Spring Quarterly Meetings Detail Family Matching Service

Watch the short recap video!

SWAN affiliate agencies, county agencies, OCYF personnel, the Child Welfare Resource Center Independent Living Program, and staff of the SWAN prime contract gathered around the state at six spring Quarterly Meetings held regionally throughout April. The morning presentation, Exploring the SWAN Family Matching Unit of Service, was presented by technical assistance staff in each of the regions and clarified the conditions under which the unit can be referred and how the unit of service integrates within the permanency continuum of services.

Since the Family Matching Unit of Service was first introduced July 1, 2022, more than 170 units have been referred by SWAN affiliate agencies. Family matching services support permanency by standardizing family engagement practices, leading to timelier permanency for children for whom permanency is more difficult to achieve. Affiliate agencies, who have a relationship with the family from building the Family Profile, must understand the relationship of family matching to other services and are critical to ensuring families remain engaged and are sufficiently developed to successfully provide permanency.

More about the Family Matching Unit of Service can be found on the SWAN Permanency Toolkit, and the Quarterly Meeting training handout can be downloaded from the prime contractor website. Affiliate and county agencies should reach out to their regional technical assistant with questions.

As always, the spring Quarterly Meeting was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with colleagues and permanency advocates in the network. For those who heeded Training Director Rachel Meaker’s plea for photos capturing meeting moments, thank you! We created this fun video as a reminder of all we can achieve on behalf of Pennsylvania’s children when we come together as a community of support. Check it out!