Foster Children for Adoption in Texas

If you are considering foster care adoption, there are hundreds of foster children for adoption in Texas.

If you’ve been dreaming of growing your family, foster care adoption is one of several options that can help you fulfill your dreams.

This article will share with you some of the statistics and demographics of children in foster care waiting for adoption in Texas, as well as more information about foster care adoption and your adoption options.

You can also get free information about how American Adoptions can help you with your adoption by filling out our online form.

Why are Foster Children Up for Adoption in Texas?

Children may be in foster care or ready for adoption from foster care for a variety of reasons, but all children in foster care have been removed from their families. Children are removed from their families due to abuse, neglect, or other family issues that make their family environment unsafe, and are placed with a foster family.

Once children are in foster care, social workers and families work to stabilize or improve the child’s family environment so that the child can return to their home. If the child’s home environment can be stabilized and a child returns to their family, it is called reunification.

If a child cannot be reunified with their parents, or if reunification attempts have been unsuccessful, in some cases birth parent rights are terminated.

When parental rights are terminated, the child can be adopted by other relatives, a foster family, or an adoptive family.

What Ages are the Foster Kids Up For Adoption in Texas?

Children in foster care range from infants to 18 years old. The average age of a child in foster care is 7 years old, however, if you want to adopt directly, foster children available for adoption in Texas tend to be older.

Out of the 1000 waiting children listed on the Texas Adoption Resource Exchange in 2022, only 2.7% of children are 6 years old or below, 25% of children are between 7-12 years old, and 70.4% of children are 13-17 years old.

What Else Should I Know About Children in Foster Care Available for Adoption in Texas?

• As we mentioned above, children in foster care have been removed from their families due to unsafe family conditions. Families who adopt from foster care should be prepared to learn about the how neglect, physical or sexual abuse, and other family issues may affect a child.
• In some instances, foster families who provide temporary care for a child will have the opportunity to adopt the child permanently, which means that many children will never be listed for a direct adoption opportunity.
• Foster kids waiting for adoption in Texas may have special medical, emotional, or physical needs.
• Children in foster care waiting for adoption in Texas may belong to any race or ethnicity.
• Children waiting to be adopted from foster care may be a part of a sibling group that needs to be placed together.
• In some cases, adoptive parents can receive assistance to help offset the costs of raising a child who is labeled as “special needs.”

What Does “Special Needs” Mean?

In Texas, adopting a child who is labeled as “special needs” does not necessarily mean adopting a child who has a physical, mental, or emotional disability.

The label “special needs” is used to determine eligibility for assistance based on Texas’s administrative code.

Foster kids for adoption in Texas who are considered “special needs” could simply be children who have siblings that would like to be placed together, or could be a part of a racial or ethnic group that leaves foster care more slowly.

How do I Find and Adopt Foster Kids for Adoption in Texas?

The first step in the process to adopt is to gather information and choose your path to adoption. If you choose to adopt through foster care, there are two main options—direct adoption and fostering to adopt. We’ll give an overview of the differences in the process for the two below.

Direct Adoption

For direct adoptions, you can view waiting children and get information from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS).

Once you decide to pursue this option, you will complete a home study and work with DFPS to find a great adoption match for your family. If one of the waiting children is a good fit for you, the process may be relatively fast.

Foster to Adopt

For foster to adopt opportunities, the first step is to become a foster parent. Information on becoming a foster parent is available from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS).

Once you become a foster parent, you will have children temporarily placed in your home. Most children will be reunified with their parents, but if a child’s birth parents have their parental rights terminated, you may have the option to adopt. This could take months or years, or it might never happen.

What are My Other Adoption Options?

If you are looking into adoption, you may also be interested in private (non-government) adoption options—the two main options for private adoption are domestic and international adoption.

Domestic Adoption

Private domestic adoptions are adoptions where the birth family and adoptive family and birth family live within the same country.

Most domestic adoptions are infant adoptions. Families often seek out domestic adoption because they are interested in adopting a newborn and bonding with a child from infancy.

Some other reasons people choose domestic adoption include:

• The ability to adopt newborn and see your child grow up
• More predictability in wait times and lower chance of disruption than if you choose foster-to-adopt
• To support women whose lives don’t align with having a child
• Having access to medical history and family records through open adoption

American Adoptions can help with private domestic adoptions.

We are a fully licensed, national domestic adoption agency, and we provide the best adoption services possible, which means we can help you with your domestic adoption in the following ways:

• Minimizing wait time as much as possible and lowering your chance of adoption disruption through our wide scope
• Supporting you and potential birth parents as you navigate adoption to assure the process is smooth
• Providing support for open adoptions, where you can build positive relationships
• Creating a personalized adoption video profile that can help get prospective birth parents excited
• Providing education, resources, and support from a staff with over 30 years of adoption experience
• Offering  financial protection, and minimizing adoption disruption

International Adoption

International adoption is another form of private adoption that matches adoptive families with adoption opportunities outside of the country they live in.

People choose international adoptions because:

• There are many children globally who need a safe and loving home
• Families may feel drawn to the adoption needs of a particular country due to political or social concerns
• Families may be interested in cultural exchange or feel prepared to help children adjust culturally
• A family may have ties to a particular country
• Families may take a global perspective on adoption and feel drawn to adopt children who are most at risk

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