Understanding Foster Care
When children can’t safely live at home, the court can give temporary legal possession to Child Protective Services (CPS). CPS assigns a case worker to the children and then the immediate goal is to find a safe home for the children to live while the biological parents work to get their rights back. These temporary places could be:
Foster family homes
Residential group care facilities
Facilities overseen by another state agency
In 2022 there were an estimated 22,000 kids in foster care in Texas. Just in the greater San Antonio area there are about 3,400 foster children. But there are not enough homes in Bexar County for these precious kids. So what happens? More than half of the children (55%) are sent away, breaking up the family even further. So there's the great need. We need more safe, loving homes to place these kids.
Foster care is meant to be temporary until the parents demonstrate they can safely care for their children. However, it can become permanent if the court determines parental rights should be terminated and the children become legally free for adoption.
Foster parents are typically the natural choice for the permanency provided through adoption. But it's an uncertain road that you must be prepared to travel.
1HOPE Is Ready To Help
We see the need and we will partner with you to answer the call. Through 1HOPE’s training and verification of families, we are able to place children in your safe, loving home. Knowing that God “sets the lonely into families” (Psalm 68:6), 1HOPE feels called to provide foster care services to kids in crisis by:
Recruiting, training, and verifying foster families
Facilitating excellent matches of children and families
Providing continuing education and support for foster families
Helping develop care communities to support each 1HOPE foster family
Assisting area churches in developing Foster/Adopt Ministries
Missional OPPORTUNITY
Foster families are, in effect, local missionaries. By accepting a child into their home, they also open their door to caseworkers, CASA volunteers, birth families, therapy team members, school teachers, medical professionals and others. They have the opportunity to share the tangible love of Christ in hurting places. By ministering as foster/adopt families, you are contributing to the sharing of the gospel of Jesus Christ -- the one HOPE of the world!
“My heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved”
~ Romans 10:1
STEPS TO FOSTER
In order to become a foster family, there are several steps you must take. For those just beginning to consider foster care, we encourage you to at least attend the first training class which is our orientation where we cover all the basics, take your questions, and get to know each other. Soon, we'll be like family!
Steps to foster/adopt include:
Fill out an inquiry. This lets us contact you with your next steps.
Attend an info meeting and then training. There are several classes that are required to get you prepared.
Prepare your home, family and care community. Get support in place.
1HOPE will complete a detailed home study for your family. This essentially serves as your profile to CPS.
Verification. Once you complete all the steps, be ready to receive a child any day!
Qualifications
1HOPE for Kids is dedicated to ensuring that children in need have excellent care and stable housing. Our goal is to provide quality supervision, care and support – physical, emotional, social, and spiritual – for children in the foster care system. In order to achieve this objective, 1HOPE recruits and accepts applications from qualified, mature adults interested in fostering and adopting children in the care of Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (TDFPS).
To become a 1HOPE foster/adopt parent, you must meet the following qualifications:
Be at least 25 years of age
Be a legal resident of the United States
Have a clean criminal record for at least five years and no history of abusing children
Have a high school diploma/GED
Have been married, divorced, widowed or single for at least one year
Be gainfully employed and financially stable with monthly income more than expenses
Have a driver’s license, auto insurance and dependable transportation
Complete the Foster/Adopt Parent Application Process and submit all necessary documents
Complete approximately 35 classroom hours of pre-service training
Become certified and maintain certification in CPR and First Aid
Your home must pass health and fire inspections
Have a bedroom of at least 80 square feet for one child or 40 square feet per child if sharing a room
Be willing to abide by a policy of no physical discipline
Pass a Home Study Assessment
Maintain annual training requirements of 30 hours/year for each parent
Be a responsible, mature adult capable of meeting the needs of children in care
Demonstrate a lifestyle that embraces the basic tenets of the Christian faith, including involvement in a local church