Forward Focus Therapy, LLC

04/21/2026

Not All “Placements” Are the Same: How Pennsylvania Decides Where Children Belong

When a child can’t safely remain with their parents, the decision about where and how they are raised isn’t just legal—it shapes their:

sense of stability
identity and family connection
attachment and belonging
long-term emotional outcomes

In Pennsylvania, there are several different paths a child may be placed in. They can look similar on the surface—but they function very differently.

Foster Care (Dependency System / CYS)The child is placed in care through the state due to safety concerns.
The state has legal custody
Foster parents provide temporary care
Parents still have rights, but they are limited and overseen
The court reviews the case regularly
The primary goal is usually reunification

AdoptionAdoption creates a permanent legal family.
Parents’ rights are terminated
Adoptive parents become the child’s full legal parents
The child becomes a permanent member of that family in every legal sense

Guardianship (Private / Orphans’ Court)A guardian is given legal authority to raise the child and make decisions about their care.
The child lives with the guardian
Parents keep their legal rights
The guardian handles school, medical, and day-to-day decisions
The arrangement can be changed through the court

Subsidized Permanent Legal Custodianship (SPLC)(Pennsylvania’s form of subsidized guardianship through the foster system)
Used when a child cannot return home, but adoption is not the right fit
Custody is transferred to a caregiver (often a relative or foster parent)
Parents keep their rights
The caregiver receives financial support
There is less ongoing court involvement than foster care

These categories matter because they define:
who makes decisions for the child
whether parents remain legally connected
how stable or changeable the placement is
And for kids, those differences are not abstract—they are lived every day.

04/04/2026

Current kids in care have voices.
They deserve agency — even when we don’t like what they say, or what they want.

Kids in care consistently say they want:
to be heard
to have a say in decisions about their lives
to be included in what happens to them

One qualitative study of older youth in foster care identified three core needs in their own words:
Agency
Genuine support
Emotional connection

They are not asking to be managed.
They are asking to be included.

Research also shows that kids define family in ways that go beyond legal labels.

They talk about:
• who shows up
• who stays
• who they feel connected to
• where they feel connection
If we are going to talk about what’s best for children,
we have to start with their voices.

Even when it’s uncomfortable.
Even when it challenges our beliefs.

That’s what agency actually means.

Sources:
• Samuels et al., Children and Youth Services Review (youth perspectives: agency, support, connection)
• Boddy et al., Children and Youth Services Review (how foster youth define family)
• ACF Youth Engagement Team (youth voice in permanency decisions)

04/04/2026

What support do guardians actually need?

Guardianship is often talked about as if it’s a simple legal fix.

But in real life, guardians usually need a lot more than a court order.

They may need:
• financial support
• help navigating schools and healthcare
• legal clarity
• trauma-informed guidance
• respite, community, and practical help

Because taking legal responsibility for a child is one thing.

Sustaining that care over time is another.

In many cases, guardians are stepping in during crisis, grief, instability, or family disruption.

That means they are not just caring for a child.
They are often managing:
loss
transitions
complicated family dynamics
and systems that may not be built for them

04/03/2026

How does guardianship fit into the bigger picture of permanency?

When a child can’t safely stay with their parents, the goal becomes permanency — a stable, long-term place to grow up.

There are a few different ways the system tries to do that:
• Reunification
• Guardianship
• Adoption
• Long-term foster care

Guardianship is one of those options — not the only one.

It’s typically used when:
Reunification isn’t possible
A child is already living with a stable caregiver
That situation needs to be made legally secure

What it offers:
Day-to-day stability
A committed adult raising the child
Legal authority for that adult to act as caregiver

04/03/2026

What kinds of children tend to benefit most from guardianship?

Guardianship tends to work best when a child needs stability without changing their existing family structure.

Common situations:
A child is already living long-term with a caregiver
Stability needs to be made official and protected
Continuity (home, school, relationships) matters most
The child has a clear sense of their family identity
Older youth who want stability without redefining family roles

04/03/2026

What does guardianship actually look like day-to-day for kids?

Day-to-day life in guardianship often looks very familiar.

Kids:
Go to school
Eat meals with their caregiver
Do homework, activities, bedtime routines

Their guardian is the one who:
• signs school forms
• takes them to doctor appointments
• sets rules and provides structure
• shows up for the everyday moments
In many homes, it feels like a typical family life

Especially when:
• the child already knew the caregiver
• routines are consistent
• the home is stable

To the outside world, it may look like:
a grandparent household
an aunt raising a child
a family friend stepping in

At the same time, there can be small differences in daily life

Kids may:
hear different language used (“guardian” instead of “parent”)
notice differences on school forms or paperwork
have moments where their family structure is explained or clarified

These things aren’t constant — but they can be part of the experience.

04/03/2026

What kinds of families use guardianship?

Guardianship is most often used in families where a child is already being raised by someone other than their parent.

The most common situations:

Kinship care
Grandparents, aunts/uncles, older siblings
The child already knows and trusts the caregiver

Fictive kin / chosen family
Close family friends, godparents, trusted adults
Family” built through relationship, not biology

Parents unable to parent full-time
• Illness, incarceration, instability
• Another adult steps in for daily care

Long-term informal caregiving
• A temporary situation becomes permanent
• Guardianship provides legal authority and stability

Guardianship is usually used when there is already:
a committed adult
an existing relationship
a stable caregiving situation

It doesn’t create a family — it formalizes and protects one that already exists.

04/03/2026

What does the research say about guardianship?

First: guardianship is a real permanency option, not a temporary band-aid.

The research and policy literature describe guardianship as a legal arrangement meant to give a child stability, day-to-day care, and long-term commitment with an adult caregiver, often a relative or other trusted adult.

What the research most consistently supports is this:

Guardianship seems to work best when there is already a strong relationship in place.

That is why so much of the research focuses on:
grandparents raising grandchildren
aunts, uncles, or older siblings stepping in
kinship caregivers who already know the child
situations where continuity matters

In those settings, guardianship can help preserve:
attachment to familiar caregivers
family and community continuity
a child’s sense of identity and history
day-to-day stability

Another important point:

The strongest guardianship research is in kinship care.

That means we know the most about guardianship when children are being raised by relatives or people who are already part of their world.

Research has also found that in kinship placements, guardianship can be quite stable over time and, in some studies, looks similar to kin adoption on continuity/stability.

And one more thing the research makes clear:

Guardianship tends to work best when caregivers have:
• financial support
• legal clarity
• trauma-informed guidance
• school and service coordination
• practical help, not just responsibility

So when people ask, “What does the research say about guardianship?” the clearest answer is:

It is a meaningful permanency option, especially in kinship and relationship-based caregiving situations, and it appears most effective when children already have a trusted caregiver and that caregiver is well supported.

Key Research & Sources on Guardianship

1. Child Welfare Information Gateway (U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services)
• Kinship Guardianship as a Permanency Option
https://www.childwelfare.gov/resources/kinship-guardianship-permanency-option/

Nuffield Family Justice Observatory
• Special Guardianship: A Review of the Evidence
https://www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/resource/special-guardianship-a-review-of-the-evidence

• Contact and Child Well-being Review
https://www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/resource/contact-well-being

3. Koh, E., Rolock, N., Cross, T., & Eblen-Manning, A. (2017)
• What Explains Instability in Foster Care? Comparison of Kinship Guardianship and Adoption
(Child Abuse & Neglect)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0145213417302569

4. Children and Youth Services Review (2023)
• Systematic Review of Permanency Outcomes for Youth in Foster Care
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740923005625

5. U.S. Administration for Children & Families (ACF / OPRE)
• Understanding Post-Adoption and Guardianship Instability
https://acf.gov/opre/report/understanding-post-adoption-and-guardianship-instability-children-and-youth-who-exit

For children living in foster care, adoption and guardianship are important permanency outcomes when reunification with their biological family is not an option. Most children living in adoptive or guardianship families do not reenter state custody after adoption or guardianship finalization. Howeve...

04/03/2026

Let’s start a conversation about something that gets talked about a lot… but not always clearly:

Guardianship.

You’ve probably heard the term. But what does it actually mean?

At its core, guardianship is a legal relationship created by a court where an adult is given the authority to raise a child.

That means a guardian can:
Make medical decisions
Enroll the child in school
Provide housing and daily care
Act in every practical way like a parent

But legally, it’s different from adoption in one key way:

The child’s original legal family is not replaced

Instead, the guardian steps in to care for and raise the child, while the child’s original legal identity remains intact.

So what does that look like in real life?

Guardianship often shows up when:

A grandparent steps in to raise a grandchild
An aunt or uncle becomes the primary caregiver
A family friend takes over day-to-day parenting
A child cannot safely live with their parents, but adoption isn’t the chosen path

In many of these cases, the child already knows and trusts the person raising them.

Here’s the simplest way to understand it:

Guardianship = full caregiving authority without legally replacing the child’s original family

Over the next few posts, I’m going to break this down further

03/05/2026

For many adoptees the nervous system has had to manage early separation, loss, uncertainty, and identity stress, sometimes starting very early in life. That can make our systems more sensitive to stress later on. None of that means anything is “wrong” with you — it just means your nervous system may need extra support.

A few things that many people find helpful:

1. Start with body regulation
When the nervous system is overwhelmed, the body often needs support first. Gentle movement, stretching, walking, or getting outside can help your body settle.

Sleep is also pivotal. When we’re sleep deprived, the nervous system has a much harder time regulating emotions. Prioritizing consistent sleep, even small improvements, can make a big difference.

2. Belly breathing
This is a simple way to calm the nervous system. Instead of breathing into your chest, you breathe slowly so your belly expands when you inhale and softens when you exhale. Putting a hand on your stomach can help you feel the movement. Slowing the breath, especially making the exhale a little longer than the inhale, can signal safety to the body.

3. Simple grounding tools
Some practical skills people use when emotions spike:

• 5-4-3-2-1 grounding – name 5 things you see, 4 things you feel, 3 things you hear, 2 things you smell, 1 thing you taste.
• STOP skill – pause, take a breath, observe what’s happening inside and around you, then proceed with intention.
• TIPP skills – things like cold water on your face, paced breathing, or brief intense movement can help reset the nervous system when emotions spike.

These are part of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills training. A helpful overview is here:
https://dialecticalbehaviortherapy.com

4. Check medical and hormonal factors
Sometimes physical things like perimenopause, thyroid issues, iron levels, vitamin D, or other hormone shifts can make regulation much harder. A full medical checkup can sometimes help rule out things that are adding to the struggle.

5. Trauma-informed therapy
Some therapies that many people find helpful for nervous system regulation include DBT, EMDR, somatic therapies, trauma-informed CBT, and other body-based approaches.

6. Adoption-competent therapists
Not every therapist understands adoption loss or early separation. Some resources for finding adoption-informed providers include:

• Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.)
https://adoptionsupport.org

• Adoption Knowledge Affiliates
https://adoptionknowledge.org

You can also search therapist directories like Psychology Today and look for clinicians who mention adoption competency.

7. Community with other adoptees
Being around people who understand the experience can be incredibly regulating. Feeling seen and understood can reduce a lot of the isolation that many adoptees carry.

Healing usually isn’t one big breakthrough. It’s often small things that gradually help the nervous system feel safer over time. Some days will still be hard, and that’s part of the process. Be gentle with yourself while you figure out what helps you.

​Discover What's Happening! ​ Live Podcast Event with ATMOM & Special Guests in Austin, Texas By Adoption: The Making of Me Podcast In-person event at Dougherty Arts Center in Austin, Texas...

03/05/2026

Project Ice Storm is a long-term research study that followed children whose mothers were pregnant during a devastating ice storm in Quebec in 1998. During the storm, many families lived for weeks without power, heat, transportation, or normal stability. Researchers realized this tragic event created a rare opportunity to study something scientists have long suspected: how stress during pregnancy can shape a child’s development.

The children were followed for many years. On average, researchers found that when pregnant mothers experienced greater hardship during the storm, their children later showed small differences in areas like early learning, stress regulation, physical health, and some brain systems involved in emotion and memory. These results don’t mean outcomes are predetermined, but they do show something powerful: our experiences can begin shaping us even before we are born.

For many adoptees, this research can feel deeply validating. Many of us were conceived or carried during times of significant stress—instability, lack of support, fear, crisis, or uncertainty. That means some adoptees may have entered the world with nervous systems that were already trying to adapt to a difficult environment.

When you understand that, a lot of things can start to make more sense. Struggling with anxiety, feeling constantly on alert, having difficulty calming your body, or needing extra support with trust and safety may not be personal failings. They may be signs that your nervous system has been working overtime since the very beginning.

But this isn’t a story about damage—it’s a story about strength.

If adoptees sometimes have to work harder to find balance, connection, or peace, it may be because we have been adapting and surviving since before our first breath. That is not weakness. That is resilience.

So if things sometimes feel harder than they seem to for other people, try to offer yourself the same compassion you would offer someone you love. Be gentle with yourself. Your story may have started with challenges many people never had to face—but the fact that you are here, learning, growing, and continuing forward is a testament to your courage and your capacity to heal.

03/05/2026

Many adoptees learn to be resilient even before we are born

Project Ice Storm followed children whose mothers were pregnant during the 1998 Quebec ice storm, when many families lost power, heat, and normal living conditions for days to weeks. Researchers used this real-world disaster as a “natural experiment” to study how stress during pregnancy can shape development. They tracked the children repeatedly from early childhood into the late teen years, and some into young adulthood.

What they found :

• Early learning and language: kids tended to score a bit lower on language and thinking tests in early childhood when prenatal hardship was higher.
• Stress regulation: as teens, some showed a different “stress hormone” pattern when exposed to stress in a lab—suggesting their stress system developed differently.
• Body and health: some studies found higher risk markers in adolescence like greater body weight/waist size, and signals related to immune health in certain analyses.
• Biology that lasts: years later, researchers found differences in how some genes were “turned up or down” (epigenetic markers), especially in immune-related pathways.
• Young adult brain findings: in a smaller group with brain scans around age 19, there were differences in brain areas involved in emotion, stress, and memory.

One striking detail: in several analyses, the level of real-life hardship (like disruption and loss of resources) predicted outcomes more strongly than just how distressed the mother reported feeling.

This study helps explain something many adoptees already sense in their bodies:
our story doesn’t start at birth. If a pregnant parent is going through high stress—especially stress that involves fear, instability, lack of support, poverty, conflict, or unsafe conditions—then the baby may arrive with a nervous system that has already been practicing survival.

That can look like:
• being extra alert or “wired”
• difficulty calming down
• sleep issues
• big feelings, anxiety, or shutdown
• a body that stores stress

And none of that is the adoptee’s fault.

This is about risk, not destiny. Many children exposed to prenatal stress do very well—especially when they later have safety, support, predictable care, and opportunities for regulation and connection. The point isn’t to blame our first moms or families. It’s to validate that some of what adoptees struggle with can be biological and early, not “personal failure.”