Child Welfare and Adoption Specialist

JOB SUMMARY:

NORC is currently seeking a full-time Child Welfare and Adoption Specialist to join our child, youth, and family portfolio. This staff member will contribute to a child welfare project by (1) supporting states as they use technology to improve adoption processes; and (2) supporting the NORC research team in building evidence for the broader adoption and child welfare field. Travel (multiple trips per year) throughout the Central US will be required.

Location:

This is a Hybrid role based in either our Chicago Loop or Washington, DC office, with a minimum of six days per month in the office. We are also open to applicants working remotely. Qualified applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S. We regret that we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position now or in the future. 

DEPARTMENT:
Economics, Justice & Society Department The Economics, Justice, and Society delivers actionable research on critical social programs and issues, timely socio-economic trend data, and evidence-based solutions across a wide variety of topics from business dynamics to household formation. The department is home to NORC’s Center for Public Safety and Justice, Center on Behavioral Economic Analysis and Decision-Making, and three long-running flagship surveys – the General Social Survey, the Survey of Consumer Finance, and the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth.

We provide insights into communities, households, businesses, and the nation through our expertise in income and poverty, household finance, youth development, victimization, law enforcement, religion, traffic safety, data governance, and other topics. We engage in policy analysis and evaluation research relating to social programs and issues, the economy and the labor force, transportation and traffic safety, and crime and law enforcement.

We work with a diverse set of clients and partners, including policy-makers and data users in national, state and local governments, academia, and the press. RESPONSIBILITIES:
Coach and support state agency caseworkers and supervisors on the improvement of adoption processes and the use of adoption recruitment and matching technology. Develop and deliver project-specific, standards, and related practices training to states participating in improvement processes for adoption practice. Provide ongoing individualized and group-based technical assistance, logistics support, and monitoring of state implementation, assessment, and improvement activities and progress.

Serve as liaison and subject matter expert to state agencies, facilitating communication and delivering technical expertise. Support integration guidance, data collection, analysis, reporting, and evaluation of each pilot-site’s performance on outcomes. Contribute to research and evidence creation on the implications of implementation of technology enhancements in state child welfare agency adoption practices. Consistently develop, update, and deliver tailored trainings, instruments, resources, reports, summaries, presentations and documentation of best practices regarding state performance and assessment findings.

Travel for onsite activities, including trainings, stakeholder interviews, and technical assistance (TA) and monitoring. Manage and develop interactive TA tracking systems and dashboards as necessary. Contribute to business development activities, including generating ideas and responding to requests for proposals (RFPs).

REQUIRED SKILLS:

Minimum of a bachelor’s degree with 5+ years of relevant experience or master’s degree with 3+ years of experience. Significant experience working directly for, or closely with, a state child welfare agency preferably in an adoption unit or job closely related to adoption processes.…