How Will Training Prepare You to Become a Foster or Adoptive Parent?

Children entering the foster care system have experienced at least two traumas: the abuse or neglect that led to their removal and the resulting separation from their birth family. That’s concerning for many reasons, but there is hope because children can heal from trauma through safe and trusting relationships. We’ll prepare you to build these relationships and become family through training and one-on-one support.

Texas requires every foster or adoptive family to participate in training before they welcome kids into their home and while they are licensed. At PCHAS, the education we offer families is about much more than fulfilling a requirement. Because we care about the future of your family, we work hard to provide top-notch training that will be valuable throughout your foster care and adoption journey. Even families with a wealth of parenting experience tell us that what they learn at PCHAS is critical to their family’s success.

All of our training is rooted in Trust-Based Relational Intervention® (TBRI®), an attachment-rich, trauma-informed model, and our entire team is trained in TBRI®. In class, we’ll teach you the principles of TBRI® and when kids join your family we’ll be there to coach you as you put them into practice. Together, we’ll share a goal of healthy, secure attachments for every child.

Our team gets excited about sharing the TBRI® principles because they work! Some skills may be new for your family and you might even be asked to lay aside some practices that aren’t as helpful for children with a history of trauma. But, we’ll be by your side as you learn and try new things because we’re all about helping families guide children toward healing.

One of our families from Houston recently shared some of their story. They welcomed a boy into their family through foster care because his home wasn’t safe and he was often left home alone at night. Understandably, bedtime was hard and he frequently had nightmares. With the help of their PCHAS team, they put Trust-Based Relational Intervention® into action and the growth they’ve seen has been incredible. The family says, “We became foster parents because we wanted to give children a safe home where they could feel love, heal and thrive.” When they overhear a once frightened little boy now repeating “Jesus loves me” and “Mommy and Daddy love me” as he calms himself back to sleep, they are confident they are reaching their goal and that every bit of effort has been more than worth it.

PCHAS serves families in and near Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Itasca and Wichita Falls and we’d love for you to join us. Our training schedules and formats vary by location, but usually include a mix of staff instruction, videos, group discussion and activities to promote learning.

Whether you’re ready to get started or looking for more information, connect with a Foster Care & Adoption Guide at 281-324-0544 or fosteradopt@pchas.org.