There are a number of SWAN services that are referred to Haven by the local counties to provide additional support for the child and family in their permanency journey.
Child Preparation is defined by SWAN as “preparation designed to assist children and youth in making the transition from foster care to permanency.” This does not always mean adoption. The child could be preparing to be reunified with their biological family, adopted, permanent legal custody (PLC), or kinship. This service explores the seven core issues that children and youth experience that bring them into care. These seven issues are grief and loss, abandonment, identity, control, loyalty, attachment, and shame. It includes the collaborative development of a written plan with input from the identified child preparation team and outlines the preparation activities such as a life book, timelines, genograms, and support through individual intervention. Along with the core issues listed prior, there are also goals that will be followed in order to make increase the child’s success after leaving their placement. The goals are, “Give Children a Voice,” “Honor Children’s Past,” “Answer the Questions,” “Create Connections,” and “Look to the Future.” This service is youth focused and driven, used in hopes of preventing placement disruption, reducing the time to reach the permanency goal or finalization, and providing youth with insights and positive connections to increase their success after leaving placement. The sessions are a fun and interactive way to help prepare the child for his/her permanency plan.
A child profile is defined by SWAN as “A comprehensive summary of the child’s life history, current functioning, and special needs.” It is available to any child or old youth in the legal custody of OCY and can be referred for all children, regardless of their permanency goal. The child profile creates a history that the child may review at any time with the county workers, current resource parent, or adoptive family. Any child over the age of 14 may be given a copy (for younger children when they turn 14 they have access to it). A child profile also assists in identifying connections and supports for the child and can be reviewed by prospective adoptive parents. This report gives an extensive history on the child’s life, gives a description of the child and the child’s current situation, summarizes the birth family relationships and visitations (if any), medical history (if available), and educational history. It is a comprehensive report of the child’s life thus far.
Child Specific Recruitment, also known as CSR, is available to any child or older youth who is in the legal custody of OCY and are approaching permanency but do not have an identified permanent resource. It can also help identify and develop connections and supports for older youth as they transition into young adulthood. CSR workers will work closely with the child to locate and provide the child with an adoptive family or permanent connection through flyers, videos, matching events, and more.
This service is available to any child or youth in the legal custody of Office of Children and Youth who has a goal of adoption and are ready to be placed into a pre-adoptive home with a completed family profile.
Placement services incorporate all pre-placement activities required to help move the child into their identified home. These include assisting the family with reviewing the child’s information, coordinating and participating in pre-placement visits, and developing a placement plan for a successful move. Placement is determined to occur when the child is moved and a formal placement agreement is in place.
Adoption Finalization is used for any child who is in the legal custody of OCY and has a goal of adoption. This service begins after a child or sibling group is placed in a pre-adoptive home. Haven creates an Individual Permanency Service plan, supervises the placement, makes frequent home visits, completes supervisory reports, completes adoption paperwork as needed, and prepares the family for the finalization of the adoption by ensuring services needed post adoption are in place to support the family and child’s permanency.
