Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network Affiliation
Catholic Charities is an affiliate of the Pennsylvania Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network (SWAN), which aids in the placement of children who are in foster care and have the goal of adoption. As a SWAN affiliate, Catholic Charities provides the following services for parents and children referred through county children and youth agencies.
Child Profile
The Child Profile is a document intended to provide children with an accurate history of their background. It includes information of who they are and who the people in their lives were that may have influenced their journey. The Child Profile is also a tool for recruiting a forever family.
Family Preparation/Profile
The Family Preparation/Profile is a multi-task process. It includes the process of educating couples about the special needs of the waiting children and preparing them to make informed decisions about the children they may some day accept into their home. Information is collected to be used by agencies with custody of the waiting children to decide which family may best be able to provide for the needs of the child or children.
The preparation process is also designed to develop relationships and trust between the study agency and the potential adoptive couple. With each of these components, the goal is to make good decisions for the children who are unable to make the decisions for themselves. The Family Profile is the completed document.
Child Preparation
The child preparation process can be vital to the child’s understanding of five key questions.
1. Who am I?
2. What happened to me?
3. Where am I going?
4. How will I get there?
5. How will I know I belong?
This process helps children understand and make sense of what has happened and gives them permission to love more than one family. If adoption is their goal, this process will allow them to visualize the concept of how it will look and feel to live with another family or in a different environment. This service is appropriate for a child who has the goal of adoption or the young person who is aging out of the system.
Child Specific Recruitment
Child specific recruitment can be utilized for locating a family for a child moving toward adoption or the young person willing to move into the community. The cornerstone of this service is to locate an appropriate family able to provide for the child’s needs.
For the young person, it identifies supports and reliable resources they may need as they seek and test their independence skills. It is a critical step to recognize the importance of getting to know our children and youth as we set out to assist them in preparing for a successful future.
Post Placement Services
Post-placement services provided by Catholic Charities include assessment and case management. Catholic Charities has a 50-year legacy in adoption service and working knowledge of the unique challenges that adoptive families face. By providing a thorough assessment the family is better able to benefit from the appropriate services available to them for their specific concern.