Children of all ages need a loving, stable, permanent family. We believe there is a family for every child and it is our job to connect the two. Family Services of NW PA is a licensed adoption and foster care agency. We are affiliated with the Pennsylvania Statewide Adoption Network (SWAN).
Click the links below to learn more about the services offered through our Permanency Department.
What is Permanency?
Permanency suggests long term and meaningful connections — an attachment between a child and a caring adult which includes family, friends, and connections in the community.
Research has shown that to evolve into a healthy adult, a child must have a relationship with at least one adult who is nurturing, caring, and who fosters trust and security. This is also key to helping a child develop resiliency and overcome the stress and trauma of abuse, neglect, and substance abuse. Reunification with family is the preferred outcome for children removed from their homes and placed in foster or kinship care. When children must be removed from their families to ensure their safety, permanency planning efforts focus on returning them home as soon as is safely possible or placing them with another legally permanent family. Other permanent families may include relatives, adoptive families who obtain legal custody, or guardians.
Throughout the child's placement, the Permanency Department at Family Services of NW PA has several roles including certifying and licensing the kinship/foster home, providing support through home visits, and providing children with services to ease their transition toward permanency.
