Magic can happen when a family chooses to gather and celebrate together. More family members can mean more magic. Fostering children and adopting bring more people and joy to the gathering.

Butler County has several agencies that support foster families and facilitate adoptions based on the wants and needs of the family and the child. It also depends whether the foster parents want the child permanently or to simply help a child along their way.

“Typically, we just don’t have enough homes, period,” said Rochelle Graham, a program specialist for the Butler County Children and Youth Agency. “It’s not always about the best fit when we can’t even find a home for a young child without many special needs.”

In foster care, most children are with their foster families for a short time before being adopted or returning to their family of origin, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. The children might be voluntarily placed or removed from their home by a court order.

Agencies assessing potential foster families look for emotional and financial stability, safety, support and community.

Fostering requires a home approval process and evaluation of the family picture and history. Human services clarifies the financial stability requirement does not necessarily mean families must be financially “well-off.”

When families are applying, they can also create parameters for age, gender and ability to work with special needs or trauma.

It takes a special type of person to provide stability to children in crisis when their own home has stopped being the right place for them to live, even if only temporarily, according to human services.

Foster parents must also prepare the child to return to their family of origin or be adopted by a new family.

Reimbursement for expenses related to the foster child, as well as generally covered health care costs, may also be provided. A single parent may also become a foster caregiver.

Families can learn more by visiting the Pennsylvania Adoption Exchange webpage.

Adoptions in the state are primarily facilitated by the Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network, or SWAN, which is a partnership between human services, the Pennsylvania Adoption Exchange and local agencies.

Since adopting a child requires the transfer of legal guardianship, the parental rights of their biological parents must be terminated before the child becomes available to adopt. The county agency must also attempt to work with the child’s family to resolve the issue that led to placement.

Human services said parents looking to adopt an infant will generally work with a private adoption agency. Parents interested in adopting older children or those with special needs typically work with the county or a SWAN affiliate.

The requirements to foster and adopt are similar. Both require the parents to be 21 or older, pass a background check and complete a physical exam and a family and home evaluation.

For fostering, every person over the age of 14 living in the home must pass the background check and receive child abuse clearances. Foster parents must complete initial and ongoing training.

Graham added common training for Pennsylvania foster parents includes first aid and CPR, trauma-informed care, mandated reporting and prudent parenting.

“There are about 30 hours of training … that foster parents will need up front, and then there are usually training requirements each year to be recertified for licensing,” she said.

Adoption requires a more in-depth look at the profile of a potential foster home.

“The main difference is that in order to adopt, there needs to be what is typically called a family profile completed,” Graham said. “It is similar to the initial home study that is completed when becoming a foster parent, but it’s much more in depth.”

Adoption requires parents to complete an application and a more in-depth home study through a series of meetings. The child must live in the home for six months before the adoption is finalized.

Multiple agencies in and around Butler County can help with fostering and adoption.

Bethany Christian Services of Wexford serves foster and adoptive families in Butler County. It’s the largest Christian child and family organization in the country. It assists families with foster care, adoption services, family counseling and strengthening and foster services for immigrants.

Isaiah 117 House helps foster children specifically by housing children awaiting placement and assisting foster families with resources. Its Butler County house serves children from Butler and Lawrence counties.

The Bair Foundation has an office in New Wilmington, Lawrence County. The organization works with foster and adoptive families. Its structured intervention treatment foster care model focuses on traumatized children in the system in treatment while housed with a foster family.

Family Care for Children & Youth, serving the county from its Greensburg office, also connects children with foster families, facilitates adoptions and provides resources for families.

Family Pathways, located on Brugh Avenue in Butler, assists foster children and families with resources, parental training and case management.

Safe Haven of Butler County, located on Mercer Road in Butler, connects foster children to educational and social programs.

Several other agencies also offer ongoing training for parents, financial assistance, 24-hour emergency services and paid respite care both during the foster process and after adoption.