WHAT IS SWAN ANYWAY?
What does SWAN stand for?
What was child welfare like before
SWAN?
Who started SWAN and when?
Why was SWAN started?
SWAN MISSION
Every child in foster care deserves to
achieve permanency in a timely manner
Every child with a goal of adoption
deserves a permanent family
County agencies must be supported to
prioritize and provide permanency services
SWAN MISSION
Delays in achieving permanency must not be
due to:
Race
Culture
Age
Geography
Ability
Case priority level
SWAN MISSION
Permanent families must be developed for every
waiting child
Resource families who step forward to provide
“Continuum of Care” to children in child welfare
system must be supported to remain intact
WHO IS SWAN?
CASA/child
And family
advocates
Affiliate
Adoption
Agencies
DPW
Child
SWAN
Prime
Contract
County
CYS
Courts/
Legal
System
Resource
And Birth
families
SWAN UNITS OF SERVICE
Child profile
Child preparation
Child Specific Recruitment
Family Preparation and Profile
Child Placement
Finalization
Post permanency services
WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR SWAN
SERVICES?
Children in the custody of a Pennsylvania
County Agency
Families who express an interest in
providing permanency for children in the
custody of a county agency
Pennsylvania children in need of post
permanency services
WHAT IS THE SWAN REFERRAL
PROCESS?
County referral online
SWAN processes referral
sends to affiliate
Affiliate receives referral and determines
if they can complete the work.
If they can, they contact county that made the referral.
Affiliate completes work and
asks county to certify work upon completion
SWAN Benchmarks
Provide a step by step outline to guide the
SWAN units of service.
Used to document where an agency is in the
process of completing the service.
Are submitted to the Prime Contract in
order to bill for the service upon
completion.
What is a Child Profile?
Document
Review
Snapshot
Collaborative Process
The Intent and Purpose of the
Child Profile
To provide an accurate history.
To establish an informational resource.
To maintain a chronology of life events
To reflect the uniqueness of each youth.
The Intent and Purpose of the
Child Profile (cont.)
To introduce youth to resource families.
To identify connections.
To highlight the youth’s strengths and risk
areas.
To predict post-permanency services.
The Child Profile is NOT
meant to be:
A clinical assessment.
The sole source of information on a youth.
The full disclosure activity to present a
child.
Why is a Child Profile so Important?
We can never go back and
recapture what is lost. The
sooner we start to gather the
information, the more we will
ultimately know about our
children.
Regardless of the goal, it is our
duty to record the time a child is
with us in care. There are no
“do-overs” in the life of a child
Role of the County in the Process
Charged with Safety and Well-Being
of the Child
• Provide oversight to the Profile process.
• Provide information and access to
information on the youth.
• Help prepare the caregiver for the
process.
• Runs interference.
Child Profile – Content
The content of the Child Profile should:
Be detailed and factual.
Show sensitivity in stating information.
Reflect the areas that address the five
questions that youth are consistently
looking to have answered.
Follow the outline in the SWAN Bulletin.
What is Child Preparation?
As children enter into permanency,
certain issues need to be addressed for
them to “move forward.”
These issues need to be addressed
regardless of the age of the child or the
type of permanency.
What is Child Preparation?
Most children who experience great loss,
struggle with these core issues:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Grief/Loss
Abandonment
Identity
Control
Loyalty
Attachment
Shame
Child-Centered, Child-Focused
Goals
Gives Children a Voice!
Honors the Past!
Answers the Questions!
Makes the Connections!
Looks to the Future!
Who can use this service?
All children living in out-of-home placement
are eligible to receive this service, including
those with a goal of:
• Reunification
• Adoption
• Permanent Legal Custodianship
• Fit and Willing Relative
• Another Planned Permanent Living
Arrangement (APPLA)
Child Preparation Plan:
Defines the roles of county and
affiliate.
Pulls resources together.
Describes how the work will proceed.
Role of the County Agency
Participate in development of child preparation
plan
Oversee the work and make critical decisions.
Inform caregivers that Child Preparation work will
begin. Explain that the county is supporting and
directing the process.
Provide access to all known information about the
child.
Be prepared to assist the worker in supporting the
family
The Work of Child
Preparation
.
TIME FRAME: In Pennsylvania, we currently
require 10 SESSIONS over a 6 MONTH period.
CHILD’S PACE: Need to be responsive to each
child and where they are in the process.
The Work of Child
Preparation
.
Individual session - allows for one-on-one in-depth exploration
of children’s feelings and emotional responses to discussions and
activities.
Group work- allows the child to engage in activities and
discussions with other children who have experienced similar life
events. Children in groups should be of a similar age or
“readiness.”.
A combination - The use of group work and individual sessions
can use the strengths of both approaches and ensure children
receive the opportunity to share with peers and also work with
experienced workers on more personal, painful issues.
Meeting Activity Report
This report is submitted to the county
every other month to summarize the
meeting activities between the
affiliate and the child.
Child Preparation Final Summary
This report is submitted to the county at
the completion of the child preparation
activity or at the end of the six month
plan.
What Is The Purpose of CSR?
To Find a Permanent Resource for a
Child/Youth
To Assist Youth in Making
Permanent Connections
The New Face of CSR
Current initiatives and impact on current
CSR practice
• Fostering Connections
• Family Finding
Children Aging Out
Are Asking:
Have you done everything possible for me?
If I was your child, would you have done more?
Guidelines to Providing CSR
Counties can do their own or make a
referral to an affiliate
Create a plan in conjunction with relevant
people including the child
Review it regularly
Benchmarks outline the steps
Finding Permanency
Characteristics of Successful Counties
• Understand the importance of the worker’s attitude
in achieving permanency
• Top goal is PERMANENCY
• Open to a variety of families (non-traditional,
single, out of state, all income levels)
• No geographic boundaries
• Open about subsidy if it provides permanency
Basic Tools
CSR Plan
Child Matching Log
CSR Plan – Inquires
Child Registration w/
PAE
Diligent Search
Flyers/Power Point
Child Prep
Waiting Child
Segments
Life Book
Sears Photos
Various Adoption
Web Sites
Building a Successful CSR Unit:
What can a county do?
Being involved with the plan can clearly identify
the child’s needs & strengths
County and affiliate worker meeting face to face
Meets monthly to review possible families
Referring for Child Prep/Child Profile/CSR
Empowering CSR staff to be involved in the
selection process
WHAT IS FAMILY PREPARATION
PROCESS?
FAMILY PREPARATION
FAMILY PROFILE
COUNTY AND AFFILIATE REFERRED
CAN BE USED FOR ALL
PERMANENCY GOALS
120 DAY TIMELINE
FAMILY PROFILES SHOULD
ADDRESS 3 IMPORTANT ISSUES
SAFETY
NURTURING
COMMITMENT
WHY REFER FAMILY PROFILE?
HELPS FAMILIES MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS
THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PROCESS
IDENTIFIES MOTIVATION, STRENGTHS AND
AREAS WHERE THE FAMILY MAY NEED
ASSISTANCE
PREPARE FAMILIES FOR ONE OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT ROLES OF THEIR LIVES
PROVIDES THE COUNTY WITH INFORMATION
NEEDED IN SELECTING A FAMILY
PROVIDES THE COURT WITH NECESSARY
INFORMATION
WHAT IS CHILD PLACEMENT?
Activities related to matching waiting
children and families
Activities involved in pre-placement and
transitioning child into home
Filing of Report of Intent
Referred only for children with a goal of
adoption
WHY REFER CHILD
PLACEMENT?
Affiliates should receive reimbursement for
activities related to searching for a family
for a child
A child’s successful transition
into a permanent home
requires attention and skill
WHAT ARE ADOPTION
FINALIZATION SERVICES
ACTIVITIES FROM PLACEMENT TO
FINALIZATION
REFERRED FOR CHILDREN WITH A
GOAL OF ADOPTION
WHY REFER FINALIZATION?
GEOGRAPHY SHOULD NOT GET IN THE
WAY OF PERMANENCY.
FINALIZATION IS MORE THAN A DAY IN
COURT
SUCCESSFUL ADOPTIONS REQUIRE
FAMILY AND CHILD CENTERED
PERMANENCY ORIENTED SUPERVISION.
MANY FAMILIES WILL NEED SUPPORT IN
THE FUTURE. WHO WILL THEY CONTACT?
WHAT ARE THE POST
PERMANENCY SERVICES?
FAMILIES ARE ELIGIBLE IF THEY HAVE
ADOPTED, PROVIDE KINSHIP CARE OR
LEGAL CUSTODIANSHIP
ACCESSED BY FAMLIES CONTACTING
THE HELPINE (1-800-585-SWAN)
FAMILY-DRIVEN SERVICES
SERVICES PROVIDED BY AFFILIATES
• ASSESSMENT/CASE ADVOCACY
• RESPITE
• SUPPORT GROUP
WHY ENCOURAGE FAMILIES TO
ACCESS POST PERMANENCY
SERVICES?
ALL FAMILIES NEED SUPPORT AT
TIMES.
FAMILIES PROVIDING PERMANENCY
HAVE A RIGHT TO ACCESS SUPPORT
WHEN THEY NEED IT.
POST PERMANENCY SERVICES CAN
PREVENT REENTRY INTO FOSTER CARE
WHAT ARE OTHER SWAN
RESOURCES?
THE HELPLINE (1-800-585-SWAN)
THE SWAN WEBSITE (www.diakon-swan.org)
DIAKON PORTAL SYSTEM
SWAN NETWORK MEETINGS
PENNSYLVANIA ADOPTION EXCHANGE (PAE)
(www.adoptpakids.org)
LEGAL SERVICES INITIATIVE PROGRAM (LSI)
WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN
FOR ME?
WHAT DIFFERENCE CAN I
MAKE?
“ONE PERSON’S GENUINE BELIEF IN
THE POSSIBLITY OF A FAMILY FOR A
CHILD IS A MESSAGE OF HOPE.”
--ROBERT LEWIS
I AM WONDERING?