You may be surprised to learn that there is a formal system designed to support you after you adopt your child, are a formal kinship family, or become a child’s permanent legal custodian. This system is called Post Permanency services: Post Perm for short. The goal is to strengthen and stand by all of you on your family’s journey. One of the best things about Post Perm services is that it is individualized for your unique family. Tailored to you! And even better, Post Perm services are FREE, funded by the Office of Children, Youth, and Families.
Case Assessment
If you are interested in receiving Post Perm services, all you do is call SWAN @ 1-800-585-SWAN and ask. It’s that simple. The nice people at SWAN will ask you some questions about what is going on with your family to find out what areas you need support in. They will also ask you if you have an agency you want to work with. If not, they will assign you to one. Next, a Post Perm worker from that agency will call you to set up an in-person assessment at your home. This is nothing scary; basically just a meeting to connect you to your Post Perm worker so they can best help you. They will ask you many questions about your entire family. Post Perm services are about the whole family, not just the adopted child. There is some paperwork you will need to complete as well. Then your Post Perm worker and you will come up with goals, usually about 3-4, to work on together. This will all be contained in a document called your Family Support Plan. I like to think of it as the story of your family. This process is called case assessment.
Next up is Case Advocacy
This step all depends on your goals you have come up with in your Family Support Plan. Maybe your Post Perm worker checks in with you weekly and helps you process issues and concerns. Perhaps she comes with you to your child’s IEP to help you advocate for appropriate accommodations. Sometimes your Post Perm worker may present a training for school personnel about relevant issues to your child such as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, food hoarding/stealing, and adoption-related trauma. Perhaps you need help finding the right mental health resources for your family. Maybe your Post Perm worker goes with you to a mental health appointment to help that professional better understand your child’s adoption-related issues. Or your Post Perm worker can make a Lifebook with your child. Always, your Post Perm worker will send you relevant resources: books, videos, podcasts, trainings, Newsletters, and inspiring quotes. The sky is the limit. The only universal thing all families can expect is that your Post Perm worker will tailor your Case Advocacy to meet your family’s individual needs and concerns.
Respite
This is yet another wonderful part of Post Perm services. Respite is meant to support and strengthen your family. Sometimes this means parents and children getting a break from one-another. It can also look like families participating in family bonding activities together. Again, as with all things Post Perm, your respite will be unique to your family. Please read this article to learn even more about respite. For now, know that your respite funding will always match and complement the goals in your Family Support Plan.
Lastly we have Support Group
Do you often find yourself wishing you knew more parents like you with adopted children? Are you sometimes alienated from your friends and family as they just don’t understand the issues you encounter? Does your teen ask about meeting other adopted kids like them? Post Perm services has an answer for these kind of concerns: Support group. Join a support group today. Meet other families just like you, learn about adoption-related issues, and discover adoption-sensitive strategies that really work. Ask your Post Perm worker about support groups today. Various support groups are happening right now with many different agencies, some virtual and some in-person. As a Post Perm family, you can sign up for support groups being run from different agencies across the state.
Check out SWAN's description of Post Permanency Services here.
