearts to those children for sometimes a short time and sometimes forever. I watch families reunite, and I watch families be created, and I get to be a small part of that journey. I do not take that responsibility lightly and focus on that part of my job above anything else.

How do you practice self care?

Self care for me includes spending time with my family, reading, meeting with my book club, journaling, thrifting, and watching Survivor!

What's a hidden talent you have, or something about yourself that would surprise most people?

I love poetry! Reading it and writing it.