Join the COBYS Community.

In our community, for some families without a support structure, breaks occur. Mistakes are made. Children and Youth Services steps in. It is the mission of COBYS to meet them where they are and educate, support and empower children and adults to reach their full potential. The need for involvement is real.

You play a part.

Compassion:

Compassion comes with understanding. Learn more about what foster care is and means for children and families at risk in our community.
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Dignity:

We cannot provide the COBYS Difference, why and how we do what we do, without your financial support. These gifts, along with a servant spirit, mean together we make life-altering differences in the lives of those we serve.
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Hope:

Are you called to serve as a Foster or Foster to Adopt Family to provide hope, safety and stability to children who’s world has been turned upside down? Learn what that means and how COBYS prepares and walks with our families on this journey.
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To receive information about events and in depth stories about the positive difference COBYS is making in lives of children and families at risk, please provide your contact information. We’d love to share what support of COBYS looks like to our kids and families.
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The COBYS Difference

It comes down to why we do what we do, and how we do what we do. We are called to the ministries of service through servanthood, to provide joyful, transformative care.

Foster Care: COBYS provides state required services and so much more, to children in the foster care systems through the work of caseworkers who are CAREworkers.  COBYS also recruits, approves and trains resource families to care for children in foster care. The approval and training process at COBYS is unmatched for preparing families for the ministry of caring for children with trauma, as all foster children are. Foster families are supported throughout the process with ongoing training and support sessions.

Adoption: We facilitate adoptions of foster children through the Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network (SWAN). Additionally, we provide a variety of adoption-related services to assist families who are seeking to adopt as well as families in a kinship arrangement. Support is also available for those who already have adopted through free Post Adoption Services.

Counseling: The trained staff at COBYS Family Services offer professional psychotherapy and support to individuals, couples, and families at locations in Lancaster and Lebanon Counties. Our counselors address marital and couples’ therapy, relational issues, family therapy, depression and anxiety. They also address trauma related issues with evidence based therapies including EMDR and TF-CBT.

Family Life Education: COBYS Family Life Education Department offers a broad range of family life education programs. While we are best known for our parenting courses, our programs  share the common goal of supporting the development of human potential by providing parents, other adults, and children with information and skills to foster cooperation, courage, responsibility, self-esteem, and respect.

Permanency: The COBYS Permanency Unit is a specialized program whose goal, when possible, is to reunify children in foster care with their biological family. Staffed by COBYS, the program is funded by and serves children and families referred by the Lancaster County Children and Youth Social Service Agency. The two organizations work in partnership to achieve common goals of ensuring the safety of children, strengthening families, and securing permanency for children.