TEXAS ADOPTION SERVICES
PROVIDING ADOPTION SERVICES TO FAMILIES IN THE STATE OF TEXAS
America World-Texas is licensed and Hague accredited in the state of Texas. America World provides Texas adoption services. Although our primary role is to provide Texas adoption & home study services for families adopting through America World, we can also prepare the home study and post-adoption reports for families using other placement agencies and who meet America World's agency requirements. Our office is in Fort Worth, TX, but we can provide services for families throughout the state.
Texas Home Study Services
The Home Study is a major part of the adoption process designed to help you, America World, the US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), and the foreign government assess your ability to provide a loving home for an orphan. A home study is an assessment that provides a written report with a comprehensive picture of your background, current family life, and how this new child will be integrated into your family. It is designed to be a non-judgmental, educational, and fruitful process. Some of the topics discussed during the home study process are the motivation for adoption, expectations regarding adoption (both short term and long term), attitude towards biological parents, type of child desired (including age, sex, medical or emotional concerns), and attitudes of extended family and non-resident siblings. Your home study coordinator will also explore your values related to parenting, marriage, finances, spiritual beliefs, and childcare plans.
These discussions will occur during four face-to-face visits, one of which must be in your home. For residents in the state of Texas, State, and Federal criminal record checks, child abuse registry checks, and references will be obtained. You will need to provide a copy of your birth certificates, marriage license, financial documentation, and medical statements for all family members. All of these items will be collected and reported in the home study.
Texas Post-Adoption Services
America World's Texas office also provides post-adoption services for your adoption. Post-adoption visits are vital to helping an adoptive family adjust and transition to a new family unit. We will visit your family in your home to assess your transition and write a post-adoption report. Each country and even some states have their own post-adoption requirements. Your social worker will ensure that all state, agency, and country requirements are met in your post-adoptive reports. At a minimum, you will be required to have at least two post-adoption visits. In addition to post-adoption visits and reports, we will be available to offer support and referrals for special services, education, and/or training.
International Adoption Services
America World began in 1994 as a China adoption agency. Since then, we have expanded our adoption services to over a dozen countries around the world. Currently, we are looking for families who are called to adopt from China, India, Ecuador, and Haiti. Each of these countries has many children in orphanages and foster care who are waiting for their forever families. America World believes that every child deserves and has a right to a family. Integrity in international adoption is critically important as corruption over the years has created some negativity to adoption as a whole. As a Christ-centered adoption agency, America World always places the child's interests first by ensuring the child is truly orphaned, or parental rights have been given with a full understanding of what adoption means. America World is also known for its knowledgeable, caring staff who provide personal guidance to every family they assist. For more information on our international adoption services, visit our Programs page or contact us to speak with someone.
About our Texas Director of Social Services, Katherine Fromm, LMSW
Katherine was drawn to the field of adoption because she experienced the joy of adoption within her own family. Her parents also became licensed foster parents, and she was deeply impacted by having foster siblings periodically while growing up. Prompted by the desire to work in foster care or adoption, she obtained a Bachelor of Social Work from Harding University in Arkansas and then a Master of Social Work from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas. She previously enjoyed working in domestic adoption before working with families pursuing international adoptions. She has been privileged to work with America World families throughout the past 20 years and has felt blessed to be a part of the adoption process for so many children and parents. Katherine lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with her husband and three children. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, crafting, and reading.
How to Begin Your Adoption in Texas
If you are adopting through America World, you will begin by completing an application online. Once your application has been approved and we have received your program agreements, we will contact you to initiate the home study. If you are not using America World as your placing agency but would like to use our local social services in Texas, you may fill out the application online and choose "Social Services Only" under Application Type. The application fee for a social service only case is reduced to $295. Once the application is processed, our office will contact you and will work directly with you and your placement agency to ensure all requirements are met in your home study and post-adoption reports. If you have any questions, please contact intake@awaa.org
Important Adoption Resources
Texas Adoption Contact Information
America World - TEXAS
Fort Worth, TX 76131
9 AM - 5 PM CT
Phone: 800-429-3369
Fax: 888-466-8922
texas@awaa.org
