1.     Call the 1-800-228-8226 Hotline and arrange to attend a public information meeting. (Department of Family and Protective Services calendar)

2.     Select an agency with which to complete the certification process.

Certification Process:

The general requirements to be a foster or adoptive parent are:

· Must be at least 21 years of age,
· Can be married or single,
· Be willing to attend pre-service training and participate in a home study, and
· Be willing to foster or adopt children with backgrounds of abuse and neglect.

Prospective parents must formally apply in order to foster or adopt. This application is made after attending a public information meeting (DFPS calendar).  After attending an information meeting, a family chooses among the child-placing agencies to continue the process of training and licensing through their chosen agency.  Each agency has a unique mission in the foster/adopt area, so families interested in fostering and/or adopting should carefully consider their agency choice. 

All prospective foster and adoptive parents attend pre-service training; the length and requirements of training vary from agency to agency.  Training sessions cover topics such as attachment, loss, behavior problems and management, sexual abuse, and birth family connections.  The training serves two purposes: to educate potential parents about foster care and adoption, and to mutually assess the applicant’s appropriateness to care for children who have come from backgrounds of abuse or neglect.  Training is normally done in a group setting using experienced foster and/or adoptive parents as co-trainers with agency staff. 

After the signing of appropriate releases, background checks are conducted on all applicants and all adult members of the home.  Background checks include criminal history reports from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and child abuse checks through TDPRS computer database known as CAPS.  Background checks can also include criminal history and child abuse reports from local law enforcement, the FBI, and local CPS offices in Texas and throughout the nation.

A home study is required before a family is certified to be a foster or adoptive parent.  The home study is an in-depth assessment of the family, which includes interviewing all adults and children in the home.  The home study is also used in assessing the home for safety and available space.  All homes must meet standards enumerated in the Minimum Standards and Guidelines for Child-Placing Agencies. The home study is designed to elicit information on a variety of issues including: motivation for wanting to foster or adopt; health status; marital and family relationships; applicants feelings about their own childhood and parents including any history of abuse and/or neglect; opinions about discipline; sensitivity about abused and neglected children; sensitivity towards birth families; sensitivity about different socioeconomic, ethnic, and cultural groups in relation to their ability to maintain the ethnic identity of a child from a different background; feelings about maintaining sibling relationships; expectations of children in foster care; family’s ability to work with specific kinds of behavior and backgrounds; and documentation on the number, age and sex for whom the home is approved. Applicants are informed by the child-placing agency whether or not their home is approved and the reasons for the decision.

Certifications for Foster and/or Adoptive Care

Those families that have successfully completed the screening, training and home study process will be approved.  Families can be approved to provide foster care only and/or foster care and adoption services.  Families wishing only to adopt will be approved to provide adoption services only.  Foster care certifications are:

· Basic Foster Family- A private home that provides foster care to children in TDPRS conservatorship and is verified to care for no more than six children, including the children of the foster family and children for whom the family provides regular part-time day care. These homes can provide care for children up to and including a level of care II.

· Habilitative- A private home verified to provide specialized services to children who have mental retardation, developmental disabilities, or severe developmental delay. These homes can provide care for children up to and including a level of care IV.

· Therapeutic- A private home verified to provide specialized services to children with serious emotional disturbance and/or behavioral problems in a family setting. These homes can provide care for children up to and including a level of care IV.

· Primary Medical Needs - A private home verified to provide specialized services to children who are medically fragile. These homes can provide care for children up to and including a level of care IV.

· Group Foster Family - A private home that provides foster care to children in TDPRS conservatorship and is verified to care for no more than twelve children, including the children of the foster family and children for whom the family provides regular part-time day care. These homes can provide care for children up to and including a level of care IV.