Articles Tagged foster care, page 1

• Permanency Pro Strikes a Chord of Kindness, Humor and Skill

  David has spent most of his career working in the permanency unit and is one of the most genuine, thorough, and kind people one could have the privilege to know. To say David is beloved by colleagues and clients is no exaggeration. His heartfelt, skilled interventions have helped countless children secure permanency through reunification, adoption, or custodianship. 

  Posted on August 26th, 2024

• SSW Presenter Calls for Youth-Led Culture of Care

  When Chauncey Strong, MSW took the stage at the opening of the 2024 SWAN/IL Summer Statewide Meeting, he issued a challenge to everyone in the room. “Whatever you believe will be right,” he said, “because you work to the level of your belief.”

  Posted on August 23rd, 2024

• Permanency Conference is an Annual Dose of Encouragement

  The 32^nd Annual Pennsylvania Permanency Conference at the Kalahari Conference Center was the place to be June 19-21, 2024 if you are in any way connected to child welfare and permanency. Families, professionals, advocates and others gathered for three days to learn, be uplifted and make friends and memories. 

  Posted on August 23rd, 2024

• 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

• It Takes a Village…or One Collaborative Team

  United in its vision for permanency, a seven-person team was honored for its collaborative efforts in helping provide stability to a child in foster care at the June 2023 Annual Pennsylvania Permanency Conference. 

  Posted on December 13th, 2023

• Empowering Youth and Finding Connections: National Adoption Month 2023

  November has been a month of adoption recognition for nearly 40 years, beginning with a national adoption week recognition in 1984. Led by the Children’s Bureau, the theme for this year’s campaign is “Empowering Youth: Finding Points of Connection.” which focuses on giving space for youth to have agency and a say in the decisions that impact their lives, as well as embracing and affirming their racial and cultural identities as factors to ...

  Posted on November 7th, 2023

• Fostering a Family Engagement Philosophy

  Dubbed “one of the most amazing families,” Anthony and Jessica Johnston are setting the gold standard for what it means to be a foster and adoptive family. The couple was awarded a Permanent Family Recognition award at the 2023 Pennsylvania Permanency Conference for their outstanding record in providing quality care to children and families. 

  Posted on November 6th, 2023

• June Events Celebrate Dedication, Gird Continued Work

  The network gathered in Northeast Pennsylvania for two back-to-back events in June—the SWAN/IL Summer Statewide Meeting (SSW) and the 31st Pennsylvania Permanency Conference—where celebrations and affirmations took center stage. Reading’s own, Dr. Veirdra Jackson, kicked off the week with her SSW keynote, which spoke to every person’s want and need to belong.

  Posted on August 7th, 2023

• Equine-Assisted Therapy Helps Children in Foster Care Overcome Trauma

  One of the side benefits of sharing SWAN with the community each year at the Pennsylvania Farm Show is reconnecting with old friends in the network. This past January, foster mom and licensed clinical therapist Marcy Tocker stopped by to chat. Marcy is the founder of Grey Muzzle Manor, a senior animal rescue and hospice center offering animal-assisted therapy and a special place created by Marcy where everyone would feel they matter, belong, and are noticed. 

  Posted on May 24th, 2023

• Speaking through Advocacy and Impact: Recognizing Michelle

  Michelle Matthews doesn’t really like to talk about herself; however, her work and impact as the social work supervisor in foster care for Bethany Christian Services of Western PA tells her story for her. Michelle is a champion for both resource families and first families.

  Posted on April 4th, 2023

• Pennsylvania Farm Show Offers Both Reunion and Resources

  When Jennifer Casner-Hockenberry, project manager for the Pennsylvania Adoption Exchange (PAE), reflected on the 2023 Pennsylvania Farm Show, her most lasting impression was connecting with both individuals interested in adoption as well as families who formed through adoption.

  Posted on February 17th, 2023

• Youth-Centered Matching Events: Letting Youth Lead

  There’s a mantra often spoken by child welfare professionals when recruiting families for youth in foster care. It goes by several phrases such as “give the child a voice” or “honor the youth’s wishes.” Older youth want AND need to exercise control over their lives, especially when it comes to choosing a family.

  Posted on December 8th, 2022

• Needle in a Haystack: Finding the Right Family

  Older Child Matching Initiative (OCMI) recruiter Mandy Somerville likes to refer to the Barnes/Axon family as the “needle.” In her position, she is assigned youth who need permanency but are especially hard to match with families due to mental or physical health issues, length of time in foster care, the youth giving up hope, or a combination of challenges. Mandy related that finding the right family for a child can be like “finding a needle in a haystack.” When it happens, it is special.

  Posted on December 8th, 2022

• National Adoption Month: Small Steps Lead to Great Outcomes

  For 38 years, November has been recognized as National Adoption Month—a time to increase awareness of adoption issues, bring attention to the need for adoptive families for teens in the foster care system, and recognize the value of engaging youth. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf also issued a proclamation recognizing November as Adoption Awareness Month in the Commonwealth.

  Posted on November 4th, 2022

• The Art of Selflessness

  We’ve all heard the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” For Pennsylvania’s children and youth in foster care, these words take on greater significance when it comes to finding permanency. Every day, these children and youth are navigating trauma, a multitude of changes, uncertainty, education, relationships, and much more. Simultaneously, dedicated permanency workers are writing strengths-based narratives for them, collaborating with counties on information sharing processes, and employing a variety of recruitment strategies to match them with permanent families.

  Posted on September 26th, 2022

• 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

• Meet Rachel Kuhr: Permanency Scholar, Mentor and Advocate

  As we look forward to this summer’s Pennsylvania Permanency Conference, we invite you to get to know 2021’s Permanency Professional Award recipient, Rachel Kuhr. If you’ve ever been to a SWAN conference, statewide meeting, or central region quarterly meeting, you know Rachel. If she’s not sharing her knowledge as a presenter, she is listening intently – usually while crocheting – and asking all the right questions to achieve clarity and improve service delivery for children in out-of-home care.

  Posted on March 28th, 2022

• Permanency Team Honored for their Dedication to a Special Three-Year-Old Boy

  Three-year-old Angel has had a unique journey to permanency. Medical needs, distant placements, and a global pandemic created some challenges for his team to solve. However, Heather Miller, Christina Cross, and Barbara Black were up to the task. These women worked tirelessly, along with the support of numerous other team members, to help Angel find his home—a place where he could have his first birthday and Christmas celebrations in a true family setting. They ...

  Posted on January 14th, 2022

• Giving Back, Former Recipient Style

  When you hear that someone has been involved with fundraising for a foster care agency for the past six years, you may think they are a former foster youth who is now in a position to give back to those who helped them in the past. Well, Cayden Roth, who was honored with SWAN’s 2021 Youth Advocate award, is a former foster youth, but this young man ...

  Posted on November 3rd, 2021

• The Langsdorfs: A Family Formed by Fate

  One summer morning at the Renzie Park Farmers Market in McKeesport, Heather and David Langsdorf noticed an information booth for Auberle, a faith-based social services agency that was recruiting foster parents. Heather always wanted to be a foster parent, so they immediately went over to the booth to learn more. Without hesitating, Heather and David decided to apply to be foster parents and were certified in Fall 2018. They ...

  Posted on November 3rd, 2021