The Diocese of Allentown: Adoption Services

Creating permanent families for children

Approximately 2%
of all U.S. children are adopted.

Approximately 126,000
children in the U.S. foster care
system are waiting to be adopted.*
*Casey Family Programs (CFP) and the Children's Bureau,
Administration for children and Families,
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

That is reality.
This is Catholic Charities.
Adoptive parenting takes flexibility and patience, the willingness to learn the unique issues of adoption and specialized parenting skills. But for all its challenges, adoptive parenting can be an unusually rewarding experience in raising children.
Catholic Charities is a leading provider of adoption services in the counties of Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton and Schuylkill since 1961.

Family Profile
Your capacity for parenting and your understanding of adoption issues are comprehensively assessed through a Family Profile. Also known as an adoption home study, it is required to adopt a child in the state of Pennsylvania.
Catholic Charities professional adoption case workers conduct group trainings and/or family profile interviews to prepare and educate prospective parents on the numerous challenges and rewards of adopting. Family profiles help determine:

The type of adoption you want.
The kind of adoptive child you can most effec- tively parent.
What you can accept in terms of the child's background, age and/or special needs.

Infant Adoption
We work with birthparents who are voluntarily making an adoption plan for their child. Birthparents identify qualities they desire in
adoptive parents, and then select the adoptive parents from Catholic Charities's set of non-identifying profiles. Adoptive parents find that what they know about the birth family is very helpful in raising their child. We provide the adoptive parents with medical, socio-economic and all available background information about the birthparents.
Most placements involve some amount of openness, including a meeting between the birthparents and adoptive parents with twice-a-year updates. This makes the process more personal; it creates a positive foundation for the exchange of information over the years.
In an agency-assisted adoption, the birthparents have selected adoptive parents who were unknown to the agency. Both sets of parents are referred to the agency where they receive the necessary counseling and family profile services needed for placement.

Special Needs Adoption
(SWAN)
The Statewide Adoption Network or SWAN, is a program funded by the state of Pennsylvania to recruit and prepare families to adopt children who are currently in foster homes throughout the state.
Many of these children are over five years old; they may be members of minority groups and/or part of a sibling group. These children usually have special emotional needs due to early abuse, neglect or problems with their birth families. Some have serious medical needs.
In adoptions through SWAN, there is no charge to the adoptive parents for the family profile and other adoption services.

Foster-Adopt Program
Families who wish to adopt through SWAN and want to receive a child as early as possible initially serve as foster parents. This enables them to begin the attachment process with the child even though legal rights of the birthparents are still intact, and the possibility exists that the child could be returned to a birth relative by court order.
The concept of "concurrent planning" is used to match children earlier with families who can be a permanent resource rather than place a child in a temporary foster home.

International Adoption
Catholic Charities partners with two agencies to provide opportunities for international adoption. For Korean adoptions, Catholic Charities partners with Family and Children's Agency, Inc., based in Norwalk, CT. Children's Home Society and Family Services, based in St. Paul, MN, has programs with countries in Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. This partnership affords adoptive parents a local resource for assistance with access to, and working with, experienced, established agencies. In addition, Catholic Charities completes the family profile (home study) and provides post-placement support and supervision.

Continuing Services
After placing a child in your home, Catholic Charities is required and committed to provide post-placement support and supervision.
Our staff visits your home, prepares the intermediary report for the court, and attends the hearing with you and your attorney. We provide post-legal finalization support, counseling and group meetings for adoptive parents.
We are also particularly proud of our post-adoption attachment therapy program for children with bonding issues, and their adoptive parents who need sustained, therapeutic support and counseling.

Search Services
Adult adoptees often want to know more about their birth families. They may request a summary of non-identifying information and/or a meeting with one or both birthparents.
Catholic Charities offers search services for adults who have been adopted through our agency. We provide the needed support to the adoptee, birthparents and adoptive parents.

Agency Service Fees
Questions about agency fees are expected and encouraged. If you adopt through SWAN, there is no charge to the adoptive parents for any adoption services.
Reasonable fees are charged for infant adoption and search services. We invite you to call our Adoption Services Department in Allentown to discuss any questions you may have about our fee structure and other information.

Our mission is to provide compassionate human services with respect for the sanctity of all human life.
We provide opportunities for volunteering. Contact the Catholic Charities office nearest you.

Catholic Charities is a private non-profit social service agency operating under the auspices of the Diocese of Allentown. Its services are available to any person residing within Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton or Schuylkill County regardless of race, ethnic origin, religion, gender, age, color, political affiliation, creed, disability and Limited English Proficiency.

Catholic Charities is financially supported by the Bishop's Annual Appeal, Holiday Appeal, grants, fees, donations and federal, state and county governments.

Its programs are approved for funding by the PA Departments of Education, Community Affairs and Public Welfare, and County Departments of Human Services including Children and Youth, Mental Health/Mental Retardation and Aging.

BERKS COUNTY
Madison Bldg, 400 Washington St., Suite 100
Reading, PA 19601-3966
Tel. 610-376-7144 Fax 610-376-7145

LEHIGH-NORTHAMPTON COUNTIES
530 Union Blvd, Allentown, PA 18109-3230
Tel. 610-435-1541 Fax 610-435-4367

SCHUYLKILL-CARBON COUNTIES
1720 W. Market St, Pottsville, PA 17901
Tel. 570-628-0466 Fax 570-628-3343