CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and the Nueces County Court of Law #5 are celebrating newly formed families Friday.
Judge Timothy McCoy is presiding over multiple adoption cases both in court and online from the first-floor central jury room at 901 Leopard St..
"The newly formed families will be official just in time to celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday, as a newformed family, a date that will be even more special to the families, as the birth of their new family," says a press release from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
The adoption proceedings will be live-streamed at 10 a.m. in this article.
There will be a reception hosted by CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), FAST (Foster Angels of South Texas), and the Nueces County Child Welfare Foundation.
Texas has 2,902 children up for adoption as of Sept. 2021, 69 of those children are right here in Nueces County.
The prospective foster/adoptive parents may be single or married and must:
- be at least 21 years of age, financially stable, and responsible mature adults,
- complete an application (staff will assist you, if you prefer),
- share information regarding their background and lifestyle,
- provide relative and non-relative references,
- show proof of marriage and/or divorce (if applicable),
- agree to a home study which includes visits with all household members,
- allow staff to complete a criminal history background check and an abuse/neglect check on all adults in the household, and
- attend free training to learn about issues of abused and neglected children.
In addition to the basic requirements, foster parents must:
- have adequate sleeping space.
- allow no more than 6 children in the home including your own children or children for whom you provide day care.
- agree to a nonphysical discipline policy.
- permit fire, health and safety inspections of the home.
- vaccinate all pets.
- obtain and maintain CPR/First Aid Certification.
- obtain TB testing as required by the local Health Department for household members.
- attend 20 hours or more of training each year.
For more information on becoming a foster or adoptive parent, log onto the web at www.adoptchildren.org or call 1-800-233-3405.
