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 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 and teamwork at 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 intelligent risk taking. Passion: Relentless positive energy toward our mission and vision. SANCTUARY COMMITMENTS: Nonviolence: Maintain safety for all members of the community. Emotional Intelligence: Managing emotions so we do not hurt ourselves or others. Social Learning: Together we accomplish more, 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’t be mean when you say it. Growth & Change: Creating hope for ourselves and 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 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 to ensure that the children are adjusting. Make referrals as needed. Organize, facilitate, and monitor services so that annual adoption objectives are successfully achieved on an annual basis (i.e., placements and finalizations in 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 necessary agency, DHHS, Adoption Assistance, and legal paperwork requirements on a timely basis. Help develop and implement adoption plans so that children obtain permanency in a timely manner. Assist with 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, and timely completion of paperwork (to include mileage, paid time off requests, outlook calendar). Staff members may be assigned to assist with 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 their personal schedule to clients’ availability and agency needs. This will include court hearings, home visits, group meetings, special events, and other after‑agency hours appointments 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 to be responsible for 15 children as well as families. Adoption Specialists are required to receive 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 with good quality and timely placements as measured by the departmental scoreboard. Take responsibility for maintaining accurate and 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: 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; ability to work with others in a team and coordinate case planning with other departments. Valid driver’s license, good driving record, and adequate insurance with a reliable vehicle available at all times. Possess an understanding and sensitivity to the client’s socioeconomic characteristics with personal qualities of warmth and the ability to establish meaningful relationships with people from various cultures. Competence in computer use and keyboarding skills. 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 to maintain composure when exposed to stress. Planning and Organizing: Ability to set priorities and allocate resources properly to achieve work responsibilities and objectives. 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; maintaining a high level of productivity and self‑direction. Integrity: Ability to adhere to organization policies and procedures, acting in a fair and just manner while maintaining confidentiality. Reliability: Ability to be dependable, trustworthy, and committed to doing the best job possible and completing work in a timely and 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 and 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, gathering and organizing information, identifying cause and effect relationships, and applying contingency 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; deliver high 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 Average Daily Physical Requirements None Less than 2 hours 2 to 5 hours 5+ hours Work in stationary position Move about work area Use hands/fingers to handle or feel objects Reach with hands and arms Ascend/Descend (stairs/ladder/etc.) Bend, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl Communicate with various parties Detect flavors or smells Move containers up to 20 pounds Read and understand written word Drive/Travel Operate computer and general office machines Operate machines or material handling equipment Average Daily Environmental Conditions: Straightforward office environment with no exposure to extreme heat, cold, noise, chemicals, or hazardous equipment. EEO Statement DABSJ strives to be a fully inclusive organization as we support a diverse group of children and families. We are building a diverse team that represents our customers and our community and recognize that each of us brings a unique perspective to the organization. We welcome differing thoughts, faiths, beliefs, groups, and lived experiences. The diversity and differences of each team member, foster parent, adoptive parent, child, and family make us DABSJstrongertogether for children and families. DABSJ is an equal opportunity, at‑will employer, and will not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment. DABSJ does not discriminate on the basis of race, including but not limited to hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks and twists; culture, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, height, weight, marital status, veteran status, socio‑economic status, disability, or other legally protected characteristics as required by law. This job description does not list all duties of the job. Employees may be asked by management to perform other duties as needed. The company reserves the right to revise this job description at any time. This job description is not a contract for employment and does not infringe upon the company’s at‑will employment status. #J-18808-Ljbffr