Program Description

The ‘Supports and Networking for Adoption and Permanency Planning’ program (SNAPP), formerly known as the ‘Special Needs Adoption Program’ has, since 1989, been an integral component of services provided to Central Okanagan children who are in the continuing custody of the Director of the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) and have been referred to be considered for adoption and permanency planning. This program area is founded on the belief that all children need and deserve the opportunity to grow up in a family that can provide them with permanence and an unconditional, life-long commitment. SNAPP has expanded to include the South Okanagan and the South Fraser regions in recent years.

Eligibility Criteria

• The SNAPP program is a program of KCR Community Resources and is on contract exclusively to the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) for delivery of services. Children’s MCFD guardianship workers do the referrals to SNAPP for the children they are responsible for in consultation with their Team Leaders.
• Regions – The SNAPP program is currently available in the Central and South Okanagan and in the South Fraser ‘Service Delivery Areas’
• Ages of Children – The SNAPP program accepts referrals for children who are three years of age or older for direct work and referrals for children under the age of three who need Lifebooks and transition support.
• Types of plans that SNAPP will consider in referral – Supporting planning, preparation (including Lifebooks) and transition work for adoption and transfer of guardianship for children who have a CCO in place; Lifebook work and supporting grief and loss journeys for children of various ages whose plan is not yet known but who have a CCO in place; Supporting children who do not have a CCO in place but who are being prepared to move to an “out-of-care” provider are considered on a case-by-case basis and as capacity allows.
• For any additional questions around eligibility, please contact the SNAPP Team Leader or fill out the referral form and you will be contacted.

Duration of Services and Service Capacity

• SNAPP is a “permanency readiness” program.
• Children are visited regularly by their SNAPP worker, usually in their foster home,
• The SNAPP worker will engage the child in a variety of age-appropriate activities, including the building of a Lifebook, to support them in the sharing and recording their birth history, identifying feelings, addressing issues of grief and loss and explaining different types of families (birth family, foster family, adoptive family, etc.).
• SNAPP workers provide support to children, and their foster and adoptive/permanent families throughout the process of transitioning homes.
• SNAPP has the capacity to support 84 children at a time, 24 in the Okanagan region and 60 in the South Fraser region.

Program Delivery

• When a SNAPP worker is assigned to a new referral, they will begin gathering the information necessary to share and record children’s history. As well, they will seek to build a relationship with the child and work to understand the child’s needs and interests so that effective planning and delivery of session work can be implemented.
• Scheduling of sessions requires access to the child’s foster home or a suitable alternate location on a regular basis.
• The SNAPP worker contributes to planning as adoption and other options for permanency are explored.
• When local placements occur, SNAPP workers will access the adoptive/permanent homes for follow-up sessions. If placements are not local, virtual follow-up will be offered instead.

Contact Us

Hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Phone: 778-669-2231
Fax: 250-717-2075
Email: Nancy Kilbrei (SNAPP Team Leader)

Confidential information contained on the referral form and any other case sensitive ministry information should be sent by MCFD email to Nancy.Kilbrei@gov.bc.ca