Birth Parent Post Adoption Specialist

The Birth Parent Post Adoption Specialist will serve a key role in Gladney's Beyond Placement program, a structured post-adoption support model funded through the federal ANCHOR initiative. This position is responsible for providing dedicated, ongoing post-adoption support to birth parents who have voluntarily placed a child for private domestic adoption. This role delivers individualized and group-based services - including professionally facilitated support groups, resource navigation, peer connection, crisis intervention, clinical consultation, and follow-up support - to promote birth parents' healthy grief processing, adjustment, and long-term well-being after placement.

• Project Period:
  September 1, 2026 - September 29, 2028
• Funding Source:
  Federal grant (HHS/ACF)
• Employment Duration:
  Position is tied to the duration of the grant and will end at the conclusion of the project period (9/29/2028), unless funding is renewed or extended
• Continuation:
  There is no guarantee of continued employment beyond the project period; however, internal transfer opportunities may be available based on organizational need at that time
• Employment Type:
  
  At-will
• Compensation: $50,000 annually

• Maintain ongoing availability and support for birth parents and their families seeking post-adoption services.
• Ensure timely and appropriate responses to service requests through phone, email, or other communication channels.
• Provide crisis support and intervention as needed.
• Develop rapport with birth parent clients and offer counseling, intervention, and consultation services.
• Assess client and family functioning, including evaluation of risk and protective factors related to grief, loss, and post-placement adjustment.
• Provide direct access to, or facilitated referrals for, individual counseling with qualified mental health professionals experienced in adoption and post-placement issues.
• Conduct follow-up with birth parents who have received services to determine ongoing needs or confirm resolution.

• Design and facilitate professionally led birth parent support groups in a safe, confidential, and trauma-informed environment.
• Offer support groups through multiple modalities (in-person, virtual, or hybrid) to ensure accessibility for birth parents across geographic locations and schedules.
• Develop and maintain a curriculum or framework for support groups addressing common themes such as grief and loss, identity, relationships with adoptive families, and navigating post-adoption milestones.
• Establish and maintain a system for connecting birth parents with peer mentors who have shared lived experience, where appropriate and desired by participants.

• Identify, curate, and share appropriate community and agency resources (e.g., books, websites, podcasts, and community services) tailored to birth parents' experiences and needs.
• Conduct sensitive and targeted outreach, potentially in partnership with adoption agencies, attorneys, and other professionals, to identify and enroll eligible birth parents in services.
• Develop materials that clearly and respectfully communicate the purpose and availability of birth parent support services.
• Support post-adoption family training, outreach, and social networking events through media engagement and in-person involvement.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of community-based referral sources for birth parent support services.

• Support program evaluation activities, including collection of data on program implementation, participation, and outcomes.
• Maintain accurate, timely documentation of all birth parent post-adoption contacts and…