Adoptions Specialist

Children's Home Society of Florida

Since opening our doors in 1902, CHS became a part of Florida's history. 

CHS has been committed to growing and evolving to provide the right services and solutions to address the needs of children and families throughout the changing times. Every day, our team works with parents and kids to empower them and encourage them. With innovative technology solutions and a dedicated, experienced team throughout the state, we’re changing the face of foster care and positively impacting children and families’ lives for generations to come.

Join our team to continue to do good and create history serving Florida's children and families!

The Adoptions Specialist is accountable for providing specialized adoption support services to dependency staff and children and families in care. Overall, the Adoptions Specialist contributes to CHS’s strategic objective of reimagining what HOME means by creating spaces where every child and family is supported and has access to the opportunities they need to pursue their dreams.

WHY JOIN CHS?

• Uplifting mission-driven work culture


• Make an impact in your community and become a part of Florida's history!


• Growth and professional development opportunities


• Great benefits package, including generous paid time off and holidays

Primary Job Functions

1. Provide specialized adoption support services to the dependency team and children and families in care. 

Adoption Process & Case Management 

• Facilitate adoptions from referral through finalization, including case management, documentation, court testimony, and compliance with judicial requirements.


• Conduct in-person and virtual child studies, home studies (including second-level reviews), diligent searches, and Family Match assessments.


• Coordinate and complete permanency plans, sibling visitation agreements, and aftercare planning, including Independent Living services.


• Manage case records, databases, and subsidy files; ensure accuracy and compliance with performance measures.

Family & Child Support

• Conduct initial and ongoing check-ins with children and families pre- and post-placement to identify support needs.


• Counsel and prepare children, foster parents, adoptive families, and birth parents for adoption; provide resources, training, and guidance.


• Facilitate “get to know the child” meetings, disclosure meetings, and supervised visits between children and matched families.


• Complete required post-adoption visits, ongoing follow-up, and collaboration with youth team members to ensure stability.

Collaboration & Compliance

• Maintain updated contact lists of children available for adoption and share child studies with partners (e.g., Selfless Love).


• Coordinate with legal staff, case managers, schools, and community partners to support child well-being.


• Attend staffings, multidisciplinary meetings, and court hearings; ensure all required documentation and disclosures are completed.

2. Contribute to a positive, engaging work environment.

• Develop a strong knowledge base and stay current on job-related issues, best practices, and trends.


• Participate actively in departmental meetings, training and education, as well as the quality process.


• Comply with CHS’s code of conduct, policies, procedures and other obligations.


• Assist with training other team members and providing back-up when necessary.


• Pick up projects on the fly; perform other duties as assigned from time to time.

Job Qualifications
Education, Licenses & Certifications:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university, required.


• Bachelor’s degree in the Human Sciences field, preferred.


• Child Welfare Case Management certification, required.


• Florida Driver’s License within 30 days from hire with daily access to a reliable and insured vehicle, required.

Experience:

• Two years of professionally related experience, required.


• Experience training or supervising foster parents, preferred.


• Experience working with children with special needs, preferred

Competencies

Knowledge/ Awareness of:

• Community resources and networks to enhance client experiences and results.


• Child and Family Wellbeing general principles, practices and performance standards.


• General confidentiality requirements and ethical standards in handling sensitive client-related and other data and information.

Skills/ Ability to Demonstrate CHS Core Behaviors:

• Caring – Demonstrate active empathy, kindness and compassion in every interaction, while setting healthy limits and boundaries with clients.


• Client-Focused - Provide a high level of customer service, exercising discretion and diplomacy while acting to protect clients when necessary.


• Curious – Exhibit a willingness to explore and reframe problems as opportunities, using good judgement to solve practical problems.


• Committed – Manage multiple priorities while taking initiative to achieve to desired results and outcomes.


• Accountable – Meet critical deadlines, while maintaining high attention to detail and accuracy.


• Proficient – Undertake job duties with minimal supervision, using general office productivity tools, including MS Office Suite and Teams.


• Resourceful – Accomplish tasks with available resources, stewarding CHS resources appropriately.


• Team Player – Collaborate and work well with colleagues, contributing to positive morale and spirit within the team.


• Coalition Builder – Establish internal and external connections to collaborate on shared goals.


• Inclusive – Interact effectively with others, being sensitive to differences in attitudes, styles, cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds.


• Excellence-Driven – Is present and prepared, delivering high quality work.


• Leader - Exhibit a professional presence, demonstrating strong interpersonal and communication skills with unwavering Respect, Integrity and Dedication to the CHS mission.

All applicants are subject to background screening through the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). For more information, visit https://info.flclearinghouse.com

Together, good can be done.