A New Resource to Empower Families

By Shari McConnell, Regional Technical Assistant

Meaningful family engagement recognizes that families are the experts of their own experiences, assures their active role and voice, and empowers them to make joint decisions to ensure their children’s safety, permanency, and well-being. Family engagement is an essential but sometimes challenging aspect of permanency casework. A SWAN services caseworker, for example, may need to engage a parent who is incarcerated, making it more difficult to connect. Or a caseworker may work with a family of a different culture where interest and comprehension of services is lacking and further complicated by communication barriers. These challenges may make it difficult for SWAN caseworkers to provide the service to best practice standards.  The Pennsylvania Meaningful Family Engagement Toolkit, a web-based resource designed to enhance safety, permanency, and well-being outcomes for children, youth, and families, can help with strengthening engagement practices. 

Released in March 2024 by the Department of Human Services Office of Children, Youth, and Families, the toolkit is set up to be flexible for a variety of audiences and situations and can aid in the delivery and support of SWAN services. The SWAN services continuum comprises an array of services designed to fully prepare children and families for permanency. Meaningful family engagement is relevant to every step on the practice continuum—from initial engagement and assessment, to planning and goal setting, and through and including service provision and post-permanency support.

For instance, when completing the Child Profile interview process, a caseworker may need to understand how to make appropriate contact with incarcerated birth parents through the prison system. Resources in the Pennsylvania Meaningful Family Engagement Toolkit that can aid in the delivery of the Child Preparation process include a reunification tip sheet, child preparation activities, and resources for recommendations for improving permanency and well-being. The toolkit also provides information on steps to find a resource family, which can support Child Specific Recruitment casework. 

There are also a variety of resources available in the toolkit that could be utilized during the Family Profile, Finalization, and Family Matching units of services.  These include training material for foster/adoptive families, resources for parents and families, and information on kinship caregiving.  Independent Living workers can find resources within the toolkit to help with engaging older youth with providing input into placement decisions and Youth Advisory Board information.

The Pennsylvania Meaningful Family Engagement Toolkit covers many topics and contains links to relevant materials. SWAN caseworkers are encouraged to visit the toolkit, take some time to explore, and integrate the resources provided into your permanency practice. You can also contribute your expertise to the toolkit. CWRC is currently seeking resources on specific topics, including Cross-systems Collaboration, Professional Development, and Navigating Custodial Relationships. If you have questions about the toolkit, reach out to the Child Welfare Resource Center at engagepa@pitt.edu.

Shari McConnell is a SWAN regional technical assistant and joined the prime contractor in March 2024.  She is a graduate of Saint Francis University.  Shari has 23 years of experience in child welfare, specifically in foster care and adoption.  Prior to her current position within SWAN, Shari was a permanency director at an affiliate agency for over 13 years and has experience providing the SWAN units of service at two affiliate agencies.