Adoption worker job description

We're looking for a compassionate professional with a heart for service who wants to help children and families.

Christian Adoption Services, a ministry of Baptist Children's Home of NC, Inc., has been serving children and families for over 40 years!
Job Title: Adoption Caseworker

Location: Raleigh, NC (Triangle area)

Method to apply: company site: bchcareers.org

SUMMARY

The Adoption Caseworker serves to help with various aspects of the adoption process, including pre-and-post placement/post-adoption support and documentation. This position is an important part of the team approach to successful domestic and international adoptions. The Adoption Caseworker will help ensure clear communication between various stakeholders in the adoption process, as well as promoting understanding of program structure and requirement, available resources, and professional, agency, and legal guidelines for all involved. The employee must verify that he or she has no criminal record, social, or medical history which would adversely affect his or her competency in working with children and adults.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Education and Experience:

* Master's degree from an accredited program of social work or in another human service field, OR

Bachelor's degree in social work from an appropriately accredited institution, OR

Bachelor's degree in a human services field from an appropriately accredited institution and one year of prior experience in family and children's services, adoption, or intercountry adoption, OR

Bachelor's degree from an appropriately accredited institution and two years prior experience in family and children's services, adoption, or intercountry adoption

Other:

* Professes to be Christian believer and submits an individual Statement of Faith and Acknowledgement and Pledge
* Strong writing and communication skills
* Excellent organizational skills
* Understands and is able to implement excellent services to program participants and services recipients
* Capacity for carrying out job duties in a timely manner
* Demonstrates ability to establish positive working relationships with adoptive families.
* Able to work collaboratively with agency staff, other caseworkers, and other service providers in a team approach
* Able to assess family strengths and needs as they relate to the ability to provide a nurturing adoptive home for one or more children and provide services that respect each child's and family's ethnic identity
* Able to assess and identify if a family might not be a good candidate for an adoptive placement, and shares any concerns with his/her supervisor
* Able to assist families in meeting any requirements related to compliance with the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption
* Knowledgeable regarding general aspects of the agency's domestic program/process, the agency's intercountry adoption programs/process, as well as requirements established through the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption
* Demonstrates highly ethical decision making that in all cases prioritizes the best interest of children

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

* Mutually develops with the family: Preplacement Assessments, Preplacement Assessment Updates, Adoptive Home Studies, Adoptive Home Study Updates, Post-Placement Reports, Post-Adoption Reports, and Adoption Summaries through visits and reports as needed for prospective adoptive parents and families in placement status
* Represents the agency via personal contacts with prospective adoptive families, families in placement status, and collateral contacts
* Assists the family with identifying pre- and post-placement/post-adoption education and training needs and conveys this information to the Home Study Services Supervisor
* Provides and shares educational information with families, and assists the family in identifying adoption preparation and parenting resources in their home community and through Christian Adoption Services, Inc. (CAS)
* Carries out all duties and ensures related services are carried out in accordance with the rules and regulations established by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, the South Carolina Department of Social Services, the policies and procedures of CAS, specifically the CAS Practice Guide for Adoption Caseworkers, the CAS Employee Manual, and the CAS Program Policies and Procedures Manual, networking agencies, Hague accrediting entities, and the United States Immigration and Naturalization (USCIS) when dealing with an international adoption
* Complies with and conduct themselves in accordance with the North Carolina and South Carolina Licensing Rules for Child Placing Agencies the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption, and the NASW Code of Ethics
* Completes at least twenty-four (24) hours of relevant adoption training annually to meet agency and North Carolina state licensing requirements and if completing intercountry adoption services, a minimum of thirty (30) hours of in-service training every two years on current and emerging adoption practice issues through a variety of means

EQUIPMENT:

Ability to work with general office equipment such as computers and electronic communication devices, and operate necessary software as appropriate for the work. Must be able to drive motor vehicles of various configurations so as to perform the above-stated duties.

LANGUAGE SKILLS:

Ability to read, write, and complete necessary documentation. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from coworkers, service recipients, licensing, and other oversight contacts, and various other stakeholders, in a variety of situations and formats.

CONTACT WITH OTHERS:

Regular contact with colleagues in all departments, as well as with outside individuals and groups; should represent Christian Adoption Services, Inc. and Baptist Children's Homes of N.C. in a positive manner. Contacts outside of the agency where proper handling of situations is of utmost importance as the agency's image could be affected.

MENTAL / VISUAL / AUDITORY DEMAND:

Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form and ability to draw conclusions. Must be able to productively relate to and interact with individuals facing a variety of mental and

emotional health situations such as are involved with providing Christian Adoption Services and Baptist Children's Homes of N.C. programming. Must recognize and demonstrate sufficient resiliency so as to be effective in serving such program participants.

CONFIDENTIAL DATA:

Complies with agency policies and procedures concerning confidentiality and HIPAA regulations involving all aspects of client information, case records, family information, medical information, psychological services, etc., which, if disclosed, would have adverse internal and/or external effects, and could result in termination of employment.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties of the job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to drive and get in and out of a vehicle unassisted, walk up and down stairs, sit, stand, reach, talk and/or hear, and lift up to 15 lbs.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee would encounter in any home or office environment; the work could require activities in non-agency owned or operated buildings where environmental circumstances are outside of Christian Adoption Services' and Baptist Children's Homes' control. Outdoor work may be involved as appropriate, and temperature and other environmental factors may vary in such circumstances.