Bilingual Foster Care Adoption Resource Specialist

National Adoption Association•Remote,

4d•$26 - $28•Remote

About The Position

Under the supervision of the National Recruitment Response Director, the Bilingual FCAR Specialist is responsible for providing families with information about the process for becoming a foster and/or adoptive parent and referring them to local resources in order to meet the need of children/youth living in the U.S. foster care system. This impacts the families and the children because it is important for everyone to know requirements and options and where to obtain additional information relevant to the important decision regarding foster care and adoption. AdoptUSKids operates a toll-free English and Spanish phone lines from 9 am to 8 pm (EST), Monday through Friday for families to call to speak with an FCAR. Additionally, this part-time FCAR position requires responding to questions and inquiries through email. This position will be primarily responsible for responding to inquiries by Spanish-speaking families and responding to inquiries by English-speaking families as needed.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in social work (BSW) or closely related field.
At least 2 years of professional experience in public child welfare, adoption, foster care, kin care or closely related field.
Bilingual (fluent Spanish). Demonstrated oral and written proficiency in Spanish.
Passion about the children, families and jurisdictions served by AdoptUSKids.
Positive and professional demeanor with excellent communication abilities.
Proactive in anticipating workload fluctuations and increases.
Ability to make reliable independent decisions that are consistent with NAA standards and AdoptUSKids goals and objectives.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a professional team.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office and knowledge of client databases.
Strong organizational, time management and interpersonal skills.

Nice To Haves

The ideal candidate for the Bilingual FCARS role will live in or around the DC, Maryland, Virginia area.

Responsibilities

Maintenance, support and enhancement of the professional element of the established AdoptUSKids National Adoption and Foster Care Information Exchange System (NAFCIES).
As assigned, connect with, and assist state administrators, territories and tribal leaders, their designees and staffs in accessing AdoptUSKids resources and services.
Assist child welfare professionals upon request by phone and email.
Facilitate shared opportunities for professional peer-to-peer support.
Establish, develop and sustain a strong professional working relationship with AdoptUSKids Partners and others who support the mission of AdoptUSKids.
Support and expansion of the AdoptUSKids established family element of the National Adoption and Foster Care Information Exchange System (NAFCIES).
Together with the National Recruitment Response Director and other FCAR Specialists, develop, use, and continuously improve the READiS model tools and talking points.
Answer incoming calls and respond to emails from prospective foster and adoptive families, sharing, as appropriate the information above.
Refer families to appropriate state, county or private agency staff for follow-up and processing.
Follow up call to each inquiring family.
Process and review home study related information for verification of families who are newly registering on the AUSK website or updating families during the re-verification process.
Follow up with all families who have additional concerns, request additional information, have not received the packet or have not heard from their State, paying special attention to additional needs of families who self-identify as U.S. military, American families living abroad, foreign nationals, Native American, African-Americans, Spanish speaking or persons with disabilities.
Utilize partner resources designated to provide support and information to families.
Identify families to be approved to become AdoptUSKids Media Spokes People.
Suggest to those who want to tell their story that they consider becoming AdoptUSKids Media Spokes People.
Partners with the National Recruitment Response Director to collect, organize and provide data for use in the AdoptUSKids project.
Provide back up for other specialists in their absence and as needed.
Participate in trainings, team meetings and other professional development activities as needed, requested or required for the full installation and support of the READiS model.
As assigned, research and become knowledgeable about the tailored needs of and resources for U.S. military, American families living abroad, foreign nationals, Native American, African American, Spanish speaking families, persons with disabilities and LGBT.
Forward media requests directly to the National Campaign Director.
Assist in the identification of potential families to participate in National Adoption Recruitment Campaign research focus groups, Voice for Adoption Family Portrait Project, and other activities in response to requests from AdoptUSKids Partners and external colleagues.
Send updates to Digital Media Team regarding families who wish to receive or unsubscribe from mass electronic communications.
Identify families to feature in the e-newsletter for frontline professionals, confirm the family's interest, and confirm the appropriateness of the family with their worker.
Review new and revised photolisting narratives to ensure the safety, privacy, and dignity of youth photolisted on the AdoptUSKids platform.
Conduct verification calls to family case workers to ensure families that are registered with AdoptUSKids are approved for foster care adoption.