Where can I find information about adopting an infant or toddler through the foster care system in texas?

Question

Where can I find information about adopting an infant or toddler through the foster care system in texas? I would appreciate any help I can get.

Answer 1

I found this website for you and it's packed with all kinds of information. Make sure you use the page to it's fullest potential, by dragging your mouse over the pages. Good luck to you!!

Answer 2

You can start by visiting:

The Child Welfare Information Gateway

http://www.childwelfare.gov/

This website will provide you with links and information about Texas and also give you all the training requirements and contact information.

You might also want to visit the website in my profile as there are several Texas families who may have some good insight.

Answer 3

Just call your local DHS.  It really is that simple.  I thought it would be a lot more complicated, and I went through this whole thing with contacting adoption agencies and other places...and once I got ahold of DHS, they gave me all the information I needed.  I'm not sure if it's called DHS everywhere, but look for:

Services to children and families

Department of human services

Child Protection Services

Children's Services Division

The number will be in the "government" section of the phone book.  Best of luck to you!

Answer 4

Talk with your local DHS worker who handles adoption.  Long before you are able to adopt a baby in the foster care system, you'll have to have a home study, parenting courses, background checks and stuff.  It can be a long process.  About the time you finish up, you can be matched with a child.  The local workers have pictures, and can arrange for meetings with the children.  In our state (Arkansas) they have a very closely supervised picnic type of thing, where all the adoptable kids are brought to the one central location, and people are allowed to interact with them, and see who they respond to better.  It has been pretty successful!  There are so many kids.  I wish that birth parents had to go through the same procedures that adoptive parents do before they adopt, because there sure wouldn't be those kinds of numbers of kids in the system if that were the case!