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All children, even special needs or older children need a good loving home. 

 

In Texas there are approximately 40,000 children in public foster care according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
 

Texas Foster & Adoption Stats
 

For the kids that left Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) care in 2010, outcomes were:



Other
Emancipation/aged out - 10.8%
Placed with relatives - 24.5%
Adoption consummated - 33.9%
Reunified with parents - 29.0%long term substitute care 1.8%

In Texas there are thousands of abused and/or neglected children in need of a loving and caring home and, there are many children that are known as hard to place. These are children for whom it has historically been difficult to place in foster homes. Hard to place children include sibling groups, minority children, children with special needs and adolescents.

Adolescents in need of foster care are generally regarded as hard to place. Many of these teens would benefit greatly from the structure, support, consistent attention and positive emotional experience that living within the loving care of a foster family would provide. Frequently, these children have been through traumatic experiences within their own families that are generally characterized by conflict and feelings of rejection. They are emotionally and sometimes physically hurt and as a result can be vulnerable and defensive. Yet they do understand and long for the hope and promise that a stable family environment may provide.

For many of the children the words, “we’re sorry, but we cannot find a foster home for you,”” unfortunately translates to there is not a single family who is willing to take me in. In too many instances they believe hard to place equals hard to love and for many of these children, they often cannot help but conclude that impossible to place means impossible to love.

In fact, hard to place adolescents sometimes do have behaviors that can be especially intimidating to potential families, such as Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), persistent running away, inappropriate dress and/or sexual behavior.  These are children who may have been through painful experiences and are seeking safety, acceptance and understanding. In fact many of their actions represent their struggle toward individuality, separation anxiety and identity formation. These teens have lacked the secure foundation and internalized sense of caring that other children from secure homes have been fortunate to have, and thus their struggles are certainly intensified, but hardly insurmountable.

What are we looking for in a Foster Home?

Caring for an adolescent foster child is certainly not for everyone. What is needed is an endless amount of patience, commitment toward the process and most importantly, an ability to be fully accepting of the adolescent and provide much needed love in the child’s life.

What is required?

Texas faces a shortage of foster homes for hard to place foster children.  TGIF welcomes inquiries from families who are interested in caring for all foster children, but in particular we find homes for those children classified as hard to place by the system. TGIF provides extensive orientation, training and support to all families interested in caring for foster children.

It is our goal to place children in foster and adoptive care and that no child, regardless of their difficulty, is turned away by TGIF for lack of a foster home. It is our experience that often those children who are the most hard to place, when given the safe haven of a loving and accepting foster home, can ultimately become contributing adults in our community.

So, why adopt a child?

Life with a child offers so many memorable moments. The joy a father sees in his son’s eyes when he gets his first hit playing  baseball, or the excitement a mom sees on her daughter’s face the first time she bakes her own cake – these are moments made special because of the presence of a child.

Since nothing is more memorable for a mother than helping her daughter get ready for prom, or for a father attending his son’s graduation – these are just a few of the many highlights awaiting couples who are considering adopting a child.

Adoption has given and continues to give people like you the opportunity to lead fulfilling, meaningful lives alongside their children, and in turn, provides children opportunities in life once thought unagable. 

 

Protecting children. Preserving families. Since 2003.  Abuse, neglect and family separation are significant problems in the communities we serve, and without help, the long-term impact on children can prevent them from living healthy, productive lives. Our programs are designed to prevent child abuse, neglect and family separation and help heal and treat children already affected by these maladies.

 

With nearly a century of collective experience working with children, we know that the best way to accomplish our mission is to work with families, whenever possible, to strengthen their ability to care for their children safely. Over 2,600 children and families are served by our programs. An additional 10,000 individuals receive critical safety information through our outreach and education services

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