Families waiting to be matched with a child need extensive engagement and development. The Family Matching unit includes ongoing efforts in these areas as well as activities to identify a child for placement with an eligible SWAN family through implementation of a Family Matching Plan. This will be an affiliate referred, 8-month unit of service with the ability for the affiliate to refer for a 4-month extension at half the price of the unit. The referral can only be made by the agency that completed the SWAN Family Profile. Affiliates may invoice the prime contractor when the county agency approves the match and is ready to proceed with transitioning the child to the selected pre-adoptive home.
Eligible families will have a current approved SWAN Family Profile and meet the following criteria:
- Not have an identified child for adoption
- Have current, approved SWAN Family Profile
- Be registered with the Resource Family Registry as an adoptive family
- Interested in Pennsylvania children awaiting adoption and who are in the custody of a county
- Meet one or more of the following criteria:
- Searching for children over the age of ten years
- Searching for children with significant medical, physical, cognitive or emotional challenges
- Searching for sibling group
Family Matching Extension
Families who are not matched at the end of an eight-month Family Matching referral may be referred for Family Matching Extension, which continues the work of the initial referral for an additional four months. If there is no match at the end of those four months, families and matching workers mutually assess any factors that have impacted matching efforts and develop strategies for moving forward. Any subsequent Family Matching Extension referrals will continue to follow the four-month timeline and assessment process.