Children & Family Institute

Children Family Institute (CFI) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building, strengthening, and restoring families by providing permanent homes to children in need and support services to families.

1. Orientation: During the orientation, general information will be provided about the adoption process. In addition, the future adoptive families will be informed about the philosophy and vision of Children and Family Institute, as well as the policies and procedures involved in the adopting process. If the adoptive parents wish to proceed further with this agency, they will receive a packet of informational materials to review. 2. Training: The adoptive training is designed to help prospective parents assess their readiness to adopt and learn new parenting skills. Parents wishing to adopt TDFPS (State Children) will have to attend 20 hours of training individually and/or in a group setting. Parents adopting infants from CFI will attend 8 hours of training in a group or individual setting. Additional training maybe required to meet your child’s individual needs. 3. Home Study: During this process a family profile will be developed. Each adoptive parent will participate in a series of interviews, together and individually, designed to meet and exceed state licensing requirements. Discussions with a adoption caseworker will cover: a parent’s motivation to adopt, the type of child(ren) they wish to adopt, health status, marital and family relationships, views regarding parenting, childhood experiences and relationships, financial situations, sensitivity to children experiencing separation and loss, sensitivity toward birth parents, sensitivity to different socioeconomic, cultural, and ethnic groups, etc. 4. Selection Process: A search begins for the child being requested by the adopting family. During this process, the adopting parents will decide if a child is right for their family. Before beginning the selection process, each adoptive family has decided to have their home study considered for and submitted to Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (TDFPS), or matched with a birth mother for infancy adoptive placement. With infancy adoptive placemen