ADOPTING CHILDREN FROM PENNSYLVANIA FOSTER CARE

STATEWIDE ADOPTION & PERMANENCY NETWORK (SWAN)

Any Pennsylvania adoptive family in need of support after their adoption can utilize this assistance. This includes families who have adopted domestically, internationally, or through kinship (including any family that has been named the permanent or subsidized legal guardian of a child or children). These services are funded through your tax dollars via the Pennsylvania’s Statewide Adoption & Permanency Network (SWAN) and they are there to help adoptive families. These services are offered to strengthen and assist families who may need support related to attachment, behavior, bonding, transition, etc. Just by calling 1-800-585-SWAN (7926) you can request post-adoption services from Gladney Center for Adoption at no cost.

Gladney Center for Adoption services families who reside in Southeastern or Western PA.

Once Gladney receives the referral, we will call you to set up a professional one-on-one consult with your family, in your home, to discuss how we can help.

services offered:

• Initial one-on-one consult in your home with an adoption competent professional (assessment) This family meeting will give us a sense of your family’s strengths, needs and challenges so that you and your social worker can work together to draft a plan of action.
• Implementing the plan (case management) We will provide ongoing coaching and consultation as well as work with your family to help you locate the resources you need for your family, including advocating with the school system and mental health providers, if requested.
• Help to locate and secure appropriate respite. A break from the demanding job of parenting a child with special needs (respite) This can be traditional respite services wherein someone cares for your child for a few hours, overnight, or for a weekend.
• In-person and on-line support. Gladney offers online and in person support groups to share, listen and discover you are not alone providing coaching from an adoption competent clinician. Call 1-800-585-SWAN (7926) today and indicate you want Gladney Center for Adoption to provide Post-Permanency Services for your family.

SWAN Adoption process

Gladney Center for Adoption works with the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare (via the Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network) to find permanent families for Pennsylvania children waiting to be adopted.

THE CHILDREN LEGALLY FREE FOR ADOPTION ARE:

• Mostly 10 years old and older
• Mostly African American or biracial
• Mostly boys
• May be part of a sibling group
• Have been victims of physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse and neglect
• Have moderate to severe cognitive, emotional, or physical disabilities
• In the custody of a county Department of Children, Youth and Families agency
• They are either residing in foster care, group homes or residential/institutional settings
• Health of the children varies but is generally fair to good

We are only able to service children currently in the foster care system in Pennsylvania.

requirements

Applicants may be married, in a committed relationship, or single men or women. Gay and lesbian families are welcome. Couples must be in a committed relationship for at least two years. Experience with special needs children is important, as is flexibility and a sense of humor!

costs

Families will be asked to pay $3,100 for the completion of their family profile. Families reimbursed once the family profile is approved not once adoption occurs.

procedure

Families contact Gladney Center for Adoption to schedule an individual information meeting. Following the information meeting, families choosing to move forward will submit their application to Gladney, participate in training, and participate in a family profile/home study that consists of interviews with the family conducted in the home. Specialized training may be required. The family’s home study is then distributed to social workers within Children and Youth agencies, who then decide on the appropriateness of a match.

TIME FRAME ESTIMATE

Upon completion of the family profile, it is estimated that a match will occur in 6 months to 2 years. This will vary depending on the degree of special needs that a family is willing to consider. The fewer special needs you are open to, the longer you will wait to be matched with a child or children.

travel

Counties throughout the Commonwealth of PA are working to find families for children. Families being considered as a possible match for a child or children may need to travel to the child’s county for interviews and pre-placement visits prior to the placement of the child. The number of visits is decided on a case-by-case basis and is determined by the emotional needs of the child.

swan adoption RESOURCES

general adoption websites

• The official website for SWAN
• A photolisting for PA children waiting for families, as well as other useful information.
• A national photolisting, although you can search for PA children here as well. In addition, they have many resources and articles. 
• Child Welfare Information Gateway, a clearinghouse with lots of information about adoption and child welfare.
• National Adoption Center

SUBJECT-SPECIFIC RESOURCES

books

• Our Own: Adopting and Parenting the Older Child by Trish Maskew
• Adopting the Hurt Child: Hope for Families with Special Needs Children: A Guide for Parents and Professionals and Parenting the Hurt Child: Helping Adoptive Families Heal and Grow by Gregory Keck and Regina Kupecky
• Attaching in Adoption: Practical Tools for Today’s Parents and Nurturing Adoptions: Creating Resilience after Neglect and Trauma by Deborah Gray
• Parenting with Love and Logic: Teaching Children Responsibility by Foster W. Cline and Jim Fay
• Lifebooks: Creating a Treasure for the Adopted Child by Beth O’Malley
• In Their Own Voices: Transracial Adoptees Tell their Stories by Rita James Simon and Rhonda Roorda
• The Connected Child: Bring Hope and Healing to Your Adoptive Family by Karyn B. Purvis, David R. Cross, and Wendy Lyons Sunshine
• Parenting Your Older Adopted Child and Eden’s Secret Journal The Story of an Older Child Adoption by Brenda McCreight
• Adopting the Older Child by Claudia L. Jewett
• A Child’s Journey Through Placement by Vera Fahlberg

support groups

The journey of adoption does not end on Adoption Day. Gladney is here to support families throughout the process. We offer Post-Adoption services through the Pennsylvania Statewide Adoption Network. It is a family-focused approach and completely free to all adoptive families whether you expanded your family through private infant adoption, international adoption, kinship adoption or foster care adoption.

New and Exciting things are happening at Gladney Center for Adoption, we would love to get you plugged in to one of our groups!

Join with other adoptive families every 2nd Thursday of the month at First Presbyterian Church in Beaver, 252 College Ave. Beaver, PA 15009. Dinner is provided along with child care for 3 and under in addition to support groups for kids ages 48, 9-12 and 13+ while the parents meet.

 A social group connecting 14-18 year old adopted youth. Monthly activities are planned to encourage social interaction with same aged peers who often deal with the similar daily struggles. Western PA locations only. Activity varies by month. Please contact Julie Densmore for specific details.

A social group connecting 9-13 year old adopted youth. Monthly activities are planned to encourage social interaction with same aged peers who often deal with similar daily struggles. Western PA locations only. Activity varies by month. Please contact Julie Densmore for specific details.

Needing adult interaction? Enjoy your coffee hot with friends while you talk about the joys and struggles of being an adoptive mom. Join us every 3rd Tuesday of each month for an informal meeting with other adopt moms at A Brewed Awakening, 2236 Brodhead Rd. Aliquippa, PA 15001.