Adoption Specialist - RPACS
About The Position
DePaul Community Resources is recruiting for an Adoption Specialist (RPACS) – full-time (37.5 hours workweek) –Lynchburg, VA. The Adoption Specialist (RPACS) will provide supportive services to adoptive families post-finalization to strengthen and maintain adoptive placements and prevent adoption disruption and dissolution. DePaul, in partnership with subcontractor Commonwealth Catholic Charities, offers a wide range of free support services to children and families once the goal of permanency is achieved. The Adoption Specialist for this program must understand the unique dynamics and challenges of families formed by adoption and then tailor support to the current needs of each family. Primary activities and responsibilities may include referrals and resource sharing, education and training for families, planning and facilitating family activities, planning and leadership of parent and youth discussion groups, and connecting families to adoption-competent clinical services. The Adoption Specialist (RPACS) provides support and crisis intervention when evolving family circumstances threaten adoption stability.
Requirements
- A Bachelor's degree in social work or a related human services field with one year of experience providing casework services to children or families is required.
- Experience as a foster/adoptive parent could substitute for formal casework experience.
- Individuals possessing the required education yet lacking the necessary experience may be hired as a Trainee.
- Demonstrate self-awareness, ongoing self-evaluation, and a commitment to being part of a diverse, equitable, respectful, and inclusive workplace where all people are valued
- Demonstrate professional composure in difficult and stressful situations
- Demonstrate the FIRST (fairness, integrity, respect, safety, trust) values in the daily trajectories of work
- Demonstrate professionalism regarding access to sensitive and confidential information related to employees, clients, and business records with no disclosure to others without needing to know
- current DMV driving record with results that comply with insurer guidelines
- drug and alcohol screening with satisfactory results stipulated by applicable governing, funding, or regulatory agencies
- criminal and child protective services background report.
- The applicant shall not have been convicted of any barrier crime(s) on the criminal background report.
- The applicant will have no founded disposition of child abuse or neglect as documented by the Child Protective Services background report.
Nice To Haves
- Experience as a foster/adoptive parent could substitute for formal casework experience.
Responsibilities
- Perform strengths-based individualized intake, assess ongoing child and family strengths/needs post-adoption, and develop more detailed individualized service plans when warranted
- Provide families with specialized services that address core adoption issues, including information and referral, education, support, crisis management, and advocacy
- Plan, coordinate, and facilitate adoptive family and child support groups, fun family activities, and opportunities for respite to enhance family connection with the broader adoptive community and natural supports
- Prepare and maintain case records and reports according to program and grant standards concerning timeliness, content, accuracy, and confidentiality
- Collaborate with supervisor, adoption team members, other DePaul staff across programs, and community partners to optimize services and program outcomes
- Serve on multi-agency groups or deliver occasional adoption competence education to the community to enhance community-wide support of adoptive families
- Complete other duties as assigned
Benefits
- free support services to children and families
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
