Thousands of children in Pennsylvania's foster care system are waiting for parents who can provide a lifetime of love. Many of these children are older than age eight, need to be adopted with siblings, are of an ethnic minority, or have physical or emotional problems. What all of these children have in common is a need for a family to provide unconditional love and support. Especially needed are racial and ethnic minority families and resource families who are willing to care for teens, sibling groups, minority children, and medically fragile children.

COBYS Family Services is affiliated with the Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network (SWAN). As a SWAN affiliate, COBYS is part of a network of public and private organizations that share a common goal of providing permanent homes in a timely fashion for Pennsylvania's foster children. COBYS assists families and children who already are part of the COBYS program, as well as new families who are interested in pursuing adoption through foster care. Our role is to prepare children and families for adoption, facilitate the legal process, and provide support both before and after the adoption. All COBYS resource families are dually certified for foster care and adoption so children can be placed into pre-adoptive homes before parental rights are terminated.

While adopting a child in some settings can cost thousands of dollars, families who adopt through SWAN incur little expense. In addition, most children are eligible to receive ongoing adoption assistance until they reach age 18. Families who adopt through SWAN also may be eligible for an adoption tax credit.

Meet some of the children currently waiting for adoption at www.adoptpakids.org.

Click to learn more about Becoming a Resource Parent

Questions? Go to Frequently Asked Questions or contact a COBYS Resource Home Coordinator at careforkids@cobys.org.

Go back to the Adoption page