Adoption Specialist

PRIMARY FUNCTION/RESPONSIBILTY

The Adoption Specialist provides case management services to children and youth placed in adoptive or foster-to-adopt homes, as well as support to foster/adopt parents through intensive case management services, crisis management, home visits, monitoring for compliance, documentation, ongoing training, and advocacy. The job requires sensitivity to the service populations’ cultural and socioeconomic characteristics.

• Recruits, identifies, and matches children with prospective adoptive families, including providing information during adoption staffing's, and provides services to children in adoptive placement or assists with connecting to services.
• Maintains sufficient case documentation, including forms and narratives, to provide a complete and accurate written record.
• Compiles and submits documentation required for adoption billing.
• Builds and maintains communication and working relationships within the program, region, and community groups to ensure that the objectives of the agency are accomplished.
• Conducts assessments of current life situations of a child or children and families to determine the presence of child abuse and neglect.
• Composes final reports for court and testifies in court when necessary.
• Provides services after normal working hours and on weekends when necessary.
• Promotes and demonstrates appropriate respect for cultural diversity among coworkers and all work-related contacts.
• Attends work regularly in accordance with agency leave policy.
• Performs other duties as assigned as required to maintain unit operations.

GENERAL EXPECTATIONS

• Adheres to all policies and procedures of the agency and its accrediting and standard setting bodies, such as Council on Accreditation (COA) and state licensing.
• Maintains client confidentiality per SJRC Texas/Belong standards and all applicable codes of ethics
• Learns, understands, and supports the SJRC Texas/Belong mission, purpose, and function.
• Carries out the Trauma Informed Care principles and practices for both internal and external stakeholders.
• Responsible for the environmental, cultural, safety, diversity issues and needs of the clients and others that enter the work area.
• Attends mandatory training as defined in positions training matrix.
• Attends continuing education as necessary to expand knowledge and maintain certifications or licenses.
• Uses outside professional collaboration and intra-agency teamwork appropriate to the agency.
• Skilled in organizing work in an environment with multiple challenges and priorities with minimal supervision.
• Avoid all conflicts of interest, real or perceived.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required:

• Associate’s degree from an accredited college or university in Child Welfare or related field plus two (2) years of relevant work experience OR 60 accredited college credit hours plus two (2) years relevant work experience OR 90 accredited college credit hours plus one (1) year of relevant work experience.
• Experience may be substituted for education

Preferred:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Child Welfare or related field OR Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in Child Welfare or related field.

Certifications/Licenses/Registrations:

• Valid Texas Driver’s License, safe driving record, ability to provide own transportation and proof of current automobile insurance.

KNOWLEDGEABLE/ABILITIES

• Knowledge of child development. 
• Knowledge of family dynamics. 
• Skill in effective verbal and written communication. 
• Skill in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships. 
• Skill in problem solving techniques. 
• Ability to operate a personal computer. 
• Ability to travel and attend child and family visits as well as other work-related appointments and meetings after 5PM. 
• Ability to be on call on a rotating basis and work irregular hours when necessary.  
• Ability to work in an emotion-filled environment which may require conducting home visits in isolated or high crime areas and may involve exposure to substandard and unsanitary living conditions.

PHYSICAL/MENTAL REQUIREMENTS AND INFORMATION

• Body mobility to stoop, kneel, bend, reach, walk briskly to interact with and monitor children.
• Stamina to work long days and drive long distances.
• Moderate to heavy lifting up to 60 pounds.
• Must have the ability to communicate both verbally and in writing.
• Must have the ability to give and receive verbal and written instructions (with or without hearing aids).
• Must have the ability to read fine print, have sustained vision, and peripheral vision (with or without glasses).
• Environment requires dexterity to remain calm and adapt to fast paced and emotional environments consisting of children with moderate to severe emotional and psychological needs.
• Minimum 40 hours per week but may necessitate additional time to complete assigned work, which would include evenings and weekends.
• Home-like settings with varying moderate to high degrees of background noise.
• Light and ventilation are found in a typical home setting.
• Campuses are smoke-free, except on permitted campuses in designated areas.

DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIP/REPORTING RELATIONSHIP

Supervised by: Adoption Supervisor

Supervises: N/A