Volunteer Spotlight - Amber Cook
Amber Cook serves as a Program Manager for Permanency (foster care) with Buncombe County Health and Human Services, where she supports a dedicated team of supervisors and social workers working to help families achieve permanency for foster youth. In her role, Amber focuses on guiding and empowering her team as they provide advocacy, empathy, and innovative support to families navigating complex challenges. She also serves on the board of Helping At Risk Kids (HARK) as a liaison to Health and Human Services, offering valuable insight and data to help align community resources with the evolving needs of foster youth.
Amber is deeply motivated by the goal of achieving positive permanency outcomes for every child in foster care. With reunification as the primary objective whenever it is safe and possible, she finds purpose in both the outcomes and the process, especially in witnessing the extraordinary dedication of her team. As she shares, “My biggest motivator is achieving positive permanency outcomes for all of our foster youth,” a goal that continues to guide her leadership and daily work. She is equally inspired by those around her, noting the “advocacy, support, empathy, and innovative ideas” her team brings forward every day in service of families.
Through her 22-year career in social work, Amber has seen firsthand the realities of the profession and wishes more people understood the depth and complexity of the work. “Social Work is an incredibly challenging profession,” she explains, emphasizing that social workers meet families where they are, support them through difficult circumstances, and work to create safer, more stable environments, all while striving to keep families together when safely possible. This balance requires patience, resilience, and a deep commitment to meaningful, lasting change.
She is especially mindful of the challenges faced by children in foster care, who often experience significant trauma and sudden disruption. As Amber puts it, “Children in foster care are the ones that face the most trauma,” often losing not only family connections but also their sense of normalcy: school, friendships, and community. Maintaining those connections whenever possible is critical, even when it presents challenges, because those familiar anchors play an important role in a child’s well-being.
For those considering a career in social work, Amber offers grounded and practical advice: prioritize self-care, extend grace to yourself, and build a strong support system. While the work is demanding, she emphasizes that the rewards create the balance needed to continue showing up for families and communities. Approaching the work through the Principles of Partnership can serve as a steady guide in building respectful, collaborative relationships.
Over the years, Amber has experienced countless rewarding moments, both big and small. As her role has evolved, so too has her perspective on what feels most meaningful. Today, much of that fulfillment comes from supporting her team and witnessing their impact: their passion, empathy, and commitment translating into real outcomes for children and families. She also finds purpose in contributing to state-level workgroups, helping to shape policies that strengthen support not only for social workers but for the families they serve, extending her impact far beyond individual cases.
