• You must be 21 years of age or older.
• You must be a citizen or legal resident of the U.S. – this includes all household members.
• You may be single or married, but if you are married you must have been married for at least one year.
• In order to be eligible for services through our Houston office, prospective parents must live in one of the following counties: Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Walker, Waller, and Wharton.
• In order to be eligible for services through our South Texas office, prospective parents must live in one of the following counties: Aransas, Bee, Brooks, Cameron, Duval, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, Live Oak, McMullen, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, Starr, Webb, Willacy, and Zapata

Every situation is different. It is up to the family applicant and the matching process.

If the child is legally free for adoption, meaning that their birth parents’ rights have been terminated, foster parents may be considered for adopting their foster children. Your Arms Wide Coordinator will help advocate for you, but the decision is ultimately made by CPS and the judge.

Many families are interested in both fostering and adopting and understand that the children’s needs come first. In most cases, this means helping prepare children for reunification with their birth family or working toward a relative or kinship placement. Dual certification of parents to both foster and adopt speeds up the placement process, reduces the number of moves a child makes, and allows relationships to evolve with the initial placement process.

Yes! Adoptive families who are willing to accept placement of children who are not yet legally free for adoption but have a plan for adoption can also become certified as foster families. This dual certification increases the opportunities for successful adoptions.

Yes! This is the hallmark of our program. Arms Wide foster families have access to their respective coordinator 24 hours a day, including weekends. It is our belief that our foster parents should not be alone on this journey, and providing support is crucial to the care and well-being of our children. Arms Wide Coordinators speak to their respective parents weekly and see the children at least once a month.

Because we are a 501c3 non-profit organization, Arms Wide offers our Foster Care program at no fee to you. However, there are a few minor additional expenses in ensuring your home meets minimal safety requirements.