Adoption and Kinship Coordinator (KinGap)

Gospel Center (1554 Minford Place)

$50,000-$55,000 / year

Sign-On Bonus Eligible

Position Summary: Kinship Guardianship (KinGap) is a program for youth in care where they can achieve permanent placement with a relative who has been their certified foster parent for at least six months. The Adoption/Kinship Coordinator works in the Adoption & KinGap Unit of the Foster Care Program in the Child Welfare and Family Services Division of Children's Aid. The Coordinator's role is to help prepare Kinship foster parents and children for Kinship Guardianship.

Essential Duties:

• Understand and promote the organization's Mission, Vision, and Core Values to ensure alignment with organizational policies and procedures.
• The Coordinator works in collaboration with agency case planners and supervisors to identify areas where support may be required, to identify and prepare potential kinship/Relative resources, and to support placements while the guardianship petition is pending in the Family Court.
• The Adoption/Kinship Coordinator works with the Administration for Children Services and the Office of Children and Families and attorneys retained by the kinship foster to prepare, update, and maintain agency documents needed for the filing of the kinship guardianship petition.
• The Kinship Coordinator also assists the case planner in engaging the birth and kinship family in a dialogue to discuss the KinGap program and the ability for the child to achieve permanency.
• The Coordinator collects the information needed from the different case records and guides the kinship foster parent in retrieving documents from court or other sources to file a kinship guardianship (KinGap) petition in a timely manner.
• Meet with potential families to discuss the KinGap process and assist is completing their application. Coordinate the collection of CAS documents for KinGap in order to submit the applications to ACS and OCFS.
• Work closely with CAS Planner and IOC staff to identify cases where Kin Guardianship can facilitate permanency.
• Work closely with CAS Homefinding in retrieving documents needed to prepare the KinGap application.
• Work closely with the ACS Kin Gap unit in submitting the Kin Gap packet for approval and work closely with the foster parent attorney to submit the Guardianship petition once the Kin Gap application and expense agreement are approved.
• Troubleshoot retrieval of foster parents' original marriage, divorce, and/or spousal death certificates, especially if from a foreign country, arrest disposition paperwork, and manage KinGap information gathering to assure complete packets for ACS approval as necessary.
• Coordinate notary and fingerprinting appointments as necessary for adults over 18 in pre-adoptive foster homes.
• Participate in adoptive foster parent and CAS foster care staff and any additional adoption training. Work with ACS to obtain Kinship Guardianship training and provide expert assistance to case planning staff to expedite KinGap Applications and filings. Contribute to the development of future trainings/support groups as directed by the administrative supervisor.
• Perform other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree required, preferably in Social Work.

Key Competencies:

• Must have knowledge of the foster care, adoption, and KinGap field.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Word and Excel expertise.
• Must be detail-oriented and flexible
• Bi-lingual English/Spanish preferred

It is the policy of Children's Aid to provide equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment and is dedicated to maintaining a work environment that is free from harassment and discrimination. Children's Aid will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or retaliation on any basis, including race, creed, color, national origin, ethnicity, alienage or citizenship status, gender/sex (including pregnancy), disability, religion, source of income, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, familial status, caregiver status, military status, marital or partnership status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual violence or stalking, predisposing genetic characteristics, arrest or conviction record, credit history, unemployment status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. Children's Aid is committed to complying with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Children's Aid will conduct a prompt and thorough investigation of all allegations of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or any violation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Policy in a confidential manner and will take appropriate corrective action, if and where warranted. Children's Aid prohibits retaliation against employees who provide information about, complain about, or assist in the investigation of any complaint of discrimination or violation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Policy.

The incumbent is expected to work a schedule, whether in-person or hybrid, as determined by the department's needs to facilitate effective collaboration with the team. This flexibility is essential for maintaining seamless communication, fostering teamwork, and ensuring the smooth operation of the department's processes. The position's requirements are subject to periodic review and adjustment based on organizational needs and changes in work dynamics.