Becoming a Foster or Adoptive Parent

Caring Families Needed
Hundreds of Houston children need the care and love of a special family. HAP families share their heart and home. Miracles do indeed happen and lives are positively changed forever.

Foster Care, Foster to Adopt, and Adoption Services
HAP provides opportunities for caring families and individuals to become a “permanent” family for one or more children.

About the Children
HAP serves children from birth through 19 years of age. Most of the children served range between 2 and 17 years old. HAP children are “at risk” children. These are children from biological families where there have been instances of family violence, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, abandonment, drug use and alcohol dependency.

Assessment Process for Potential Foster & Adoptive Parents
Potential Foster and Adoptive Parents participate in a HAP Assessment Process. This process enables potential parents and HAP to examine competencies, skills, motivation and qualifications in light of the children to be served. HAP does extensive background checks and home studies to ensure the safety and quality care for the children.

Child Legal Custody Determination
The Child Legal Custody status often determines whether a child is eligible for foster, foster to adopt, or adoption services. Some children are immediately eligible for adoption based on current termination of rights of the biological parents. Other children are not immediately eligible for adoption based on an underway, though not completed, termination of rights process. In many cases, these other children become eligible for adoption. The time-table for adoption eligibility for these other children typically ranges from weeks to months.

HAP Training for Foster and Adoptive Parents
HAP is nationally recognized for outstanding training capabilities. HAP training is practical and skill based. HAP training not only focuses on defining the responsibilities, roles and challenges of Foster and Adoptive parenting, but also focuses on the day-to-day living “how to” skills helpful for relationship success with each child. HAP training assists parents to work more effectively with difficult child behavior, and the sometimes uncomfortable and confusing emotions that surface. HAP training helps parents to better understand the histories and backgrounds of “at risk” children, and the ways that the experiences of the children may affect daily living in the Foster or Adoptive home.

On-going Day and Night Support
HAP provides 7 days per week, 24 hours per day on-going support to Foster and Adoptive families. Each family works in close partnership with a HAP Case-Manager to share information, advice, feedback, individualized training and treatment approaches. A key aspect of this partnership is the emotional support provided by the Case-Manager throughout the Foster or Adoption process.

HAP Commitment
We will do everything we can to serve and support you and your family through the Foster, Foster to Adopt, or Adoption process. This HAP commitment is our way of insuring that “Kids Come First.”

“HAP Cares,” says a Foster and Adoptive Mother
A Foster and Adoptive mother of two siblings expressed her gratitude to HAP in a letter she wrote to us.

“HAP will always have a special place in my heart for the rest of my life because you gave me two special children. You were there from the beginning supporting my husband and me through the adjustment and through the difficult times. You helped me recognize all the positive progress being made. You helped us every step of the way through the foster care and adoption process. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. And, our children thank you too!”