How to Become a Foster or Adoptive Home

Step 1: Attend a General Information Meeting in your area where you can discuss the scope and requirements of being a foster and/or adoptive parent. The meetings last approximately one hour and provide the paperwork and information necessary to start the process. Contact the Center’s Foster Care and Adoption Recruiter at 972-633-6619or by e-mail ehanson@cacplano.org to learn about meeting dates and times.

Step 2: Select an agency. There are specific child placing agencies, including Child Protective Services, you can select to begin the process. These agencies (a complete listing is provided at the General Information Meeting or, feel free to contact our Foster Care and Adoption Recruiter for a listing) are licensed by the state to train and certify parents to become foster or adoptive homes. The certification process is generally free of charge and may take a few weeks with some agencies, or a few months with others. It is critical to carefully consider the information about each child placing agency. Feel free to contact them to get as much information as you need to make a selection.

Step 3: Complete a training program. You will attend a pre-service training to learn more about available children. The classes are intended to increase your knowledge and confidence and help you successfully meet the challenges of taking children into your home. Classes may be scheduled once or twice a week in the evening or on Saturdays. Each agency will have a training schedule and availability. To avoid delays in the process, prospective parents are encouraged to research each agency’s basic requirements and make sure they meet the requirements before submitting an application and/or beginning training.

Step 4: Agree to a Family and Home Study. A caseworker will visit your home to discuss your personal history, family interests, lifestyle, and childhood experiences. The types of children you feel would best fit in your home and benefit from your strengths and skills will be assessed. Once the home study is completed and approved, you will be ready to receive children into your home and provide them the care and nurturing that they so desperately need and deserve.
 

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