Steps to becoming a Foster/Adoptive Parent
INFORMATION MEETING
You will need to attend an information meeting in your area where you can discuss the scope and requirements of being a foster or adoptive parent.
PREPARATION AND SELECTION
If you can meet the basic requirements, you are invited to meet with House of Shiloh staff to decide if fostering or adopting is right for your family. You will also be assessed by House of Shiloh staff. This process furnishes you with information about House of Shiloh and the children who come into the foster care system.
TRAINING
You will attend training (PRIDE) to learn more about the children available through DFPS and to assess your strengths in parenting children. The classes also boost your knowledge and confidence to meet the challenge of taking children into your home and to be sure you are ready to follow through on the commitment.
ONLINE TRAINING (Courses are FREE)
DFPS Medical consent Online Training
DFPS Psychotropic Medication Online Training
DFPS Trauma Informed Care Online Training
DFPS Reporting Suspected Abuse or Neglect of a Child Online Training
WHAT IS PRIDE?
Child Protective Services (CPS) recognizes that 16 hours of pre-service training for foster parents is insufficient. Therefore, CPS requires potential foster parents to attend Parent Resource Information Development Education (PRIDE) as part of the family’s required pre-service training.
Texas PRIDE is a 35-hour competency-based training program that is co-trained by an agency staff member and a foster or adoptive parent. PRIDE provides prospective foster families with base knowledge of information on caring for children in the child welfare system. PRIDE covers topics such as child attachment, loss and grief, discipline and behavior intervention, effects of abuse and neglect, sexual abuse, working with the child welfare system, and the effects of fostering and adopting on the family.
Through collaborative efforts with the Texas Alliance, a statewide advocacy organization that represents many private CPA’s in Texas, DFPS has made PRIDE available to private CPA’s.
Additional Training Requirements
The state minimum standards require that prospective foster families also complete the following trainings or certifications, which are not part of the PRIDE curriculum:
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Universal precautions training
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Psychotropic medication training
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Certification in both First Aid and infant/child/adult CPR
State minimum standards also require that verified foster homes receive annual in-service training. Depending on the number of foster parents and the needs of the children in a foster home, the annual training requirements range from 20 hours per family to 30 hours per foster parent.
FAMILY HOME STUDY
A caseworker will visit you in your home. The purpose is to discuss your personal history, family interests and lifestyle, childcare experiences, the types of children you feel would best fit in your home, and your strengths and skills in meeting the children's needs.