SUMMARY

The Adoption Specialist (AS) works directly with children in care to provide them a forever family for the Manatee County (office location in the Lakewood Ranch area) This includes conducting home visits, ensuring the child’s needs are met, recruiting homes for waiting children, conducting home studies and child assessment studies, matching waiting children with adoptive families, preparing children and families for the adoption process, providing support and guidance through the process, coordinating subsidy, and facilitating legal finalization.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

· Visit the child in the home setting at least a minimum of every 25 days (or more if directed by supervisor) in order to assess child's adjustment and readiness for adoption.

· Adoption Specialist should be generally knowledgeable about the child and family and have sufficient information to present at court, administrative staffing's, permanency staffing's, and school staffing's.

· Develop individualized recruitment plan for children who are waiting for adoptive homes.

· Facilitate placing children on various exchanges and databases to aid in recruitment efforts.

· Conduct an in-depth home study process with adoptive applicants.

· Conduct an in-depth child study process.

· Provide ongoing supervision and support to the adoptive placement, ensuring that the family is providing a safe and secure home environment for the child, including immediate referral for crisis intervention and supportive counseling to the primary caregiver in order to stabilize the child in their current placement.

· Thoroughly discuss and explain the adoption process with adoptive applicants and guide them through all adoption paperwork including the adoption subsidy process/other benefits, and all paperwork needed for adoption finalization.

· Provide post-adoption planning, informing families of local resources that available to them in the future.

Education and Training Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in a human services field from an accredited university or college and one-year related post bachelor's degree experience, or a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in human services and two years post bachelor’s degree experience.
• Must obtain Florida Child Welfare Certification within 12 months from date of successful completion of Pre-Service Post Test. Candidates must successfully complete the State Certified training and exam; a structured period of observation in and out of the office, including home and field visits. Candidate will be observed by Quality Assurance Specialist, Direct Supervisor, and Lead Agency Job Coach during the certification process. Must also complete the prescribed re-certification requirements every two years, as well as annual trainings mandated by the agency.
• Complete a minimum of 40 hours of in-service training each full year of employment. The in-service training must include but not be limited to, indicators of child abuse; neglect and abandonment; substance abuse; community resources; independent living; and other topics related to child welfare.
• Complete agency web-based courses business as part of agency orientation.

Certificates, Licenses, and Registrations: This position requires the following credentials

• Preferred Child Welfare experience and/or Child Welfare Case Manager Certification.

A comprehensive benefits program including:

• 5 weeks of PTO accruals available during the first year of employment
• 12 paid holidays
• Professional development
• Ongoing coaching and feedback
• Employee Assistance Program (“EAP”)

Health Benefits with shared premium costs, including:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Life
• Short-term disability
• Long-term disability
• 401(k) retirement

Pay range-$50,000- $55,000