Rapid City, South Dakota
Type: Full-Time
Position Summary:
Establishes initial contact with prospective foster and/or adoptive families for any of Lifeline’s programs. Works with prospective families in processing the home assessments needed for a placement.
Counsels clients concerning the options they have regarding an unplanned pregnancy, including factual information about each option, helping to develop an adoption plan if desired, preparing for the adoption process, and connecting with resources if no longer desiring to choose adoption.
Networks in the community with potential referral sources by building relationships and conducting trainings.
Serves as primary contact for families in crisis requesting a Harbor Families child hosting arrangement and works within referral and intake procedures while considering program fit and capacity. May also counsel families concerning additional and alternative resources available within the community. At regular intervals, assesses volunteer Harbor Families host family applicants who desire to serve as Harbor Family host families via in-person home visits and written assessments. Also serves as primary contact to arrange all aspects related to child hostings. Collaborates with all members of the Harbor Families local, state and program teams.
Essential Duties:
- To be a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ to co-workers, clients and ministry partners
- Actively participates on the team in a manner aligned with scripture including, but not limited to, praying for and with other team members, sharing scripture in daily activities and leadership, modeling the character of Jesus Christ in interactions with team and any external clients, partners, vendors, etc.
- Disciples’ ministry partners and clients.
- Aligns team dynamics, internal & external processes, and final product of team’s work with Biblical principles and with Lifeline’s Core Values
Adoption Specialist
- Assists the agency to recruit, enroll, maintain, and work with prospective foster and/or adoptive parents in processing a foster and/or adoptive placement
- Adheres to excellent social service standards and practice in compliance with Lifeline’s Core Values and Ministry Goals through consistent support, training and development
- Provides professional assessment of interpersonal relationships, family dynamics and environment stresses and support, and mental health status to conduct home studies for available programs that may or may not include any of the following: domestic adoption, international adoption, foster care, foster care adoption, or Harbor Families
- Assures all paperwork and documentation complies with appropriate state and/or international country’s standards
- Ensures that all information needed to complete the placement or adoption record is well-documented, completed and on file
- Schedules/completes post-adoption/placement visits after placement of child and provides direct client evaluation and intervention
- Implementing quality case management, works with clients until they receive placement, helping individuals solve and manage challenges in their adoption process, including fielding questions, following up with phone calls, and completing all applicable paperwork and communication necessary
- Provides consultation and education for clients/families on the nature of domestic adoption, international adoption, foster care adoption or foster care placement
- Practice casework with social work ethical standards as established by the agency, through regular attendance at training and meetings.
- Assisting the appropriate program directors, supervisors, managers and coordinators with various tasks assigned in process of any above described programs.
- Helps with informational meetings with the goals of family recruitment or church partnerships
- Completing home assessments for contract couples as assigned and needed using the same standards of assessment and client-centered consultation mentioned above
- Other duties as assigned by the Executive team.
Pregnancy Counseling Specialist
- Completes the initial contact and interview with clients utilizing interviewing as a main tool for quality social casework
- Provides initial assessment of the client’s interpersonal relationships, family dynamics and environmental stresses and support, and mental health status.
- Using client-centered consultation, provide the client with the options she has in an adoption plan, including gathering information on/and or also informing the father of the child.
- Helping thru a relationship that taps personal resources and other resources for coping with challenges, assists the expectant parent in arranging for prenatal care and hospital admission for delivery, and connecting her to insurance resources.
- Facilitating a client-centered relationship maintains regular contacts with the client to provide counseling during and after delivery.
- Serves as the expectant parent’s support system in the hospital if desired by the client.
- Provides on-going case management, by maintaining availability and communication with client as necessary.
- Provides the client the means for spiritual growth, including the ministry of evangelism and discipleship, in a non-threatening way.
- Focuses on the needs and welfare of the client and providing crisis intervention when needed
- Explains to the client the legal process of terminating parental rights and respecting her right to withdraw her relinquishments if within the legal period allowed.
- Creates legal and other necessary paperwork for discharge and relinquishment of baby.
- Maintains availability for post-adoption counseling of the birth parents and evaluates the client/s needs for resources and assistance
- Maintains and documents detailed records of contacts, including case notes, assessments, court documents, legal papers, time sheets, medical and family history, and other required paperwork.
- Serves as a liaison with interim care parents and the casework supervisor pertaining to the progress of each child under the worker’s care, including the child’s progress, medical information, doctor’s visits, and other relevant information, as well as maintaining documentation in the child’s file.
- Provides on-going case management and serves as an advocate for the client and the child’s best interest.
- Practice case management with social work ethical standards as established by the agency, through regular attendance at training and meetings.
- Networks in the community with potential referral sources by building relationships and conducting trainings to help them deal more effectively with the challenges of meeting the needs of the expectant client
- Develops and maintains relationships with referring organizations by empowering them to share the adoption well and to make relational referrals
Harbor Families Specialist
Referral and Intake/Client (Referring Family) Relations
- Receiving initial referral information
- Conducting thorough intake assessments and interviews, including but not limited to the client (referring family) situation and need for a temporary child hosting arrangement via Harbor Families
- Maintaining regular contact with clients throughout the referral and intake process
- Assisting the client in obtaining resources, if applicable, within the community
- Supporting families in collaboration with all members of the Harbor Families team before, during and post-hosting arrangements, including volunteer coordination, church communication as applicable, visitation arrangements and inter-agency collaboration.
- Building and maintaining relationships with referral sources.
- Providing to all the means for spiritual growth, including sharing the Gospel, discipleship, and continued spiritual encouragement in a non-threatening way.
Case Work
- Managing applications, approvals and onboarding for all new program volunteers (background checks, references, training, etc.)
- Arranging and leading Volunteer Appreciation (events, communications, support groups, etc.)
- Conducting home studies/assessments for Harbor Families host families, in accordance with state and program requirements and expectations.
- Arranging all aspects and logistics related to child hostings/placements in collaboration with local staff and volunteer teams.
- Assuring all paperwork and documentation is up to date and accurate within the database system
- Arranging for informational meetings with the goals of volunteer recruitment and church partnerships, in collaboration with State leadership and the church partnership teams.
- Assisting the appropriate program directors, supervisors, managers and coordinators with various tasks assigned regarding any of the above described tasks.
- Assisting in agency-related events, including the annual staff retreat, the annual banquet and volunteer appreciation events.
- Maintaining good relationships with co-workers, including solving all disputes in a Biblically prescribed fashion.
- Representing the Agency in a professional manner in and away from the office.
- Maintaining social work license, where applicable.
Other duties as assigned.
Minimum Requirements
| Education: | Bachelor’s degree in social work (preferred) or a related human services field (whichever is required by State) |
| Experience: | No experience needed except where required by State |
| Licensure: | Not required unless required by State; Social Work licensure, strongly preferred |
| Other: | Must lift at least 25lbs, must have reliable transportation |
Office Environment:
| Professional office environment unless allowed under Remote Worker Policy. |