Title: Arizona Social Worker, Birth Parent Services and Outreach

Reports to: Associate Director, Birth Parent Services & Chief Program Officer

Department: Domestic Adoption 

Primary Purpose

Spence-Chapin is seeking a dedicated social worker to provide counseling and support to biological parents who are considering a voluntary adoption plan for their child. This role requires the provision of direct client services and fieldwork. Responsibilities include conducting individual counseling, writing psychosocial histories, visiting clients in hospital and community, discharging babies from hospitals, facilitating selection of and meeting with adoptive parents, assisting in placement and/or return of infants, and referring clients to community support services. The ideal candidate will educate professionals about options counseling and adoption and build relationships with relevant professionals to seek out opportunities for training and partnership. This is a full-time, in-person position, with an annual salary range of $50,000-$55,000 commensurate with experience.

Spence-Chapin is a non-profit organization based in New York City that has been providing adoption services and adoption support for more than 110 years. Spence-Chapin is newly licensed in Arizona. At Spence-Chapin, we believe that every child deserves a family, and we work tirelessly to advocate for children in need of a permanent, loving home. Over our history, Spence-Chapin has served more than 25,000 children, women, and families through our main program areas: Comprehensive Domestic and International Adoption Programs; Birth Parent Services; Well-being Services; and International Humanitarian Aid through programs like our Granny Program to support children living in orphanages overseas.

Our work is made possible by the dedicated individuals on our staff. At Spence-Chapin we find joy in celebrating each other, our co-workers, and our clients. Everyone is treated with respect and dignity to strengthen the vibrancy of our community. We celebrate a culture of excellence, inclusivity, compassion, flexibility, and support. Spence-Chapin offers a competitive benefits package that includes full health benefits, generous PTO and holiday schedule, HRA & FSA plans, life insurance, retirement plan with employer contribution, paid maternity/paternity/adoption leave, commuter benefits, and more. Being part of the Spence-Chapin team is being part of a legacy, which for more than 110 years has provided critical services to children, women, and families around the world.

Key Performance Indicators

• Provide direct client services/social services that require the use of clinical skills and judgement
• Provide options-counseling to pregnant and postpartum women considering adoption for their newborns and young children
• Visit clients in the hospital and at home as needed
• Represent the agency at hospitals
• Conduct home study assessments and write home study reports for families pursuing adoption. This requires the application of clinical skills and judgment
• Conduct post-placement/post-adoption visits and reporting. Ability to identify normative vs. atypical post-placement adjustment of child and family, and ability to teach families tools to promote optimal child development and attachment
• Document all client communication in database
• Perform any other department or agency-related duties or special projects as directed by supervisor, including but not limited to, outreach, client recruitment, conference attendance, presentations, workshops, support group facilitation, and trainings

Education and Experience

• Master's Degree in Social Work, with licensing in Arizona
• 1-3 years' relevant experience preferred (child welfare, adoption)
• Evening and weekend hours may be required, including travel and home visits
• Spanish speaking strongly preferred

Technical Skills

• MS Office - Proficiency in Word, Excel, Outlook and Adobe
• Comfort with other technology including social media, webinars and video chat

Key Competencies

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Comfortable in an external facing role, with experience in public speaking
• A self-starter with a go-getter attitude
• Highly organized with ability to prioritize multiple and simultaneous projects and tasks and set and meet deadlines
• High attention to detail
• Keen analyt9ical skills
• Eagerness to learn about adopt9ion and the adoption community
• Passion for Spence-Chapin's mission and eagerness to become well-versed in our work

This job description is not intended to detail every aspect of your job or list every task you may perform. It is provided as a general overview of the responsibilities and skills required to do this job successfully.