Adoption in Texas: How to Adopt a Child from Foster Care
Adoption in Texas gives children who can't safely return to their birth families a permanent home. There's more than one path to it, and the right one depends on your situation. Here's how adoption in Texas works, who qualifies, what it costs, and the five steps to adopting a child from foster care.
Types of Adoption in Texas
Adoption in Texas isn't a single process. There are several paths, and knowing which one fits your family is the first step. Here's a quick look at each:
Private or agency infant adoption. A licensed adoption agency or attorney matches you with an expectant parent who is placing a baby for adoption. This is typically the path for families hoping to adopt a newborn, and it usually comes with the highest cost, since birth parent expenses aren't state-funded.
Foster care adoption. Children already in the Texas foster care system, whose birth parents' rights have been terminated by the court, need permanent families.
Kinship or relative adoption. A grandparent, aunt, uncle, or family friend who's already caring for a child through the state's kinship program formalizes that relationship permanently. Kids First licenses and supports kinship families.
Stepparent adoption. A spouse legally adopts their spouse's child. This is a private legal process that doesn't involve DFPS or the foster care system.
International adoption. Adopting a child from another country through a Hague-accredited agency, involving both U.S. and foreign legal processes.
Kids First is a licensed contract provider with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (TDFPS). We handle foster care adoption, foster-to-adopt licensing, and kinship care licensing for families in Dallas, Fort Worth, Denton, and the surrounding counties.
Who Can Adopt in Texas?
Texas doesn't require you to be married, own your home, or hit a specific income number to adopt, but you do need to meet a few baseline requirements. To adopt or foster-to-adopt through Texas DFPS, you'll generally need to:
Be at least 21 years old
Pass a criminal background check, central registry check, and fingerprinting
Complete required training (33 hours, provided by Kids First)
Pass a home study, including fire and health inspections
Show stable income that supports your own household (there's no fixed minimum)
Be married, single, or divorced for at least six months
That's the short version. For the full breakdown, including what caseworkers actually look for during a home study and answers for single applicants, see our complete guide to who can adopt a foster child in Texas.
Step 1: Select an Agency
Your first step is to choose the adoption center or agency through which you will adopt a child. Because this is a complicated process, you’ll need an experienced and trustworthy professional as your guide and provider of Texas foster care and adoption services.
Step 2: Submit your state application.
Adopting a Child from Foster Care in Texas? - Kids First, Inc.
Before they can continue forward, all hopeful parents must pass the Texas foster care adoption standards. This is critical in ensuring that children are placed in safe, loving homes with families who can meet their requirements. In the state of Texas, you’ll need to meet the following requirements:
A reliable and sufficient source of income
Medical records
Check for criminal records
Additional documentation as required by the state
The state agency will verify that these requirements are met in your initial application before approving you to go to the next step.
Step 3: Complete the home study
The Texas foster care department requires all prospective foster and adoptive parents to complete a home study with a licensed adoption center. They’ll determine whether you’re ready to welcome a foster child into your life and home.
Step 4: Waiting and placement
In order for a placement to be successful, your agency will want to make sure that you and the child are a good match. If they believe there is a waiting child who would be a good match for your family, they will contact you. Before the placement, you will work with your agency to review files and, possibly, meet the child. Then, if both you and the child believe the placement is appropriate, you will welcome them home.
Step 5: Finalization
The final step will be to legalize your child as a permanent member of your family! A finalization hearing will be scheduled six months after your initial placement. Prior to that hearing, your social worker will return to conduct post-placement visits, which will be similar to the pre-placement visits that were conducted during your home study. This time, they will make certain that everyone is adjusting well. Then, at the hearing, a judge will issue a final decree of adoption. Texas families frequently regard this as the point at which their family officially becomes a family.
How Long Does Adoption Take in Texas?
Licensing and training typically take two to three months, depending on how quickly you complete your background checks, training hours, and home study. From there, the timeline depends almost entirely on matching and placement. Some families are matched within weeks, while others wait a year or more, especially if they're hoping for a specific age range.
Once a child is placed with you, Texas requires a six-month supervisory period before the adoption can be finalized in court. Families open to sibling groups, teens, or children with special needs are often matched more quickly, since these are the children who wait longest for a home. For a full stage-by-stage breakdown, see how long foster care adoption takes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of adoption are available in Texas?
Texas families can pursue foster care adoption, private or agency infant adoption, kinship (relative) adoption, stepparent adoption, or international adoption. Kids First specializes in foster care adoption, foster-to-adopt, and kinship licensing for families in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Denton.
Do you have to foster before you can adopt in Texas?
Not always, but Kids First recommends becoming licensed as a foster-to-adopt family, since it expands your placement opportunities and lets you build a relationship with a child before finalizing. Some families do adopt directly once a specific child's case is already headed toward adoption.
Ready to talk about adopting a child from foster care?
Texas residents who want to learn more about waiting foster children for adoption should contact an adoption center directly. Kids First is a trusted adoption center in Texas with expertise in helping families adopt through the foster care system. We will be able to explain the process of adopting a child in the custody of Texas Child Protective Services. Contact us today.