SW III – Adoptions

Adoptions is part of the Foster Care Services, that includes an evaluation of a child’s needs; a plan for substitute parenting; the arrangement and maintenance of the plan; supervision of the child and the placement; the provision of treatment services to the child and his family to improve his psycho-social adjustment and to improve the emotional stability of the family unit; and supervision of the child and the family after reunion. The primary purpose of this position is to coordinate and deliver services to children for whom we have responsibility of placement and to ensure a permanent home for the child. Adoption is the method provided by law to establish the legal relationship of parent and child between persons who are not so related by birth, with the same mutual rights and obligations that exist between children and their birth parent.  The primary purpose of adoption is to help children whose parents are incapable of assuming or continuing parental responsibilities to legally become part of a new permanent family. The social worker receives referrals related to adoption, recruits adoptive placements for children in foster care who are legally free for adoption, completes assessments and reports, determines eligibility for future assistance and supervises placements. In conjunction with other professionals, this social worker prepares children in foster care to move into adoptive placements. The worker provides Post Adoption Services as identified to meet the needs of the child and as requested by the adopting family.