Advocacy – Support Group – Respite
These services are available to any family who has adopted and lives in Pennsylvania, whether or not they adopted their child from foster care, and to those families who have provided permanency to children from the foster care system through permanent legal custodianship or formal kinship care. Families self‑refer by calling the SWAN Helpline (800-585-SWAN) to request these services. The services are part of a continuum of services designed to strengthen and support these families and assist in strengthening the special needs adoption community at the local level.
- Advocacy assures that families receive or get connected to appropriate services; it includes an initial assessment for all families who are receiving services.
- Support groups are structured meetings designed to build a community of support for all parties – the adopted children, the birth children and the permanent families.
- Respite allows the parents and child a time to regroup and gain a new perspective while offering a change from daily routines. Think of it as a visit for the children to the home of an aunt or uncle or very good family friend while the parents take a needed break to re-energize so they may return to their ongoing parenting.
For more information and guidance, please access the SWAN Post-permanency web-based training by clicking: www.swan-online.net.
Resources
The SWAN Post-permanency Resource Directory is a collection of resources assembled through a collaborative effort between SWAN and affiliate agency representatives. This list contains resources grouped by region in the following categories: budgeting, clothing, education, emergency, food/nutrition, housing/environment, labor/work, mental health, service systems and transportation. The directory was created to share community resources with all SWAN Post-permanency affiliates throughout the state and can be accessed here: Resource Directory