Fifth Annual Virtual Matching Event: Permanent Connections at the Touch of a Button
By Rebecca Nallon, Technical Assistant
The 2025 Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network (SWAN)/Independent Living (IL) Virtual Matching Event (VME) wrapped up successfully earlier this month. Held annually since 2021, this event is a unique two-week online forum that allows agencies representing waiting children and families and the waiting families themselves to interact directly as well as collaborate with their colleagues and network partners in the hopes of making a match.
The event first opened to permanency professionals for preview on April 28th and to families on May 2nd. This event allowed for booth browsing throughout a week-long open house, with set times scheduled for person-to-person interactions to ask questions, discuss potential matches and create first-person impressions to build relationships in the matching process.
All registrants were encouraged to view pre-recorded sessions, including A Voice from Independent Living, A Message from the SWAN Helpline and Navigating the VME Platform. These sessions help to orient attendees, and provide perspective about the children attendees will encounter at the VME and about the system for making adoptive matches.
The event was made possible through a detailed planning process, a dedicated implementation team, and feedback received from past events. Guided by Robert Brockman, Pennsylvania Adoption Exchange (PAE) division manager, the VME was a technological feat thanks to extensive behind-the-scenes coordination that ensured the event was accessible and user-friendly for everyone attending. Robert has overseen this event’s evolution since its inception in 2021, when it was initially developed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Planning begins in earnest about three months ahead of time, in alignment with the availability of the technical platform, referred to simply as “the HUB.” This year, the VME team was headed by Nikita Lewis, PAE coordinator, and Danielle Mitchell, SWAN regional technical assistant, who assisted with platform management, data reporting and agency outreach.
Booth registration opened on March 24th. As this is thefifth VME hosted by SWAN, agencies that had a booth in the past could simply restock their booth from the prior year with new flyers and videos. Described by Robert as “super easy” to upload and edit, the booth interface was intuitive, particularly for those familiar with using social media. This user-friendly booth setup is one of the significant improvements Robert noted since the event first began. When agencies felt unsure about how to design their booth, Robert encouraged them to explore other agencies’ booths for ideas to enhance the visual appeal of their booth. During the event, agencies were required to log into their booth daily to collect and respond to messages.
With agencies busy building their virtual booths, permanency professional attendee registration opened on April 24th, and family registration followed on April 29th. This year, Robert offered “office hours” in the SWAN/PAE booth and made himself available to meet virtually with families for one-on-one walkthroughs of the platform.
Robert reports that the number one thing families say is that they appreciate having a whole week or more to look at posted materials at their own pace, with the option to then get in touch with the child’s recruiter. Families can leave inquiries in affiliate booths in order to exchange contact information and messages with the child’s recruiter to facilitate direct contact. This is a feature that families really like, as in-person matching events typically only have a limited number of staff from each agency.
The event was free to agencies and families and open 24/7 for nearly 180 hours straight, allowing for staff and families to attend the event regardless of schedule. When it comes to top-notch matching events using high-quality technology to connect workers and families across the commonwealth, the VME is the MVP.
Rebecca Nallon is a SWAN program technical assistant based in northeastern Pennsylvania. Prior to joining the SWAN prime contractor in 2018, Rebecca supervised and provided direct foster care and domestic adoption services for seven years, including work with the Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children, out-of-state contracting, legal risk placements, and a continuum of permanency services from pre-placement through adoption finalization and post-adoption services. She also has experience coordinating and providing community mental health services to children and youth.