Adoption Promotion Support Services (APSS)

Helping youth and families understand what adoption means to them.

What are Adoption Promotion Support Services (APSS)?

Adoption Promotion Support Services (APSS) is a service provided to families in the adoption process and are now facing challenges that impact the family as a result. Services are also provided when the children/youth have adoption as their permanency plan. They support the children/youth and potential adoptive parents through the process of finalizing their adoption. APSS Case Managers also provide on-going community training on topics that impact the adoption community. The adoption process does not end once a child is adopted, which is why Penny Lane offers lifelong post adoption services to all adoptees, adoptive families, birth parents, and other loved ones.

Post Adoption Support Services

The Adoption Promotion & Support Services Program offers adoption-specific services designed to encourage, expedite, and maintain Los Angeles County DCFS and Probation children in safe, loving adoptive homes. APSS is a supportive resource for matched and unmatched children and caregivers; adoptive families, families considering adoption, including those involved in the Resource Family Approval (RFA) process; hesitant children or children transitioning into adoptive homes, Children in Planned Permanent Living Arrangements, and Non-Minor Dependents that can benefit from a plan of adoption.  

Adoption Support Benefits For Families

Families can receive adoption-specialized help with issues regarding adoption, parenting an adopted child, behavioral problems, children who are ambivalent about adoption, and support adopting a sibling group.

How Does The APSS Program Assists Families?

Families can receive adoption-specialized help with issues regarding adoption, parenting an adopted child, behavioral problems, children who are ambivalent about adoption, and support adopting a sibling group.

Services are available even after the adoption has finalized. APSS provides support in the form of:

  • Case Management
  • Adoption Focused individual or family therapy
  • Adoption focused parenting
  • Mentoring & Support Groups

APSS services are free, voluntary, and available until the adoptee is 21 years of age.

How To Request APSS Services?

To initiate services with an open DCFS case please contact your Adoption’s Children’s Social Worker. Post adoption families can request APSS services by calling the Post Adoptions Hotline: (800) 735-4984.

A woman and child in a heartfelt hug

How to Help Families With Post Adoption Support Services

We welcome donations, volunteers, and mentors to support our programs and services.

We are always looking for adults having gone through the adoption process to join our team as mentor/volunteers working with our families. This program specifically requires this pre-requisite to volunteer. The adoption process can be rewarding and difficult so the role of these volunteers would be to provide support to our families as someone “who has been through it.”  

Adoption Promotion & Support Services are also available to adoptive families who are facing challenges in parenting their children, need individual, family and group therapy and could benefit from mentors and support groups for their adoptive children. For those families needing more intense services, Wraparound services are now available to adoptive families. Adoptive families can contact our Helpline for APSS referral, and an application for Wraparound services.

Become a Mentor

What does a mentor do? Mentor is defined in the dictionary as “an experienced and trusted adviser.”

  • A mentor is someone with which you can develop a long-term relationship that is centered around building the mentee’s growth and development.
  • A mentor does not work on a day-to-day basis to help a mentee make decisions, but they are there to serve as someone who can offer support, wisdom, and teaching over time.
  • People who choose to mentor parents and youth make a difference in the lives of the people they help and in their communities.
  • Mentors provide guidance and support, connecting parents with community resources, helping parents improve parenting and life skills, and creating a more stable environment at home.

Please contact the mentor coordinator for this program if you would be interested in this opportunity, Please email APSS@Pennylane.org for more information and to interact with our APSS team.

Additional Help

Adoption Promotion & Support Services are also available to adoptive families who are facing challenges in parenting their children, need individual, family and group therapy and could benefit from mentors and support groups for their adoptive children. For those families needing more intense services, Wraparound services are now available to adoptive families. Adoptive families can contact our Helpline for APSS referral, and an application for Wraparound services.

family is
everything

Contact

APSS Mentor Coordinator
Dania Doose
Mentor Coordinator
ddoose@pennylane.org
General Inquiries
Alexandra Fryer
APSS Program Supervisor
afryer@pennylane.org
Referrals

Referrals are made pre-adoption by the adoption children’s social worker, or direct referral through Adoption Assistance Program, Post Adoption Services

APSS Referrals