Stronger Together: SWAN and IL Collaborate to Support Older Youth
Youth preparing to transition from foster care to adulthood need both practical skills and lasting, supportive relationships. Through ongoing collaboration, SWAN and Pennsylvania’s Independent Living (IL) Program are helping older youth access …
Permanency Is a Team Sport
At the 2026 SWAN/IL Spring Quarterly Meetings, professionals from across Pennsylvania’s child welfare and independent living networks gathered to be reminded, encouraged and called to action around the concept that permanency is not achieved alone. The morning general session presentation, “Permanency is a Team Sport,” highlighted how collaboration, trust, and shared purpose are essential to helping youth in foster care build lasting connections and lifelong support systems.
Recognizing and Responding to Blocked Care in Resource Families
Parenting youth who have experienced abuse and trauma can be deeply rewarding. It can also be challenging, overwhelming, and at times, emotionally exhausting. While many caregivers are able to work through these feelings, there are times when the sense of disconnection persists and becomes more difficult to navigate.
New Tools and Resources to Support Your Work in Permanency
We’re excited to announce a range of new and enhanced resources now available to support permanency workers across the network! Whether you’re writing family profiles, supporting placements and finalizations or recruiting families for waiting youth, these tools are designed to equip you, streamline your efforts and connect you with others doing similar work.
Honoring Youth: Strengthening Pathways for Lasting Bonds
As we move into the season of family, gatherings, and gratitude, November invites us to reflect on the many ways families are formed — and the love that connects them. National Adoption Month, celebrated across the nation and in Pennsylvania (Governor Shapiro’s proclamation), offers a special opportunity to celebrate adoptive families, honor the journeys of adopted youth, and raise awareness about the thousands of children still waiting for their …
Jennifer Bornman Named Supervisor of the SWAN Helpline
In December 2024, Jennifer Bornman was promoted to Supervisor of the SWAN Helpline following the retirement of long-time leader and mentor, Jan Scherer. With more than two decades of experience in child welfare and a deep passion for adoption, Jen brings a wealth of knowledge, compassion, and dedication to this new leadership role.
A New Resource to Empower Families
Meaningful family engagement recognizes that families are the experts of their own experiences, assures their active role and voice, and empowers them to make joint decisions to ensure their children’s safety, permanency, and well-being.
Fifth Annual Virtual Matching Event: Permanent Connections at the Touch of a Button
Held annually since 2021, this event is a unique two-week online forum that allows agencies representing waiting children and families and the waiting families themselves to interact directly as well as collaborate with their colleagues and network partners in the hopes of making a match.
Building Resiliency in Children, One Interaction at a Time
Permanency workers have a powerful opportunity to help build resilience in the children and youth they serve—one interaction at a time. During the SWAN/IL Spring Quarterly Meetings held throughout April, the SWAN network explored what resilience is, why it matters, and how caseworkers can help foster it in everyday moments.
Developing Families through the Family Profile Process
If achieving permanency is a journey, then the SWAN Family Profile Unit of Service equips Pennsylvania families with everything they need—prepared, packed, and ready—to navigate that path successfully. The family profile is a crucial process that supports a family’s growth and development, ultimately equipping them to provide permanency to a child.