Community Services and Foster Care
Methodist Children's Home offers foster care and family preservation services through its Community Services Program. A variety of services designed to help children and their families is provided through outreach offices in Abilene, Bedford, Corpus Christi, Crockett, Dallas, El Paso, Houston, Lubbock, San Antonio, Sulphur Springs, Tyler, Waco, and Albuquerque, NM.
View a directory of MCH outreach offices.
Foster Care
Foster care enables families to open their hearts and homes to children who cannot live with their parents due to family circumstances. Foster families can make a positive, lifelong impact on children as they help them grow physically, spiritually, emotionally and intellectually. Foster care provides a temporary living arrangement – typically ranging from 6 to 18 months – until the parents are able to resume parenting. Children in care range from birth through 17 years of age. Very few babies or children have special needs, such as medication or counseling.
Foster families are licensed through Methodist Children’s Home, which is licensed by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (TDFPS) and accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA).
The foster care program at MCH is served by staff members who carefully plan for the child's care, monitor progress and adjustment to the foster home setting, support the foster family through frequent telephone calls and visits, and plan for the child's eventual return to the home or alternate permanent placement.
Foster care through Methodist Children's Home is unique because the majority of parents or legal guardians place children and youth voluntarily. MCH also accepts children under the conservatorship of TDFPS. The Home offers a per diem reimbursement for boarding care and day care for foster parents who work out of the home, along with complete medical and dental care for the foster children.
Families that are thinking about serving as foster families should consider the following questions: Do you want to care for a child on a temporary basis? Are you financially able, with some assistance from MCH, to care for another child in your home? Do you have a stable, happy marriage? Does your home have room for an additional child? Are you ready for more activity in your home than there is now? If you have children, how are they doing now and have you talked with them about sharing you with another child?
Foster Care Application
If you are interested in becoming a foster parent, learn more at our Foster Parent page.
Partnership in Parenting
The Partnership in Parenting (PIP) program is designed to prevent out-of-home placement of children and to support children who return to their home following care at MCH. This program includes outpatient counseling, in-home services, parent training, employment counseling, assistance with community resources, aftercare and limited financial assistance when other sources are unavailable.
The PIP program is designed to help at-risk families stay together. This program identifies family strengths and provides tangible services to help families become self-sustaining.
Grandparents As Parents Program
Grandparents who serve as the primary caregivers for their grandchildren can receive support in their communities through MCH outreach offices. Services include case management, access to community resources, support groups, assistance with legal issues and workshops. Please contact the outreach office nearest you to learn more about the services available to grandparents.
