Find us on Facebook!
About Us
Hope For Kids (HFK) is a fully licensed, SWAN affiliated, adoption agency in the state of Pennsylvania. Our adoption program is a distinct and unique program built to assist parents through the adoption process. We serve birth, foster, and adoptive families and children with and without special needs. Our staff is fully dedicated to assisting the family and children throughout their finalization and after.
We believe that every child has been given their own set of strengths and personality that can be a wonderful compliment and addition to a forever family and that is why we feel that it is part of our ministry to offer a wide range of permanency services to families and children of Pennsylvania.
Philosophy
Hope For Kids (HFK) Adoption Program believes that it is every child's need and right to be part of a loving, dependable, and lasting family. Many of us were fortunate because we grew up in a positive, safe and nurturing family. As a result, we are able to trust and believe in people. But we realize that these children have not had the benefit of a positive upbringing, therefore needing to learn how to have faith in others. It is our strong belief that the Lord declared to everyone, "For I know the plan I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11), and with this design in our hearts, it is our mission to help each child experience such a plan.
Permanency Options:
Legal Risk Placement (Foster-to-Adopt)
Legal-risk placement, most commonly known as foster-to-adopt adoption, involve children in the custody of a county Children and Youth Services who were initially placed into a foster home with the intent for them to reunite with their birth family; however, for some reason they were not able to, and as a result, became legally free for adoption. Their current foster family may then decide to adopt the child. Other times, a family serves as a foster family with the intent to adopt once the child has become legally free for adoption.
Although foster-to-adopt adoptions are a step toward permanency for a child, the family does face the risk that the child may not be able to be legally adopted, depending on the status of the birth parents' rights.
Kinship Adoption
Kinship placement occurs when the child is related to the foster family either by blood or is considered to be related through a close relationship. Kinship families sometimes experience an additional layer of sensitivity with the discussion of permanency because the child may have conflicting issues regarding loyalty, and/or the family may feel that adoption may cause more tension and conflict within the family network. Many kinship families opt to use permanent legal custodianship as an alternative to adoption.
Private / Domestic Adoption
The most popular form of a private adoption is an infant adoption where a birth mother has chosen a family prior to birth to adop the infant or terminates her rights shortly after giving birth to the child. This form of adoption typically has more fees associated with it.
Permanent Legal Custodianship (PLC) & Subsidized Permanent Legal Custodianship
PLC is a form of permanency that allos for the child to have a stable home until they turn 18 years-old. The family has custody of the child, but often the child still has contact and/or visitation with their birth family. This arrangement is often seen in older youth or in kinship placements. A subsidized Permanent Legal Custodianship or SPLC, is where the family would receive a monthly subsidy payment.
In this type of placement, if the child would continue visitation with their birth family, Hope For Kids will ensure that all rights, responsibilities, specifically pertaining to visitation, child support, health care and education, and services are clearly outlined for the custodian, biological parent(s), and youth. The child and family would receive the same services as a family that was adopting.
International Adoption
At this time, Hope For Kids is able to provide a family profile for prospective adoptive families.
