HOUSTON – November is National Adoption Month and on Friday, 21 children officially joined their new “forever families” to commemorate Harris County Adoption Day.
Adoption ceremonies were held at the Harris County Juvenile Justice Center. They captured emotional moments as adoptive parents showed how willing they were to open their hearts and homes for children ranging in age from newborn babies to teens.
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services says that in the Greater Houston area, there are currently 570 children waiting to find permanent adoptive homes. A total of 385 of those children are in Harris County. Of the children available for adoption statewide, more than half are older children and teens ages 10-17.
Have you or someone you know thought about adopting a child? Here is what you should know:
Attend an Informational Meeting
According to DFPS, those seeking to become an adoptive parent have to attend an information meeting in their area where they can discuss the requirements. You can find free foster care and adoption information meetings in your area here.
If you can meet the basic requirements, you are invited to meet with DFPS staff to decide if fostering or adopting is right for your family. You will also be assessed by DFPS staff. This process furnishes you with information about DFPS and the children who come into the foster care system.
Basic Requirements
The minimum age to adopt a child in Texas is 21. Those looking to adopt must first complete a number of requirements. They are:
- Complete an application (staff can assist you with this)
- Share information regarding your background and lifestyle with DFPS
- Provide relative and non-relative references
- Show proof of marriage and/or divorce (if applicable)
- Agree to a home study, which includes visits with all household members
- Allow DFPS staff to complete a criminal history background check and an abuse/neglect check on all adults in the household, and
- Attend free training to learn about issues of abused and neglected children.
If the basic requirements are met, you will be invited to meet with DFPS staff to decide if fostering or adopting is right for you and/or your family. You will also be assessed by DFPS staff. This process helps give you important information about DFPS and the children who come into the foster care system.
Mandatory Training
Applicants must attend National Training and Development Curriculum training (NTDC) to learn more about the children who are available through DFPS and assess their strengths in parenting.
“The classes also boost your knowledge and confidence to meet the challenge of taking children into your home and to be sure you are ready to follow through on the commitment,” DFPS’s website says.
Child Protective Services requires this 19-hour training program, which provides prospective foster families with knowledge and information on caring for children in the child welfare system. Topics that are highlighted in this training include:
- Child attachment
- Loss and grief
- Discipline and behavior intervention
- Effects of abuse and neglect
- Working with families who have children in the welfare system, and
- Effects of trauma on children and families
Additional training and certifications required include:
- Psychotropic Medication
- Certification in both First Aid and infant/child/adult CPR
- Medical Consent
- Preventing & Recognizing Sexual Abuse & Victimization of Youth in Foster Care
- AS+K? online training (suicide intervention and prevention)
DFPS says state minimum standards also require that verified foster homes receive annual in-service training. Depending on the number of foster parents and the needs of the children in a foster home, the annual training requirements range from 10 hours per family to 30 hours per foster parent.
Family Home Study
During this portion of the process, a caseworker will visit you at your home. The purpose of this visit is to discuss your personal history, family interests and lifestyle, childcare experiences, the types of children you feel would best fit in your home, and your strengths and skills in meeting the children’s needs.
If you desire to give a child in Texas a forever home, you can find out more information at www.adoptchildren.org or call toll-free 1-800-233-3405.