Specialized Adoption Recruiter; SSS- Tacoma

Our vision is to ensure that “Washington state’s children and youth grow up safe and healthy— thriving physically, emotionally, and academically, nurtured by family and community.

Job Title: Specialized Adoption Recruiter (SSS3)

Location: Tacoma, WA (This is a hybrid/telework position, and the selected candidate can choose a workstation from any DCYF Region 5 office. This position requires travel to meet with children within and outside Region 5, as well as out of state. Travel is dependent on the youth’s location. For a detailed view of DCYF's regional boundaries, .)

Closes: 2/17/26

Salary: $5666 - $7622 Monthly

We are inviting a passionate Specialized Adoption Recruiter to join our team in making a meaningful impact for young people in foster care. In this position, the Specialized Adoption Recruiter will be working to help facilitate relational and legal permanency through utilizing strategies in the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids (WWK) Child-Focused Recruitment model. If you are a social services professional searching for a unique way to support Washington State children, youth, and families, we encourage you to apply and join us at DCYF!

to learn more about DCYF.

The Specialized Adoption Recruiter should have knowledge of advanced-level case management support for families and children while understanding the permanency process, effects of adverse early childhood experiences, trauma effects, grief and loss issues, mental health conditions and treatment, and crisis intervention strategies. These individuals will work directly with dependent children and youth, as well as kinship and unrelated families interested in being an adoptive resource or permanent connection for children.

• Conduct initial referrals and ongoing monthly meetings with the assigned caseworker for ongoing recruitment planning.
• Complete in-person meetings at least monthly with children and youth for relationship building, recruitment planning, and adoption preparation.
• Conduct in-depth reviews of DCYF case files to identify connections that could be potential adoptive resources.
• Interview children and their networks to identify connections that could be potential adoptive families.
• Meet with significant adults in child networks and maintain regular contact, including caseworkers, foster parents, attorneys, CASA volunteers, teachers, therapists, relatives, mentors, faith-based representatives, and extracurricular activity leaders.
• Develop, review, and update a comprehensive recruitment plan based on input and engagement with children or youth, interviews, and file reviews.
• Conduct continuous, diligent searches for potential adoptive families from connections identified in file reviews and interviews.
• Develop written assessments regarding child strengths, needs, and adoption readiness.
• Provide adoption preparation to children and families through recruitment, transition, and adoption finalization process.
• Provide consultation regarding adoption and permanency recruitment.

Social Service Specialist 3:

• Six (6) years of paid social service experience(*) AND 30 semester or 45 quarter credits in a Social Service discipline.

OR

• Bachelor’s degree in social services, human services, behavioral sciences, or a Bachelor’s degree that includes 30 semester or 45 quarter credits in a Social Service discipline AND Two (2) years of paid social service experience
  * in planning, administering, developing, or delivery of public child welfare, social, health, or chemical dependency treatment programs.

OR

• Master’s degree in social services, human services, behavioral sciences, or Master’s degree which includes 30 semester or 45 quarter credits in a Social Service discipline AND One (1) year of paid social service experience
  * in planning, administering, developing, or delivery of public child welfare, social, health, or chemical dependency treatment programs.

OR

• One (1) year of experience as a Social Service Specialist 2.

AND

• The ability to take action to learn and grow.
• The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.

* Paid Social Service experience must include at least one…