Social Worker III - Adoptions

Gaston County Government; Gastonia (NC); On-site; USD 37,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

Gaston County Government seeks a qualified professional for adoption services and permanency planning. The role involves completing pre-placement assessments, selecting suitable adoptive matches, and providing post-adoption support to families.

Responsibilities include recruiting foster/adoptive homes, attending court hearings, maintaining accurate case records, and ensuring compliance with state laws. A transcript copy is required with applications and background checks are mandatory.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Social Work (MSW) from an accredited institution.
• Master's degree in counseling or human services field and 1 year of directly related experience.
• BSW from an accredited institution and completion of the Child Welfare Collaborative (Child Welfare positions only).
• BSW from an accredited institution and 1 year of directly related experience.
• Bachelor's degree in a human services field and 2 years of directly related experience.
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution and 3 year of directly related experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide adoption services including pre-placement assessments and post-adoption services.
• Recruit and retain adoptive homes by providing training, education and support.
• Secure safe and stable placements by assessing child needs and foster/adoptive strengths.
• Attend court hearings and team meetings and prepare monthly and court reports.
• Support program requirements and assist in foster care worker cases toward permanency.
• Be available for mandatory emergency shelters and other duties as assigned.

Education

MSW from accredited institution

Counseling or human services degree with 1 year related experience

BSW from accredited institution with Child Welfare Collaborative

BSW from accredited institution with 1 year related experience

Bachelor's in human services field with 2 years related experience

Bachelor's degree from accredited institution with 3 years related experience

Job description

The anticipated hiring range for this position is $27.45 - $32.60

The duties listed below are not all of the duties that may be assigned but are those that are considered as essential for an employee to perform.

• Providing numerous types of adoption services including: completion of Pre-Placement Assessments for agency, independent and relative adoptive families; completion of child profiles for children who have been cleared for adoption; complete relative and independent adoptions and post adoptive services including adoption subsidy. These services are provided through training, information gathering, performing background checks and completion of state paperwork. Adoption Services are provided to ensure a permanent home for a child. Capturing all data and reporting it accurately.
• Recruitment and retention of adoptive homes by providing training, education and support. Agency foster and adoptive homes are needed to provide safe, stable and permanent homes for children in the foster care system.
• Securing a safe and stable placement for a child in the adoption system. Matches are made by assessing the needs of the child and the strengths of the foster/adoptive parents in order to make the placement that would be in a child’s best interest.
• Attending court hearings and team meetings, attending local training for job enhancement, completing documentation in case records as well as monthly reports, court reports and participation in unit/team staffings. Attending adoption committee to identify prospective adoptive placements for legally cleared children.
• Provision of other program requirements (i.e. problem pregnancy cases, adoption, intermediary services, and support foster care workers in cases where the permanent plan is adoption by providing specialty services, etc.). Other duties as assigned that ensure teamwork and permanency for children.
• Must be available to work mandatory emergency shelters & other duties as assigned.

• Master's degree in Social Work (MSW) from an accredited institution.
• Master's degree in counseling or human services field and 1 year of directly related experience.
• Bachelor's degree in Social Work (BSW) from an accredited institution and completion of the Child Welfare Collaborative (Child Welfare positions only)
• Bachelor's degree in Social Work (BSW) from an accredited institution and 1 year of directly related experience.
• Bachelor's degree in a human services field and 2 years of directly related experience.
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution and 3 year of directly related experience.
• A valid driver's license is required.

The ideal candidate will have knowledge of adoption laws and requirements, knowledge of foster home licensing requirements, separation and loss issues, child development.

A copy of a transcript must be included with the application.

FAILURE TO ATTACH YOUR TRANSCRIPTS WILL RESULT IN YOUR APPLICATION BEING REJECTED.

The applicant selected must undergo a criminal background check and pass a drug screening test prior to employment. In compliance with G.S.153A-94.2 (b), if the position being filled requires an applicant for employment to work with children in any capacity, the County must require the applicant, if offered the position, to be subject to a criminal history record check conducted by the SBI. These checks must be performed in accordance with G.S.143B-1209.26, which authorizes the SBI to provide fingerprint-based state and national criminal record checks to cities and counties.