Recognizing and Responding to Blocked Care in Resource Families

By Shari McConnell, SWAN Regional Technical Assistant

Have you ever had a resource parent ask, “Why do I feel so disconnected from my child?”

Parenting youth who have experienced abuse and trauma can be deeply rewarding. It can also be challenging, overwhelming, and at times, emotionally exhausting. While many caregivers are able to work through these feelings, there are times when the sense of disconnection persists and becomes more difficult to navigate. This experience is more common than many realize and is often referred to as blocked care.

Blocked care occurs when caregivers struggle to maintain feelings of empathy, connection, and compassion toward their child due to prolonged stress. This can lead to emotional distance, frustration, and even defensive reactions. It often develops in relationships where caregivers feel their efforts are not reciprocated and the youth appears consistently unresponsive. Importantly, blocked care is not a failure. It is a protective response that can emerge in high-stress caregiving environments.

At its core, blocked care is closely connected to blocked trust in youth. When youth experience blocked trust, they may become hyper-focused on perceived threats within relationships, making connection feel unsafe. Common characteristics of blocked trust can include difficulty seeking comfort, an inability to relax, challenges with play, trouble identifying and expressing emotions, resistance to boundaries, difficulty accepting love or care, distrust of others, and hypervigilance.

It is important to understand that blocked care is a typical neurobiological response to stress. When a caregiver’s nervous system shifts into a self-protective state, their capacity for connection can become compromised. The good news is that blocked care can be addressed with the right supports and strategies. Caregivers do not have to navigate this experience alone.

To learn more about identifying, preventing, and responding to blocked care, join us in June at the SWAN/IL Summer Statewide Meeting or the annual Pennsylvania Permanency Conference for the session: “Supporting Foster and Adoptive Families Dealing with Blocked Care: Identification, Prevention and Intervention.”

This session will explore practical, supportive approaches to help resource families recognize blocked care, engage community and permanency team supports, and develop a multi-tiered plan to meet both youth and caregiver needs, ultimately strengthening and sustaining permanency.

Shari is a SWAN Regional Technical Assistant and approaching her two-year anniversary at the prime contract.  A graduate of Saint Francis University, Shari has 24 years of experience in child welfare, specifically in foster care and adoption.  Prior to her current position at SWAN, Shari was a Permanency Director at an affiliate agency for over 13 years. She also has experience providing the SWAN units of service at two affiliate agencies.