Adoption Specialist

Job Title: Adoption Specialist

Department & Division: Adoption & Child Welfare

Reports To: Adoption Supervisor

Beginning Pay Range: $36,660-$39,104

Classification: Full Time, Salaried, Exempt

D.A. Blodgett- St. John's

D.A. Blodgett- St. John's provides a continuum of care with comprehensive services, including counseling, foster care, adoption, mentoring and residential care. These programs are built on our core belief, backed by research, that as long as children can be safe, they do best when they are with their families. D.A. Blodgett- St. John's primarily serves children, youth and families in the greater Grand Rapids area, and some programming throughout the State of Michigan. D.A. Blodgett- St. John's is dedicated to providing an inclusive and welcoming experience for all children, all families and all individuals.

MISSION STATEMENT: To help children and empower families by providing safety, advocacy, and support.

VISION: A safe, nurturing home for every child, a supportive community for every family.

VALUES:

• Exceptional Service: Client-focused andteamingat the center of our work.
• Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion: All are welcomed, valued, and belong.
• Excellence: Ongoing commitment to learning and improvement.
• Integrity: Responsibility and ownership of our actions and results.
• Creativity: Imagination, innovation, and intelligentrisk taking.
• Passion: Relentless positive energy toward our mission and vision.

SANCTUARY COMMITMENTS:

• Nonviolence:Maintainingsafety for all members of the community.
• Emotional Intelligence: Managing emotions so wedon'thurt ourselves or others.
• Social Learning: Together weaccomplishmore,we care for one another.
• Democracy: Everyone has a voice, not necessarily a vote.
• Open Communication: Respecting and sharing ideas of our team.
• Social Responsibility: Say what you mean,don'tbe mean when you say it.
• Growth & Change: Creating hope forourselvesand the people we serve.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Adoption Program is primarily involved with placing children with special needs (i.e. older children, large sibling groups, and children with emotional, physical, and mental impairments) into adoptive homes. The Adoption Specialist is involved in recruiting adoptive families that will provide permanent homes for these children. They assess both the child and the family, carefully screen of adoptive applicants, match children with families, prepare both children and families for placement, facilitate training, and provide ongoing support services to these children and families to achieve a high level of success.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Assess, prepare, and place children from foster care into adoptive homes. Recruit, screen, assess, educate/train and support adoptive families.
• Supervise children in their adoptive placement toassurethat the children areadjusting. Make referrals as needed.
• Organize,facilitate, andmonitorservices so that annual adoptionobjectivesare successfully achieved on an annual basis (i.e.placements and finalizationsin a timely manner).
• Coordinate community resources (i.e.counseling, special education, and DHHS, etc.) available for and needed by adoptive children and families.
• Complete all necessaryagency, DHHS, Adoption Assistance, and legal paperwork requirements ona timelybasis.
• Help develop and implement adoption plans so that children obtain permanencyin a timely manner.
• Assistwith support group activities.

• Participate in required case related activities such as court hearings and other meetings.
• Agency-related duties include attendance at general staff meetings, departmental meetings, cooperation with other departments within the agency, andtimelycompletion of paperwork (to include mileage, paid time off requests, outlook calendar).
• Staff members may be assigned toassistwith other duties by the administration. Examples include public relations and promotions, recruitment, special committees, or task forces.
• In addition to scheduled 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. work hours, staff members are expected to accommodate his/her personal schedule to clients' availability and agency needs. This will include court hearings, home visits, group meetings,special events, and other after-agencyhoursappointments and telephone contacts.
• Other responsibilities shall include those set forth in agency personnel policies as amended.After the required training, a full-time Adoption Specialist can expect tobe responsible for15 children as well as families.
• Adoption Specialistsare required toreceive a minimum number of training hours annually.
• Work cooperatively with other agency staff and with personnel from related community agencies, law firms, other agencies, and courts. Adoption Specialists are expected to have satisfaction surveys returned that are positive.
• Timely reports withgood qualityandtimelyplacements as measured by the departmental scoreboard.
• Take responsibility formaintainingaccurateand current case records.
• Make sure the services provided are in keeping with the highest standard of professional child welfare services.

Supervision Received:

Specific Direction - General Direction- Plans and arranges own work. Uses a wide range of procedures to accomplish assigned objectives.

Supervisory Responsibilities: No supervisory responsibilities.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Educational requirements are a minimum of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a major in social work or a related human services field.
• Background experience in foster care, adoption and/or with individuals with special needs.
• A comprehensive understanding of child development, especially as it relates to adoptive children from foster care.
• Knowledge of community resources.

• Good Conflict Resolution Skills. The ability to work with others in a team and coordinate case planning with other departments.
• Valid driver's license,good drivingrecordand adequate insurance with a reliable vehicle availableat all times.
• Possess an understanding and sensitivity to the client's socioeconomic characteristics with personal qualities of warmth with the ability toestablishmeaningful relationships with people from various cultures.
• Competence in computer use andkeyboardingskills.
• Good moral character and no criminal record.
• Become familiar with and follow the code of ethics and agree to abide by the related Agency standards.
• A personal commitment to the Agency's mission, philosophy, and values.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Working Under Pressure: Ability tomaintaincomposure when exposed to stress.
• Planning and Organizing: Ability to set priorities andallocateresources properlyin order toeffectively achieve work responsibilities andobjectives.
• Detail Orientation: Pay attention to detail, accuracy, and completeness.
• Customer Service: A desire to serve others by focusing efforts on listening and responding effectively to questions, providing services, and evaluating customer satisfaction.
• Motivation: Ability to inspire and encourage others to reach a goal;maintaininga high levelof productivity and self-direction.
• Integrity: Ability to adhere to organization policies and procedures, acting in a fair and just manner whilemaintainingconfidentiality.
• Reliability: Ability to be dependable, trustworthy, and committed to doing the best job possible and completing work ina timelyand consistent manner.
• Communication: Ability to effectively receive and express ideas, both written and verbal; using clear and concise vocabulary and active listening skills. Ability to communicate with small and large groups andabilityto communicate with a wide variety of people.
• Adaptability: Ability to fit into a changing work environment, priorities or organization needs by staying open-minded and being able to change based on new information.
• Problem Solving: Ability to recognize courses of action to handle problems,gatheringandorganizinginformation,identifyingcause and effect relationships, andapplyingcontingency plans to solve those problems.
• Decision Making: Ability to select and commit to an effective course of action by understanding issues, comparing solutions, and drawing conclusions to resolve problems.
• Technical Skills: Ability to use technical knowledge and training to execute work;deliveryhigh quality results.

• Accountability: Acceptance of responsibility and one's own actions.
• Teamwork: Effectively interacts with people by being able to share and receive information that supports team goals.

PHYSICAL/ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS: