What is the process for adopting a waiting child? Adoptation and its partner agencies are here to work with you throughout the entire adoption process. The first step is to call 1–866-ADOPT-TX. You will be referred to one of the private agencies for adoption services.
A representative from the private agency will call you and invite you to attend an orientation meeting. The orientation session will focus on the adoption process, the waiting children, and available services before and after adoption placement. You may be asked to begin completing the agency's required paperwork. All of the agencies have regularly scheduled orientation meetings.
You will next attend and complete the PRIDE education program, a curriculum that has been developed to introduce you to adoption and issues that impact adoptive families and adopted children. Topics include child development, attachment, loss and grief, family relationships, discipline, parenting the sexually abused child, behavior management, and coming together as a new family. Families are also required to receive CPR/First Aid. Participants have the opportunity to listen to other adoptive parents as they share their experiences and answer questions. PRIDE classes are offered jointly by the private agencies every month and, when needed, additional classes are added to the annual schedule. Families are required to complete the PRIDE curriculum before their home study can be approved.
All of the Adoptation child placement agencies are licensed by the Department of Family & Protective Services (DFPS) and are required to follow standards that are set by DFPS. All agencies conduct a home study that includes background checks and reference checks. You will be asked to provide information that includes, as appropriate, positive identification such as your Social Security number or driver's license number, copies of marriage and/or divorce decrees, proof of income, and medical history. During the home study process, many families complete photo albums and narratives -life books - about themselves that will be used by the child's caseworker to introduce a child to a prospective family. Once the private agency worker completes the home study, it is reviewed and, in most cases, approved by the private agency staff.
The time period between approval of the home study and "matching" a child and family varies. The majority of waiting children are between the ages of 6 years and 13 years and are minority children, particularly African American children. There are many sibling groups of waiting brothers and sisters.
Private agency staff and DFPS staff work closely together to "match" waiting children and approved families. Regular meetings are held at which time DFPS presents waiting children and private agencies present waiting families. DFPS staff review home studies for specific children and staffings are held to approve possible placements. Once a placement has been approved, the pre-placement process can begin.
Pre-placement adoption activities include a review by the prospective adoptive family of the child's case record. This record contains information on the child's background, health issues, birth family information, school information, and legal information. Many times, families meet with teachers, foster parents, therapists, doctors, or other involved people to begin building an understanding of the child and his/her personality, needs, etc. At this time, the prospective family's life book may be given to the child's caseworker and will be used to introduce the family to the child. The child and the family meet each other and spend time together in various settings – the foster family's home, the adoptive family's home, community settings. A pre-placement calendar will be developed. The pre-placement process is not a pre-determined time frame - various factors are considered when planning pre-placement including the age of the child, the distance between the child's current home and the adoptive family's home, the child's understanding of the process, and the needs of the child. Throughout the pre-placement process, all parties continue to be involved in assessing what has transpired.
Adoption placement is a very significant event for a child and his/her adoptive family! The adoptive family, and when appropriate, the child, sign statements that acknowledge their commitment to this new relationship and their responsibilities to each other. Many of the agencies conduct placement ceremonies. This is truly a day that can be celebrated by families for many years – it is the coming together of a new family.
Post placement refers to the time after placement papers are signed and before the adoption is legally finalized by the court. During this time, the private agency will provide regular supervision to the family. If needed, resources will be located and referrals made for services. This is the time when families begin to learn to live together. They discover their differences, they establish new routines, they begin to build traditions. DFPS requires that an adoption placement be supervised a minimum of six months before a finalization occurs.
The adoption finalization is a very exciting event for adoptive families. It is the permanent, legal transfer of rights and responsibilities from DFPS to the adoptive parents - adoptive parents become the sole legal parent, no longer is DFPS the parent of the child. The adoptive family must hire an attorney who will be responsible for all of the required legal documents, processes, etc. The adoptive family and their attorney will appear before the judge and an adoption decree will be issued. Many families choose to celebrate this day with each other as well as family and friends
How much does it cost for me to adopt a waiting child? There is no cost to adopt a waiting child who is in DFPS custody.
I do not own my own home. Would I qualify to adopt? Absolutely! Adoptation places with families from all walks of life. Some families own their own homes, others rent, some live with other family members.
I am not married. Could I adopt? Of course you could qualify to adopt. Adoptation places with married or single people.
I do not make a lot of money or have a savings. I am not sure that I could afford to support another person in my household. If you adopt a child in the custody of DFPS, monthly financial assistance may be available. A one time non-recurring subsidy may also be available to meet the cost of the adoption finalization. Your child may also be eligible to receive medical coverage through Medicaid. These assistances may continue until the child turns 18 years of age.
What if the child's birth parents want to take custody back after the adoption? Before a child can be in an adoptive placement, the rights of the parents must be terminated by the court.
Are there services available after adoption finalization? Yes, post adoption services are available to families until an adopted child turns 18 years of age. Families are encouraged to begin using them as soon as they are eligible – you do not have to wait until there is a family crisis! Services include respite care, individual, family, and group therapy, case management, and in some cases, residential treatment.
Can I be a foster parent first or instead of adopting? Yes, agencies need foster homes as well as adoptive homes. Foster parents also have the opportunity to adopt should the child become available.
Who are the Adoptation partner agencies? Catholic Charities, DePelchin Children's Center, Homes4Good, Homes of St. Mark, Spaulding for Children, Children's Protective Services (Department of Family & Protective Services), Houston Achievement Place, Lutheran Social Services of the South, and The Arrow Project.