Social Worker III - Adoptions

Gaston Social Services:
Protecting, caring for and empowering children and adults who are temporarily or permanently unable to care for themselves through the administrating of federal, state and county programs focused on improving the well-being of our citizens.

The anticipated hiring range for this position is $27.45 - $32.60

The duties listed below are not all of the duties that may be assigned but are those that are considered as essential for an employee to perform.

• Providing numerous types of adoption services including: completion of Pre-Placement Assessments for agency, independent and relative adoptive families; completion of child profiles for children who have been cleared for adoption; complete relative and independent adoptions and post adoptive services including adoption subsidy. These services are provided through training, information gathering, performing background checks and completion of state paperwork. Adoption Services are provided to ensure a permanent home for a child.
  
  Capturing all data and reporting it accurately.
• Recruitment and retention of adoptive homes by providing training, education and support. Agency foster and adoptive homes are needed to provide safe, stable and permanent homes for children in the foster care system.
• Securing a safe and stable placement for a child in the adoption system. Matches are made by assessing the needs of the child and the strengths of the foster/adoptive parents in order to make the placement that would be in a child’s best interest.
• Attending court hearings and team meetings, attending local training for job enhancement, completing documentation in case records as well as monthly reports, court reports and participation in unit/team staffings. Attending adoption committee to identify prospective adoptive placements for legally cleared children.
• Provision of other program requirements (i.e. problem pregnancy cases, adoption, intermediary services, and support foster care workers in cases where the permanent plan is adoption by providing specialty services, etc.). Other duties as assigned that ensure teamwork and permanency for children.
• Must be available to work mandatory emergency shelters & other duties as assigned.

• Master's degree in Social Work (MSW) from an accredited institution.
• Master's degree in counseling or human services field and 1 year of directly related experience.
• Bachelor's degree in Social Work (BSW) from an accredited institution and completion of the Child Welfare Collaborative (Child Welfare positions only)
• Bachelor's degree in Social Work (BSW) from an accredited institution and 1 year of directly related experience.
• Bachelor's degree in a human services field and 2 years of directly related experience.
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution and 3 year of directly related experience.
• A valid driver's license is required.

The ideal candidate will have knowledge of adoption laws and requirements, knowledge of foster home licensing requirements, separation and loss issues, child development.

The applicant selected must undergo a criminal background check and pass a drug screening test prior to employment. In compliance with G.S. 153A-94.2 (b), if the position being filled requires an applicant for employment to work with children in any capacity, the County must require the applicant, if offered the position, to be subject to a criminal history record check conducted by the SBI.

These checks must be performed in accordance with G.S.143B-1209.26, which authorizes the SBI to provide fingerprint-based state and national criminal record checks to cities and counties.