SWAN Services

Adoption is a lifelong commitment that involves the whole family.  It is important to us that our families feel supported through this journey, and that we provide quality services that will help our families overcome challenges and thrive through adversity.  Our team of professionals are trauma-informed and are sensitive to the needs and experiences of our clients.

Family Profile: This service is provided to families who wish to be an approved permanency resource for a child in the Pennsylvania foster care system.  The family profile is a comprehensive assessment of a family, which includes but is not limited to, home visits, background checks, references, and interviews with each member of the family.  Through this process, the worker will assess the family’s eligibility for approval.

Child Profile:  A child profile is referred for completion by the child’s County agency.  It involves compiling all information available to create a summary of the child to include the child’s social history, medical history, educational history, psychiatric history, as well as their current needs and functioning.  The child profile may be used to help facilitate a match between the child and a prospective adoptive family.  It is also used to help answer questions the child may have about their life.  Families will receive their child’s profile prior to finalizing an adoption. 

Child and Family Profile Addendums:  Child and Family Profiles are good for three years.  Both of these documents are eligible for updates one year and two years after the original document was written.  An addendum involves interviews and information gathering to update the original profile to include any new information.  After three years, a new profile is needed.

Family Matching: This service requires a commitment of the resource family to actively pursue adoption for a Pennsylvania foster care child.  It is an 8-month service that focuses on identifying a child whose personality, interests, strengths, and needs would be well suited for the family.  A family must be open to children over age 10, sibling groups, or children with more significant needs to qualify for this service.  A family will be assigned a worker who will help them to create a Matching Plan that outlines activities that the worker and the family can both do to identify and prepare for an adoptive placement.  The service may close early if a match is identified sooner than 8 months.  Additionally, an extension may be referred if the family is not successfully matched at the end of the service.

Placement: After identifying a match for a family, we begin the placement process, which involves developing a plan of transitioning the child or youth from their current placement to the pre-adoptive home.  Ideally, this takes time, which allows for the family and child/youth to get to know one another and begin to develop a relationship.  Pre-placement visits make take place in the form of day visits, overnight visits, or visits in the community.  When a family is selected for a child placed across the state, sometimes virtual visits may occur. 

Child Specific Recruitment (CSR): Some children are placed in residential treatment facilities, group homes, or with foster families who are not interested in providing permanency.  The goal is always to help children achieve permanency as quickly as possible.  For these children who are not placed in a permanent resource home, CSR may be referred by their County agency.  Through this service, the child or youth will receive individualized recruitment efforts to match them with their forever family. 

Child Preparation:  Child Preparation is a 6-month service that involves one-on-one work with the child or youth.  The child preparation worker will provide a safe space for the child or youth to express their feelings and ask questions.  The service also involves honoring their past, exploring goals or plans for their future, and identifying their support system.  Typically, a life book is created, and this is something the child can look back on as they get older.

Finalization: Through the finalization service, families will receive added support to ensure they are well equipped to handle the needs of their child post adoption, when agency involvement stops.  This service also involves the preparation and filling of the legal paperwork, working with the attorney, and finalizing the adoption.  The finalization worker will be involved with the family through the date of the adoption and will attend the adoption hearing with the family.

Post Permanency Services: Families may access post permanency services after achieving permanency through adoption or Permanent Legal Custodianship by contacting the SWAN helpline at 1-800-585-SWAN, until their child reaches the age of 18.  If the child is over age 12 at the time permanency is achieved, post permanency services may be accessed until the child is 21 years old.  Families may request to be referred to the affiliate agency of their choice.  These services begin with an assessment, in which a worker will gather information to help in developing a family service plan to meet the family’s needs.  After completing the assessment process, the available services include case management, respite, and support group.  A family may choose one service, a combination, or all three.  These services remain in place for six consecutive months, at which time a reassessment is completed to determine if further services are necessary.  Post permanency services are designed to support and help empower the family through challenges.  They are intended to be accessed before a family gets to the level of a crisis. 

If you are considering adoption or have any additional questions, please contact Erin Howard at ehoward@families4kids.org or 717-307-9817.