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• The Power of Saying Yes: How one Woman Re-defined Foster Care for Older Youth

  Valerie Crabbe remembers having a dream to adopt a little girl since she was just a little girl herself. Fast forward to the age of 38 when a recruitment flyer for foster parents caught her attention in the grocery store. 

  Posted on December 13th, 2023

• Youth Advocate Award Winner Raises the Bar

  Julia Mueller is a “wonder woman in the making,” according to her nominee, Shayla Jones. The recipient of the 2022 Youth Advocate Recognition award, Julia is a glowing example of a young woman turning lemons into lemonade. As an alumnus of the foster care system, Julia’s firsthand experiences in care, combined with her persistent and focused temperament, have given her an influential voice on the Pennsylvania Youth Advisory Board.

  Posted on September 26th, 2022

• Adoptive Families Celebrated at Annual Picnic

  An annual tradition of the Westmoreland County Children’s Bureau (WCCB) is the Adoption Celebration Picnic at Idlewild & SoakZone in Ligonier, PA. Each year, the past 12-months’ adoptees and their adoptive families are invited to attend the picnic lunch and spend the day at the park. With Covid-19 concerns looming large in 2020 and 2021, this year it was good to be back in-person!

  Posted on August 30th, 2022

• SWAN/IL Winter Statewide Meeting Kicks Off 2022

  The 2022 SWAN/IL Winter Statewide Meeting was held January 26-27. Originally planned to be both an in-person and virtual event, the prime contractor and OCYF decided to pivot the event to be virtual as a safety precaution during the recent Omicron surge of COVID-19.

  The meeting opened in usual form with morning updates from OCYF, IL, and the prime contract. These updates can be found online in the 2022 SWAN/IL Winter Administrative Updates ...

  Posted on February 15th, 2022

• Youth, Caseworkers Promote PRTs at IL Retreat

  The merits of the Casey Family Permanency Roundtable (PRT) process were on full display at the 2020 Older Youth Retreat, held August 10-14. “Everyone works together to help you, make you whole, help you to see the remarkable person you are. I love the PRT process because it’s all about the youth,” exclaimed Maria Graziano, IL coordinator for Luzerne County, sharing her enthusiasm for the PRT process and the benefits for older foster youth.

  Posted on October 26th, 2020

• National Social Work Month: Celebrating those who Strengthen Generations

  March 17^th is known for the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day and all things Irish, but this year it was also a special day for our profession. The entire month of March is National Social Work Month with the third Tuesday celebrated as World Social Work Day. For 2020, the National Association of Social Workers chose the theme “Generations Strong” to honor how social workers build healthier

  Posted on March 31st, 2020

• IL Retreat Promotes Connection and Permanency

  Each year, the Independent Living Project organizes a retreat for older youth, which is held in August at the University of Pittsburgh – Johnstown campus. This year, the program featured a multitude of events, including sports, crafts, cooking, and many more activities to promote teambuilding and connection for the youth who attend the event.

  Posted on September 13th, 2019