Support and Assistance Through Every Step of the Adoption Process
Family Care for Children & Youth, Inc. is a contracted affiliate with the Pennsylvania Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network (SWAN). We have trained Permanency Specialists in each of our Dunmore, Greensburg, Milton, and West Lawn offices. Family Care for Children & Youth, Inc. provides a variety of services that focus on helping children and youth in the Pennsylvania child welfare system understand their journey throughout their placement and navigate the next steps. We also guide families interested in being an adoptive resource through the approval process to prepare them for adoption.
We have helped many children, youth, and families in the state of Pennsylvania achieve permanency. If you want to learn more about how you can become an adoptive resource for children and youth, contact us for more information!
Request Information on Becoming a Foster Parent
For families looking to adopt children and youth from the Pennsylvania child welfare system, our adoption services are provided at no cost. Applicants must be at least 21 years old and meet other specified Pennsylvania state requirements. Each family completes thorough training during the approval process. Families being approved as an adoptive resource are also required to complete the foster parent approval process to become licensed foster parents with Family Care for Children & Youth, Inc.
For more information, contact us today!
Child Profile
A Child Profile is a detailed overview of a child’s life that encompasses their emotional, social, and medical history. The process of developing a Child Profile is a collaborative effort, involving the child and all the significant people in his or her life. The information used to create the Child Profile is confidential and is only shared with the appropriate agencies and prospective, qualified families. Every child in the Pennsylvania child welfare system is eligible to have a Child Profile completed on their behalf.
How is the Child Profile Used?
According to the SWAN Bulletin, the Child Profile can be used for the following:
- Recruitment Activities and Identifying Potential Matches for Placement
- Sharing of Information with Prospective Adoptive Families Being Considered to Provide Permanency
- Identifying the Child’s Strengths and Risk Factors
- Providing a History for the Child as a Resource Later in Life
The Child Profile unit of service includes:
- A High Quality Photograph
- Thorough Record Reviews
- Interviews with the Birth Family, Current Caregivers, and Others That Have Knowledge About the Child’s Social, Medical and Emotional Histories
- Completion of the Child Profile Document
- Completion of an Addendum During the First and/or Second Year Following the Completion of the Original Child Profile
Child Preparation
Child Preparation is a six-month youth-driven service that is available for any children or youth in the Pennsylvania child welfare system. Children and youth are referred for this service by their county case worker. The Child Preparation process is designed to support children and youth in foster care as they transition towards their permanency goals. Children and youth receive at least 10 sessions during the unit.
Child preparation work explores the core issues of grief and loss, abandonment, identity, control, loyalty, attachment and shame. The goals of Child Preparation are to “Give Children a Voice,” “Honor Children’s Past,” “Answer the Questions,” “Create Connections” and “Look to the Future.” Children and youth can gain an understanding of the reasons they are in foster care, accept the reality of being a member of several families, and visualize him or herself becoming a member of another family.
The Child Preparation unit includes:
- Collaborative Development of a Written Child Preparation Plan
- Development and Completion of a Lifebook, Timelines, and Genograms
- Bi-Monthly Written Summaries of Each Session
Child-Specific Recruitment (CSR)
Children and Youth who are waiting for an adoptive family can receive Child Specific Recruitment Services. CSR focuses on matching waiting children and youth in the Pennsylvania child welfare system with identified families that can meet their needs. CSR is referred by the county children and youth agencies for children and youth whose identified placement goal is adoption.
The CSR unit includes:
- A Child Specific Recruitment Plan Specific to Each Individual Child That Identifies Activities and Expectations of the Unit
- Registration with the Pennylvania Adoption Exchange (PAE)
- Creation of a Child Flyer and the Pursuit of Other Media Opportunities
- Planned Activities Used to Identify a Pre-Adoptive Family
- Preparing Children and Youth for Recruitment Activities
- Monthly CSR Reports
Family Profile
Our family profiles are a document that aims to create a comprehensive picture of a prospective adoptive family’s background, lifestyle, and capabilities to assess their suitability to be an adoptive parent. The profile includes details about the family’s living situation, income, family dynamics, parenting philosophies and experiences, support systems, and their motivation to adopt. Through careful evaluation, each potential caregiver’s abilities and preparedness to provide a loving, safe, and nurturing home are documented to ensure they can meet a child’s individual needs.
Family Care for Children & Youth, Inc. can complete Family Profile services for existing foster families or for families who are not licensed foster parents but are interested in adopting a waiting child in the Pennsylvania child welfare system. Families who are not licensed foster parents will be dual approved during the Family Profile process. The Family Profile unit of service includes the following:
- Family Orientation
- SWAN Family Preparation Training
- Interviewing and Information Gathering
- Registration with the Pennsylvania Adoption Exchange (PAE)
- Written Notification of Approval or Non-Approval
- Completion of an Addendum During the First and/or Second Year Following the Completion of the Family Profile
Family Matching
Families that have a completed Family Profile and have not been matched with a waiting child can be referred for the Family Matching Unit. This unit is referred by Family Care for Children & Youth, Inc. after the agency completed the Family Profile. The Family Matching unit includes the following:
- Creation of the Family Matching Plan
- Ongoing Recruitment Efforts Including the Creation of Recruitment Flyers and Participation in Matching Activities
- Completion of a Monthly Match Log
To be referred for the Family Matching Unit, eligible families must meet the following criteria:
- Not Have an Identified Child for Adoption
- Have a Current, Approved Family Profile
- Be Registered on PAE as an Approved Adoptive Family
- Be Interested in Pennsylvania Children Awaiting Adoption and Who are in the Custody of a County Children and Youth Agency, Which are 10 Years of Age or Older, Have Significant Medical, Physical, Cognitive, or Emotional Challenges, or are a Part of a Sibling Group
Finalization
The Finalization unit is available to any child or youth who has a primary placement goal of adoption and is in the legal custody of a county children and youth agency. Finalization services can begin at the point of placement and include the following:
- A Subsequent Supervisory Period
- In-Person Home Visits Every 30 Days
- Individualized Permanency Service Plans
- A Minimum of Three Supervisory Reports
- Completing of the Adoption Intent, Adoption Petition, and the Finalization Hearing
- Review of the Adoption Assistant Agreement
- Discussion of the Availability of Post-Permanency Services.
Partner with family care For children & youth, Inc.
More than 15,000 children in Pennsylvania are not living with their families, but Family Care for Children & Youth is making a difference one life at a time. We proudly provide nonprofit foster care services for children of all ages, and we would be happy to answer any questions you have about what we can do for your family or a child in your life.
Please get in touch with us if you would like to learn more about any of our community-based foster care services.