Relationships Key to Permanency: Creating Trust, Accountability and a Sense of Belonging

Rodney Walker (pictured with SWAN Program Administrator Tammy Hendrix, left, and Training and Administrative Director Steph Mannering, right, delivered the opening keynote at the 2026 Annual Pennsylvania Permanency Conference.

Many permanency professionals have worked with a young person who struggles to trust adults, resists permanency or pushes relationships away. During the opening keynote of the Annual Pennsylvania Permanency Conference, Rodney Walker invited attendees to consider what those behaviors can look like from the other side and how one consistent, caring adult can help change the trajectory of a young person's life.

Rodney knows that perspective firsthand. Removed from his family at age four, he spent his childhood moving through 12 foster homes while navigating violence, unanswered questions and the uncertainty that often accompanies life in foster care. Diagnosed with autism as a child and struggling academically, he eventually earned degrees from Morehouse College, Harvard University and Yale University. Yet his keynote made clear that his journey was not simply a story of perseverance. It was a testament to the power of relationships and the adults who refused to give up on him.

One of Rodney’s most powerful observations challenged a distinction that resonates throughout child welfare practice. Looking back, he reflected that although many professionals worked hard to support him, “they were services, not relationships.” While services addressed immediate needs, Rodney emphasized that relationships created the trust, accountability and sense of belonging that ultimately helped him imagine a different future.

Rodney also offered valuable insight into why permanency can feel complicated for young people. While adults encouraged him to pursue adoption, unsurprisingly, he feared losing connection to his biological family. He wasn't given honest answers about why he had entered foster care, leaving him to fill the gaps with his own assumptions. Over time, maintaining control over his own life became a form of protection, making the idea of committing to a permanent family even more difficult. His experience serves as a reminder that reluctance toward permanency may reflect grief, fear and unanswered questions rather than a rejection of family itself.

The turning point in Rodney’s story came through a mentor who consistently showed up, told him difficult truths and held him accountable. Rather than lowering expectations because of Rodney’s past, his mentor expressed care through unwavering commitment, challenging him to work harder while helping him believe he was capable of more. Rodney described this as love expressed through conviction—someone refusing to let him fail.

For permanency professionals, that message carries important implications. Trauma-informed practice is not about removing expectations or avoiding difficult conversations. It is about pairing honesty with empathy, accountability with support, and consistency with compassion. Young people need adults who prepare them for hard conversations, tell them the truth in developmentally appropriate ways and remain present long after trust has been tested.

Rodney also spoke candidly about vulnerability. For many young people, he explained, vulnerability is more about control than culture or personality. When life has been unpredictable, letting go of control can feel unsafe. Trust develops when adults consistently follow through, communicate honestly and continue showing up, even when a young person pushes them away.

Perhaps the most important takeaway for conference attendees was that resilience is rarely built in isolation. While Rodney’s determination played an important role in his success, he repeatedly pointed to the adults who helped him envision possibilities he could not yet see for himself. They challenged him, believed in him and stayed engaged long enough for hope to take root.

For those working every day to help children and youth achieve permanency, Rodney’s story reinforces that lasting change often begins not only with a service, but with a relationship. When young people encounter adults who tell the truth, remain present, hold them accountable and never stop believing in their potential, they begin to believe that a different future is possible.