Social Worker III - Adoptions

Description

The primary purpose of the position is to provide adoptive applicants, birth families, and adoption petitioners, pregnant women, and foster children with services needed to accomplish goals, and to link people with systems that provide resources, services, and opportunities. Responsibilities are in the areas of Adoptions (80%), Problem Pregnancy (10%), and Foster Care (10%).

ADOPTION SERVICES: 80%
The goal of the service is to facilitate legal consummation of adoption of children, thus providing permanency for children who are legally free for adoption. The worker serves clients including parents, infants, teenagers, and older adults of any age who may adopt children. The worker receives cases from the supervisor. The worker travels to offer services wherever the client resides. The major activities of the position are:

• Counseling (50%). The worker counsels parents regarding legal steps in adoption and obtains social information needed to complete legal adoption and provides adoptive parents with advice on how to render problems.
• Supervision (30%). The worker supervises adoptions for the length of time required by G.S. Chapter 48.
• Consultation (10%). The worker consults with the Court and with attorneys regarding any problems arising with adoptive placements. The worker consults with agency staff and locates placements for children needing out-of-home placement.
• Information and Referral (10%.). The worker provides information and referral to Mental Health, Health Department or physicians. The worker refers to foster families for training offered statewide

PROBLEM PREGNANCY SERVICES: 10%
The worker assists the pregnant women in looking at all available alternatives to an unwanted pregnancy. The worker must have a general knowledge of services offered in our state for women needing guidance in planning for their problem pregnancies. The worker refers clients to other agencies such as the Health Department, to local doctors, hospitals, etc.

FOSTER-CARE SERVICES: 10%
The worker arranges for health, mental health, and educational services for foster children, and works with all county agencies in providing services to children (Social Security, VA, FR, HD). The worker provides transportation to obtain services necessary for proper care of the children. The worker confers with teachers regarding school progress of children.

Minimum Education and Experience

Master's degree in social work from an accredited school of social work; Bachelor's degree in social work from an accredited school of social work and completion of the Child Welfare Collaborative (Child Welfare positions only); Bachelor's degree in social work from an accredited school of social work and one year directly related experience; Master's degree in counseling in a human services field and one year of social work or counseling; Bachelor's degree in a human services field from an accredited college or university and two years directly related experience; Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and three years of directly related experience.

• Directly related experience is defined as human services experience in the areas of case management, assessment and referral, supportive counseling, intervention, psycho-social therapy and treatment planning.

OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS NEED TO BE INCLUDED WITH APPLICATION

Special Comments

Work hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The social worker works after hours frequently and receives calls at home. The social worker occasionally works on weekends and holidays. The worker is required to be on-call after hours for home-finding responsibilities for out-of-home placement of children approximately once every five weeks.