Adoption & Permanency Specialist

Overview

We are looking to welcome a dynamic and enthusiastic professional to join our already successful team of dedicated, educated, and trauma-informed staff. This new team member will bring fresh energy and a shared passion for identifying and building lasting connections for youth in need of permanency, while contributing to a collaborative, mission-driven culture.

• Provide general, targeted, child-focused, and child-specific adoption recruitment for youth and families involved in public child welfare system, including helping to maintain updated photographs and profiles of waiting children.
• Utilize a strength-based child centered approach to recruitment.
• Maintain regular contact with clients through community-based service delivery, including visits to foster homes, group homes, treatment facilities, and/or other community-based settings.
• Include clients in recruitment decisions and activities as much as is practical.
• Engage in professional development to remain current in topics related to family search and engagement, recruitment, diligent search, and the assessment, engagement, and support of connections for youth.
• Work in partnership with DCYF, collateral providers and the child and youth to assess readiness for adoption and assist with preparation for recruitment activities.
• Organize and implement workshops, and events for registered youth and families.
• Communicate and coordinate with all members of the youth’s treatment team
• Provide technical assistance, training, and support to DCYF to help remove barriers to permanency through advocacy for the full disclosure presentation process, assistance with the development of visitation plans, and the inclusion of birth parents, adoptive parents and children and youth in the planning as appropriate.
• Attend and participate in-service trainings, team meetings, professional development, and group and individual supervision, as applicable.
• Complete all necessary documentation, including all client records, narrative reports of assessments, progress reports, treatment plans, quarterly report submissions, and discharge summaries, in compliance with HIPAA standards.
• Actively participate and contribute to program and agency data collection and analysis for purposes of identifying trends, program development, and communication with the community
• Maintain client confidentiality and conduct self in accordance with professional and ethical standards.
  Assist the agency in assessing and providing effective, equitable, understandable, and respectful quality care and services that are responsive to diverse cultural beliefs and practices, preferred languages, mental and behavioral health literacy, and other communication needs.
  Promote coordination and collaboration of service delivery, both internally across agency programs and departments, as well as externally, with community partners and contractors.
  Contribute to and participate in agency community outreach activities, as well as additional support programming, as assigned.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Must possess bachelor’s degree in social work or related field
• Knowledge of child and adolescent development
• Understanding of child welfare system
• Interest in policy and advocacy encouraged
• Must pass Background Criminal Investigation (BCI) check
• Must pass Child Protection Services (CPS) background checks for RI as well as any additional states, per Adam Walsh Act of 2006.
• Compliance with I-9 verification
• Must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19
• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including some evenings and weekends
• Access to reliable transportation
• Specific to staff-owned vehicles, staff must demonstrate:
• Possession of valid driver’s license
• Maintenance of clean driving record
• Possession of valid and continuous auto insurance coverage that
• meets the state’s minimum requirements
• Valid vehicle inspection sticker
• Hold an active license with the RI Department of health (RIDOH) for applicable positions
• Additional requirements, as outlined by service contracts, if applicable
• Knowledge of permanency-related topics
• Experience in service provision of trauma-informed care, permanency practice, and educational needs of child welfare population
• Knowledge of and demonstrated experience with best practices and state and federal laws related to foster care, youth permanency, homelessness and housing, mental health, education and health for at-risk populations.
• Ability to assess, deliver, and evaluate direct service programming
• Participation in the cultivation of healthy team culture
• Alignment and commitment to values, mission, model, and vision of the agency
• Commitment to equity and inclusion within the agency and across systems
• Advocacy for excellence in child welfare
• Competence and confidence in building transparent, positive partnerships that will further the agency’s mission
• Strong written and verbal skills, including public speaking