10 Things You Should Know About Foster-To-Adopt

If you’re thinking about fostering or adopting, you know it doesn’t take long to brainstorm a list of questions. At PCHAS, our Foster Care & Adoption Guides are here to make sure your family gets honest answers to all of your questions. We’ve used the questions families ask most often to create this list of 10 Things You Should Know About Foster-To-Adopt:

1. The foster-to-adopt process begins with foster care. If you haven’t already, take a look at our article on 10 Things You Should Know About Foster Care.

2. That means foster-to-adopt families, first and foremost, are foster families. They provide a safe and loving home for children while the birth family works towards reunification. They offer kids normalcy and participate in supervised visitations in hopes that the children will be able to return home.

3. If a child’s family is not able to successfully complete their reunification plan and other relatives and family friends, called Kinship Caregivers, are not identified, a judge may terminate the child’s parental rights.

4. Termination of parental rights marks a significant loss in a child’s life, as it legally, permanently separates the child from their birth family. PCHAS foster families and staff grieve when families are not able to be restored.

5. After the period for legal appeals has passed, a child whose rights have been terminated will become legally available for adoption.

6. Adoption is a commitment that parents make with children, joining their stories for the rest of their lives.

7. When children become legally available for adoption, their foster family will almost always be the first considered. This is what is commonly referred to as foster-to-adopt.

8. We actually prefer the term foster-and-adopt because the goals are different for foster care and adoption. At PCHAS, we look for families that support reunification. We want our foster families to be champions, not adversaries, for their children’s birth family. Check out this article to see Why We Root For Birth Families.

9. The majority of adoptions we celebrate are for foster-and-adopt scenarios. When every effort to reunify with the birth family has been exhausted, we love seeing families joined together, forever, through the commitment of adoption. 

10. PCHAS works hard to provide great care for your family while you’re fostering and ensure you’re well equipped for the lifelong journey of adoption. Foster-and-adopt families begin by focusing on the immediate needs for a situation intended to be temporary. If that situation becomes permanent, the investments families make in children and their birth families can yield the rewards of connection and relationship for a lifetime.

In Texas, there’s a shortage of families for sibling groups and school-aged children. If you’ve ever thought about fostering and adopting, call 281-324-0544 or email fosteradopt@pchas.org to connect with a Foster Care & Adoption Guide. We’ll help you get honest answers for all of your questions.

     10 Things You Should Know About Foster Care

     10 Things You Should Know About Matched Adoption