General Summary
The Adoption Specialist position is responsible for preparation and assessment of clients seeking to adopt children through Children’s Service Society of Utah’s Infant, Domestic, and Waiting Child adoption programs. Direct services to be provided are adoption home study assessments, ethical options counseling for birth parents, mental health support for individuals and families touched by adoption, foster care, and kinship care, and follow-up services for adoption cases. Specific services include providing pre/post adoption services, providing mental health supports and counseling, and facilitation of adoption related support groups. Part-time. 20-30 hours a week. Monday-Friday. Must be able to pass BCI background check.
Essential Job Functions
- Receive and respond to Adoption Program inquiries.
- Serve as the point of contact for families from inquiry to adoption finalization.
- Provide trauma-informed mental health assessment, counseling, and treatment to individuals and families impacted by adoption, foster care, or kinship care including expectant/birth parents, adoptive parents, kinship caregivers, and children.
- Provide ethical options counseling for expectant/birth parents.
- Provide adoption education, training, and preparation to prospective, pre-adoptive, and post-adoptive clients throughout the adoption process.
- Plan, advertise, and facilitate monthly adoption-related support group(s).
- Conduct comprehensive adoption home study assessments, including interviews, home visits, documentation review, and preparation of written home study reports in compliance with licensing and agency requirements.
- Maintain adoptive and/or birth parent files (includes child files once a match has been made), ensuring all paperwork is complete and filed appropriately.
- Maintain ongoing contact with clients, community partners, referrals, and other stakeholders as necessary for each individual case.
- Prepare all adoptive parent or birth parent placement paperwork at the time of placement.
- Ensure all documents, including home study documentation, meet licensing requirements.
- Participate in annual employee performance evaluations (or as directed by the Program Director/Executive Director).
- Collaborate with families to post profiles on social media and the agency website.
- Conduct post-placement supervision visits and complete post-placement reports, ensuring all licensing and legal requirements are met.
- Attend adoption finalization hearings as a representative of Children's Service Society of Utah.
- Ensure timely and accurate completion of all paperwork.
- Ensure all licensing and contractual requirements are met.
- Participate in the team's on-call phone rotation.
- Create and provide necessary paperwork to the court and/or adoption attorney.
- Maintain billing records for families and ensure payment is received prior to services being provided (including home study application fees, home study fees, background check fees, match fees, etc.).
- Track inquiries, intakes, and caseload; report monthly metrics to the Program Director.
- Maintain an accurate agency calendar.
- Assist with annual audits (Office of Licensing, contracts, and grants, as applicable).
- Attend weekly Adoption Staff meetings.
- Attend weekly clinical case staffings.
- Complete annual trainings required by the Office of Licensing, contracts/grants, and DOPL.
- Attend monthly agency meetings.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Ability to communicate clearly, effectively, and professionally with clients, community partners, peers, supervisors, and other stakeholders through verbal, written, and interpersonal communication.
- Knowledge of agency services, policies, procedures, and applicable licensing, legal, and contractual requirements.
- Ability to utilize computer software, electronic records systems, social media platforms, internet resources, and other technology required for the position.
- Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team, as well as independently, maintaining effective communication with supervisors and team members.
- Ability to maintain a consistent and flexible work schedule to meet program and client needs.
- Ability to provide trauma-informed mental health assessments, treatment planning, therapy, crisis intervention, and case management services to individuals and families.
- Ability to develop and facilitate educational trainings and support groups.
- Ability to effectively organize, prioritize, and manage a caseload while ensuring timely completion of responsibilities and adherence to agency, licensing, legal, and contract/grant requirements.
- Strong attention to detail with the ability to prepare accurate, complete, and well-organized clinical, legal, and licensing documentation.
Education and Experience
- Master’s Degree in Social Work or related field
- CSW or LCSW Licensure or related mental health license
- Complete all required trainings (OL) prior to being able to complete home studies/case management independently.
- Prior adoption experience preferred; including knowledge of issues related to adoption, trauma, adoption law, practice, ethics, and experience in writing home studies preferred.
Pay: $30.00 - $32.00 per hour
Benefits:
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Salt Lake City, UT 84107
