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Maryland Post Permanency Program
The Maryland Post Permanency Program provides free, statewide, trauma-responsive services for families formed through adoption and guardianship. Starting February 1, 2026, the program's post-adoption supports were expanded to include all relative caregivers with custody or guardianship, ensuring that every post-permanency family has access to the tools, community, and support they need to thrive. All services are available at no cost through our partnership with Maryland DHS/SSA.
Permanency is a milestone. Support is lifelong.
We’re thrilled to announce the expansion of our Maryland Post Permanency Program beginning February 1, 2026! In addition to providing support for families formed through adoption, services are now available for relatives and kinship providers who achieved legal permanency through custody and guardianship.
Paths for Families is committed to ensuring families receive ongoing support, connection, and access to skilled clinicians, helping stabilize placements, strengthen family relationships, and promote long‑term well‑being for Maryland’s children and youth.
Who We Support:
- Adoptive parents
- Guardianship families
- Relative caregivers with custody
- Youth and young adults in post-permanency families
Support Offerings:
Therapy
We offer trauma-responsive, adoption and permanency-centered therapy including:
- Individual therapy
- Family therapy
- Parent-focused therapy
- Comprehensive bio-psycho-social intake and assessment
Topic-Based Group Sessions - Begin March 4!
We’re hosting six group sessions for parents and caregivers, and we’d love to see you there! We’ll send a video ahead of each session to help spark our conversations. To help us create a close-knit and supportive space, we ask that everyone plans to attend all six sessions.
2026 Dates:
- Wednesdays from March 4-April 8 | 7-8 PM
- Mondays from April 27-June 8 | Topic Sessions and Time TBD
- Wednesdays from July 8-August 12 | Topic Sessions and Time TBD
- Thursdays from October 15-November 19 | Topic Sessions and Time TBD
Session Topics:
- Week 1 – Building Safety & Shared Understanding
- Group norms and confidentiality
- Understanding adoption and kinship as lifelong journeys
- Acknowledging grief, loss, and complex emotions
- Week 2 – Trauma, Loss & Behavior
- Impact of trauma and separation on child development
- Reframing behavior as communication
- Regulation-focused parenting strategies
- Week 3 – Identity, Belonging & Family Connections
- Identity development in adoption and kinship care
- Navigating birth family relationships
- Age-appropriate conversations about family history
- Week 4 – Attachment & Connection-Based Parenting
- Attachment styles and relationship repair
- Co-regulation and connection during stress
- Discipline through a relational lens
- Week 5 – Caregiver Wellness & Burnout Prevention
- Compassion fatigue and secondary trauma
- Boundaries with systems and extended family
- Building sustainable self-care practices
- Week 6 – Reflection, Resources & Moving Forward
- Reflecting on growth and progress
- Identifying ongoing supports
- Creating a personal family support plan
Book Club - Begins March 9!
Our Book Club is a welcoming space where parents and caregivers can come together, share experiences, and talk about adoption and guardianship-related books in a relaxed, supportive environment. Each session will focus on a different book. Conversations are gently guided by a Lived Experience Expert and Jennifer McLeod, Maryland Post-Permanency Program Clinical Coordinator/Adoptive Parent, creating space for connection, reflection, and encouragement.
Discussion Format:
- First, we’ll start with initial thoughts and reactions to the book.
- Next, we’ll dive into a guided, facilitated conversation.
- Please join the discussion whether you’ve finished the book or not. Everyone is welcome!
2026 Dates:
- March 9 at 7 P.M.
- 7 Core Issues in Adoption and Permanency: A Comprehensive Guide to Promoting Understanding and Healing in Adoption, Foster Care, Kinship Families and Third Party Reproduction by Sharon Roszia and Allison Davis Maxon
- While this session is tailored for adoptive parents, we look forward to exploring this book with custody and guardianship families during a future book club session. Stay tuned!
- May 12 at 7 P.M.
- July 14 at 7 P.M.
- September 8 at 7 P.M.
- November 10 at 7 P.M.
Support Groups
The Interracial Adoption Support Group (INTAG) will begin March 2026. More details coming soon!
We believe no one should have to navigate life’s challenges alone. Our support groups are designed to be safe spaces where shared experiences lead to collective healing. To ensure we are offering the right support at the right time, we schedule our sessions based directly on your needs and interests.
If you’re looking for a group centered on a specific topic or experience, please let us know via our Support Group Interest Survey. Once we reach a core group of interested participants for a particular topic, we’ll get it on the calendar and reach out to you with the details!
Parent and Caregiver Trainings
More details coming soon!
Professional Trainings
More details coming soon!
Next Resource
Support Groups
Families benefit from building community and finding support in group settings. Our adoption and foster care support groups offer a safe, welcoming space for children, teens, and families to connect, share, and grow. Led by licensed therapists and facilitators with lived experience, these online groups provide adoption-competent support, peer connection, and practical tools for healing. Sessions are offered weekly and monthly. More details below! ↓