Adopting a Child in County Custody Through Berks County Children and Youth Services

The only requirement for adoption is that you be over 21 years of age. It is acceptable to be a single applicant, both male and female. The agency looks for people who are mature, flexible, and adaptable with skills to parent a child with a variety of needs, and it needs homes for sibling groups so those children keep the security and continuity of family relationships.

The children waiting are ages 0 to 18. Many have been neglected, and some have been physically, emotionally, or sexually abused. Many have emotional or behavioral problems that will require extra patience and added attention, and some are developmentally disabled or behind in schoolwork. Almost every child in the system qualifies as a "special needs" child, a designation based on five things: over 5 years of age, a child of a minority heritage, a sibling group, a child with serious medical or emotional problems, and a child whose genetic background would make it vulnerable to future problems.

If you are interested in children in the custody of the agency, start by having a home study completed. You can contact a private agency such as Lutheran Home of Topton or Catholic Social Agency and get involved in the home study process. A licensed social work agency with expertise in adoption and family issues usually does the home study. It includes:

• Interviews of the husband and wife and other family members
• A review of your financial, medical, legal, and social history
• A tour of your home
• Discussion of adoption issues
• Legal checks for child abuse and police history

That study is used to provide information about your family to counties or agencies who have children for adoption.

Allow 3 to 6 months for a home study. Having a child placed in your home can take a week or can take several months to years. Once a child is placed in your home for adoption and parental rights have been terminated, an adoption should be finalized within 6 months.

Agencies in the Berks County area that specialize in preparing adoptive parents can be found at adoptpakids.org. You can also call 1-800-585-SWAN for the State Wide Adoption Network or 1-800-227-0225 for the PA Adoption Exchange, and the Statewide Adoption Network line can give you information about local adoption services in your area. SWAN is a Pennsylvania state agency that funds adoption programs and incentives to help counties find homes for children identified by the court as needing adoption; SWAN workers write Child Profiles, home studies, supervise adoption placements, and complete finalizations for Berks County.

On cost: if the county agency is involved in the adoption, most likely your adoption will have no cost to you, because legal fees, placement fees, and other court costs are paid for by the county agency. The cost of the home study varies with agency fees, and there are times when there is no cost to you for the study, so ask the agency doing your home study what it charges. Children in the foster care system who qualify as "special needs" are eligible for the adoption subsidy program, which is available to the child until he or she turns 18. It includes legal fees paid to finalize the adoption, a medical assistance card to cover medical and emotional needs, and a per diem payment, like foster care, at a set amount until the child is 18. Subsidies are meant to supplement the parents' responsibilities, not to completely support a child, and there is a system in place to request an increase if the child's needs change substantially.

A few things to know before you start. Every child that is adopted has a Child Profile written by a separate agency, and the agency also gives adoptive families copies of medical and psychological or psychiatric evaluations in its files; caseworkers are assigned when a child is placed to help the family cope with any behaviors or difficulties. If you are hoping to adopt an infant, note that the first option for infants in foster care is to return to parents or other relatives and most are in care only a limited time, and that private agencies specialize in infant adoptions. There is no such thing as "open adoption" legally in Pennsylvania, though individually arranged plans for letters, pictures, and even visits can develop after adoption, with the adoptive family always in control. Berks County Children and Youth Services does not sponsor a support group for adoptive families, but usually the agency doing your adoption will have ongoing groups or services, and you can always return to the agency for help in parenting and seeking other services. The agency is also one of several in the area with a foster-to-adopt program, along with CONCERN, Lutheran Home of Topton, Catholic Social Agency and COBYS, and staff will be glad to discuss that program with you.

Berks County Children and Youth Services is at the Berks County Services Center, 11th Floor, 633 Court Street, Reading, PA 19601. Its general number for questions is 610-478-6700. Building hours are 8 AM to 5 PM, closed on holidays, and department hours may vary.

Source: berkspa.gov/departments/children-and-youth/adoption, read September 18, 2026.

The details

In Berks County Children and Youth Services’s words

When foster children are unable to be returned to their birth families, the court may order that parental rights be terminated and the child should be placed for adoption. Adoption is the legal transfer of all parental rights and obligations from the agency to another person or couple. Parental rights of birth parents are terminated and they retain no rights or obligations. Adoptive parents alone are in charge of making decisions about their child. Berks County Children and Youth Services…

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