Services

Becoming a foster parent is an exciting challenge and can be a very attainable goal! At Lifespan Family Services, we love connecting foster children with parents who provide an open heart, warm home, and stable environment for their children during their time of need.

With helpful support from our caring staff, you can go through the application process and be on your way to being a registered foster parent. As a foster parent, you must be willing to take on the difficulties and responsibilities of being a parent. Important personal characteristics include enjoying being with children and being able to handle change and manage stress. Having a sense of humor and being flexible are also helpful attributes.

Creating a Structured Home

Candidates who wish to become foster parents must meet requirements set by both the state and the agency. Our organization is committed to abiding by all state regulations found in Title 55 Pa Code Chapter 3700. We have also established the following requirements set for our foster parents:

• Foster parents must be 21 years of age or older
• Foster parents must pass a medical examination stating that they are physically able to care for foster children and are free from communicable diseases
• Foster parents must be able to pass screening requirements related to child abuse and criminal history clearances

Approval Process

The approval process can take anywhere from 30 to 90 days to complete all necessary tasks and can depend on the potential foster parents’ motivation. The typical approval process is as follows:

1. The prospective foster family expresses interest in fostering children with the aid of LifeSpan Family Services of Pennsylvania. The family is sent a brief questionnaire about the family and their interest in fostering children.
2. A social worker from our family services contacts the prospective family to set up an appointment to meet with the family, fill out the application, and review agency policies.
3. The prospective foster family provides the required documentation:
• Criminal, FBI, and child abuse clearances
• Copies of current vehicle registration, inspection, and insurance
• Proof of income
• Home insurance
• Current pet vaccinations (if applicable)
4. With the aid of the social worker, the family becomes enrolled in the Pennsylvania Adoption Exchange. This association helps connect families seeking to adopt or foster children with those needing placement.
5. The prospective foster family must complete 20 hours of training related to safety, parenting, and issues surrounding foster parenting.
6. The social worker conducts a home safety check in the presence of the prospective foster parents.
7. After these steps have been completed, the foster family is ready to accept a child into their home.

Training Requirements

All individuals selected as foster parents at Lifespan Family Services are required to complete 20 hours of related training. Completing your training hours is easy, as we offer many in-agency or in-home training. Specific training materials can be for fire safety, first aid, CPR, and a wide variety of videos about foster parenting.

Here at Lifespan Family Services, we are a SWAN program affiliate within the statewide adoption network.

Numerous adoption services at Lifespan Family Services are made available through The Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network, a partnership among the Department of Human Services, the Pennsylvania Adoption Exchange, public and private adoption agencies, organizations, advocates, judges, the legal community, and foster and adoptive parents.

The SWAN program serves children in the custody of numerous county children and youth agencies. The network is designed to support the work of county agencies in expediting permanency services.

Our current approved adoption services through SWAN include:

• Family Profiles
• Child Profiles
• Child-Specific Recruitment
• Child Preparation
• Placement
• Adoption Finalization
• Post-Permanency Services

Family Profiles

Developing a family profile is like creating a biography of a family wanting to adopt. Potential adoptive families must undergo a process of sharing information with the adopting agency, including home visits, interviews with family members, background checks, character references, and more. A profile is then created to match families with waiting children.

Child Profiles

Also offered through the SWAN program are child profiles, which are a comprehensive summary of the child’s life history. At Lifespan Family Services, we work hard to include as many details as possible, including educational history, vaccination history, standardized test results, school attendance, medical and dental records, and more. This can help match children with families with a strong common interest when more information is available.

Child-Specific Recruitment

Identifying adoptive resources for children in the custody of a county agency is the role of our child-specific recruitment at Lifespan Family Services. If a child is getting adopted or their foster parents do not desire to provide a permanent home, we can then unite a child with a home that is a good match based upon their personal history and current beliefs, etc.

Child Preparation

Here at Lifespan Family Services, we believe it is important to provide children with an optimal understanding of the adoption/permanency process and help them work through the potential difficulties in finding a permanent home. With our Child Preparation program, we can also help them retain their biological family history and help them transition into a new fulfilling life while respecting their former household(s). This service can also assist the child in transitioning back to their home of origin after an absence.

Placement

Our placement service at Lifespan Family Services is the physical relocation of a child into a pre-adoptive living situation. This can be with the prospective adoptive parent or parents. When placement occurs without termination of parental biological rights, it is considered to be a legal risk placement. Our experienced team utilizes all available tools to ensure a match is quality-lasting and meets all involved parties’ needs.

Adoption Finalization

Adoption finalization is the last legal step in the adoption process. Once finalized, the adoptive parents have legal rights and responsibilities for the child. Our team works closely with all parties to guide those involved through this process as efficiently as possible.

Also called post-adoption services, our post-permanency services at Lifespan Family Services support the child and family after the adoption or permanent legal guardianship has taken place. Regardless of whether or not they adopted a child from the child welfare system, all adoptive families are eligible for post-permanency services. We also allow families who have adopted privately to utilize these services.

If you have adopted a child through a public or private adoption and are having issues with your child, we can help you resolve your issue with this service. This may be in an instance of providing a respite where you both can have a brief "time out" to help calm a situation. Contact us for more information.