Adoption Specialist II

This is a professional position responsible for coordinating targeted marketing and recruitment efforts to find families for children available for adoption in Polk, Highlands and Hardee counties. Will be responsible for training, supporting and preparing families during the adoption process. Also responsible for providing technical assistance necessary to case management organizations to ensure a child’s timely navigation through the dependency system.

Establishes and maintains positive working relationship with HFC internal and external customers

Plan and execute targeted marketing strategies to find families to adopt

Coordinate and/or participates in recruitment and retention activities including promoting local children available for adoption in the community

Recruits and prescreens prospective adoptive families

Assesses permanency needs of the children and youth

Assesses strengths and limitations of placement options

Assists in meeting or exceeding HFC’s annual adoption goals for matched and unmatched children

Develops family systems and community supports for placement options

Teach adoption/specialized classes and information night meetings for prospective families

Arranges and conducts meetings with potential adoptive families

Reviews all adoption home studies for potential child matches

Facilitates or participates in match meetings/staffings and interviews with case management and adoptive families

Provides recommendations for placement match including at-risk placements

Supports pre-adoptive families through the adoption to assure stability

Assists in the development and maintenance of tracking systems

Creates content and collateral materials that helps promote sharing child specific information about children available for adoption

Monitors and/or maintains the adoption websites and recruitment systems ensuring children available for adoption are displayed, and identifying and moving forward with a possible adoption match timely

Provides timely follow up with all interested families who inquire about adoption or generated via the recruitment displays including providing up-to-date Child Studies and/or Comprehensive Behavioral Health Assessments (CBHA) when appropriate

Provides supports and works collaboratively with case management regarding families who have active home studies

Participates in statewide adoption related calls, trainings and the campaign initiatives

Participates in and/or facilitate case management staffings to include family team conferencing, multi-disciplinary, reunification, permanency, adoption and post adoptions staffings, AARC Staffings, separated sibling staffings and presentations promoting and supporting adoption

Evaluates the rationale for services, assessments of current placement including the need for additional evaluations through the consideration of the child/family’s circumstance and the provider’s ability to meet the service need or provide alternate settings

Maintains and updates recruitment displays, the Heart Gallery

Performs special projects as assigned

High School Diploma or GED equivalent required. Associates degree in a related field preferred. One year experience in the child welfare system, training, education, and/or customer service experience is required. Administrative organizational skills and computer literacy are essential.

Excellent benefits package with tuition assistance, domestic partner coverage, retirement and generous paid time off.

Drug free workplace. Drug testing required. EOE/M/F/D/V.