Adoption Programs

MARYWOOD ADOPTION PROGRAMS

Marywood has touched the lives of more than 5,000 families through its history of more than 88 years in adoption and foster care. Though the needs have changed over the years, the focus remains the same, bringing together waiting children with waiting families.

“Finding an adoptive parent for older children with years in foster care is known in child welfare circles as the toughest challenge. Typically, their biological parents abused or neglected them and had parental rights terminated. Relatives may not know where the children are, or even that they exist. And the supply of saints in the general public, willing to adopt teenagers, shaken by years of trauma and loss, is limited.” (New York Times – 1/30/10)

Today estimates indicate that there are more than 500,000 children in the foster care system and many of these children will simply age out of the foster care system when they reach the age of 18 as no family has been found. These young adults are often unprepared to live on their own. Your family could make a difference in the life of one of these children by fostering or adopting a waiting child.

Marywood is looking for families:

		who are willing to share their lives with a child who may have experienced many losses in their life.
		who are able to make a lifelong commitment to a child
		who are at least 21 years of age
		who may be single, married, divorced or widowed
		who are open to parenting a child not born to you
		who can demonstrate flexibility, compassion and understanding of a child’s history
		who are willing to participate in the home screening and training process

Could this be your family?

Marywood offers services through three Adoption programs:

Our Infant Adoption Program serves birthparents who wish to make an adoption plan and want the security of an agency prior to and after the birth of their child.

Our Kid Connection Program focuses on finding families for children waiting in the State foster care system. These children may be school age or older, part of a sibling group that needs to be placed together, and children who may be physically, emotionally or mentally challenged. Children may be of various racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Our International Adoption Program offers services to families interested in adopting children from other countries. The agency works with various international agencies across the U.S. to provide homestudy and post adoption services to those families choosing to adopt internationally.

Marywood strives to provide families with education, information and support at all stages of the adoption process through the following services:

		Monthly *Adoption Information Meeting*s held the third Tuesday of each month
		Regular *PRIDE training* sessions
		*Information* and *resource* referral
		Founding member of the *Adoption Coalition of Texas*
		Supporter of the *Heart Gallery of Texas*
		Ongoing Post Adoption Services

All children need and deserve the love and security of a family to call their own. Sometimes those children may be infants or they may be older children who have waited for years for a family. Sometimes they come with brothers or sisters who need to be placed together. Whatever their special needs, they all have in common the need for permanency in their lives.
As children come with different needs and different personalities, so do families. Some are single, some are married with children while others are waiting for that first child. Consider adoption and make the difference in the life of a child.

If you would like to fill out our preliminary information form, please click below.

Adoption & Foster Care Information Meetings
June 15, 2010
July 20, 2010
August 17, 2010
September 21, 2010
October 19, 2010
November 16, 2010

PRIDE will be conducted
June 15, 17, 22, 24, 26, 29 and July 1, 2010, in the John Paul II Conference Room at the Marywood offices.

PRIDE training is the TDFPS-approved pre-service training for all prospective foster and adoptive parents in our Kid Connection program. All adults in the household preparing to foster or adopt must complete this free training.