In 2018, Sara and Joshua Glover became foster parents to a 13-day-old medically fragile infant. Special medical needs, doctor’s appointments and specialized care became part of their routine. Thankfully, the Glovers are trained foster parents through the Pressley Ridge Treatment Foster Care Program. The program helps to provide a stable family life for infants and children up to age 21 who have been affected by trauma, and as a result, may have behavioral or emotional needs. Treatment foster parents are specially trained to support a child’s emotional and developmental needs and are continually supported by Pressley Ridge professionals who provide a caring network of support, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
As with any foster care situation, the ultimate goal of Treatment Foster Care is to eventually place the child back with their biological family. The Glovers nurtured and cared for the baby while staying in touch with his family through Pressley Ridge. Early on, it was undetermined whether he would eventually return to his biological family, but Sara and Joshua conveyed that the baby could stay with them as long as he wanted. Forever, if need be. After two years of living with the Glovers, the decision was made for the child to become a permanent part of the Glover family through adoption.
The adoption was to take place in early 2020 just as the COVID-19 pandemic closed everything down. Though there was a slight delay in the timing to adopt their precious little boy, the process moved on as planned with some interesting restrictions. The adoption proceedings would be virtual, with all meetings and hearings taking place via video conferencing. In the end, the Glover family was thrilled for their son to officially join their family.
Now, the Glovers are a beautiful family with three children – two are biological, a boy and a girl, and their newest addition. “We knew we wanted to have him as part of our family, but we also knew that the first goal was to try to help him go home,” said Sara. “The Pressley Ridge Treatment Foster Care training helped prepare us for both, and kept us informed through the process. We are a multicultural family living in a wonderful Pittsburgh neighborhood reflecting our diversity, and we feel very blessed”, said Sara Glover.