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Welcome to Weekend Miracles Houston

How to adopt a child in Houston.

Kidsave helps older kids in foster care find families in the Lone Star State, and you can join us! Our Houston program is a partnership with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Service and Harris County Protective Services for Children and Adults. We work together to give children in foster care the opportunity to spend weekends with families we call “hosts” who are their mentors and help them find adoptive families. We need more hosts and adoptive families like you!

The Need in Texas.

Despite considerable efforts, children are languishing in foster care with no hope in sight in Texas. Nearly 1,300 teens in foster care age out of the Texas foster care system each year without a stable adult in their lives. The issue is compounded as there are not enough foster homes and too many kids living in residential treatment centers. Because of the limited capacity for these kids, 4% or 1,200 are moved out of state.

The outlook for these kids is bleak. The impact of being in foster care, shuffled from one place to the next, causes learning disabilities and psychological problems. Most kids are behind educationally, making it difficult to graduate from high school and even harder to go to college.

But it doesn't have to be this way. Weekend Miracles is a proven approach for finding lifelong mentors and adoptive families for older kids in foster care in Texas.

Become a Host and Mentor through Weekend Miracles.

Weekend Miracles is a great program for families who may not be ready to foster or adopt but want to mentor as a host. You can get to know a child naturally before deciding on next steps.

Through our Meet the Kids Events, you get the chance to interact and spend time with these amazing kids at safe, fun, interactive events. Through our events, kids and families get to know each other at their own pace. Most importantly, it gives the kids a voice and a choice in who they want to get to know and who may ultimately become their forever family. They choose you too! Our program is carefully designed to cultivate natural connections that lead to hosting and adoption.

Hosts are people just like you. Our hosts are singles, married couples, same-sex couples, with or without children, ready to make a difference in an older kid's life. Think of hosting as being more than a mentor; you're a steady support and guide in a child's life.

Hosts make a one-year commitment to regularly spend time with a child (at least twice a month) and be a champion for them, introducing them to friends, family, colleagues, and their local community in hopes of finding a forever family. Hosts celebrate the kids’ milestones, their success and help guide them through hard times. For many of our host families, the Weekend Miracles program is the ideal way to adopt a child as it helps build a relationship of connection gradually and more organically.

You can do this! Get started today.

Make a difference in an older kid's life.

Book a Phone Call

Book a 30 minute phone call with Weekend Miracles Houston Program Manager, Ashlee.

BOOK NOW

Online Orientation

Orientations are a brief overview of the Weekend Miracles program and how you can get involved as a Host or Volunteer.

CALENDAR

Welcome Packet

The Weekend Miracles Welcome Packet is full of useful information for anyone wanting to learn more about the Houston program.

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Fill out an Inquiry form.

Fill out the quick form and give us some basic information and we will get back to you within 24 hours.

FORM

Meet the Kids!

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DETAILS

Weekend Miracles provides a new way to find adoptive parents for older children and teens in foster care in Houston. The purpose of this program is to successfully place waiting children in adoptive homes by increasing the children’s visibility and accessibility to people who can help them find permanent homes. Participating children become visible to the community through weekend and school break visits with host families who work with and support the children to help them find permanent families. Hosts often become life-long connections and/or adoptive families.

  • Children are prepared and prospective hosts are recruited, trained and approved to participate.
  • Children and prospective hosts meet at monthly advocacy events and get to know each other in a fun, interactive environment.
  • A host family is matched with a child they have connected with through the monthly events.
  • Host families commit to spending a minimum of 2 days a month with the child for one year. They develop a relationship of trust and the host advocates to help find the child a permanent family. The host introduces kids to their networks and to their community.
  • Miracles happen! A family may fall in love with a child and make the commitment to adopt the child they host. Others may be inspired to become hosts or advocates for the child.

The opinions of the children in the program are always considered and, as such, are a key factor to the program’s success. Matches with host families are encouraged based on interests, mutual goals, and the ages and genders of any children living in the host family’s home.

  • Ages 9 to 17, single children and sibling groups.
  • Children living with foster families, in general residential operations, and residential treatment centers throughout the Houston area.
  • Children who might have educational, emotional, and/or medical needs.

Children referred to the program must be open to a connection with a host in order to achieve legal or relational permanency, and capable of actively participating in supervised in-person and virtual events. Once matched, they must be able to independently engage with their host without a caregiver present and successfully adapt to family living.

  • Hosts must be at least 25 years old and can be single, married, divorced, or separated, any sexual orientation and gender identity.
  • Hosts must be in good health; able to actively support, advocate for, and mentor the host child.
  • No member of the host household can have a conviction for any violent crime or a crime against a child. Other types of prior convictions will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
  • The host family’s residence must provide a safe environment and include adequate space.

Some host families decide they are interested in adopting their host child. We are delighted when hosts and children develop such a strong connection. Let us know, as soon as you think you might be interested in adoption. You should not, however, say anything directly to the child.
To be considered as an adoptive placement, hosts must complete the adoption licensing and home study process through a local child placement agency. While you will undoubtedly be considered because you have built a relationship with the child, there is no guarantee that you will be able to adopt that child. The child’s social worker has a number of factors to consider when assessing an adoptive family.

Host families must complete Kidsave's proprietary 12-hour trauma-based training and 90-minute program and advocacy training facilitated by Kidsave. This training is designed to prepare you for the unique challenges and responsibilities of hosting and parenting an older child in foster care.
Families must also complete DFPS's self-guided trainings: “Recognizing and Reporting Child Sexual Abuse” and “Psychotropic Medications.”
Hosts will receive training materials and resources such as the Host Family Handbook. Kidsave staff supports our families through the entire approval process and during hosting. We are always here for you!

  •  Identification and referral of children who participate in the program
  • Child preparation and individual support
  • Background checks and clearances
  • Approval of hosts
  • Social work support to children and families
  • Matching and placement services
  • Pre- and post-adoption support and financial assistance

  • Information and outreach to the community and partnerships with civic, social, fraternal, and faith-based organizations
  • Planning and implementation of monthly advocacy events to introduce the children to the community
  • Publicity about older child adoption
  • Recruitment of host families and advocates, and facilitation of host family and advocate training
  • Our website featuring Kidsave Weekend Miracles Houston and the participating children
  • Fundraising to sustain the program
  • Support to our partners to assist in meeting state guidelines and permanency goals
  • Education and training of stakeholders, lawmakers, and the courts on the benefits of the child-centric host family visit model approach.

Definitely! Weekend Miracles depends on the efforts of many volunteers. Some opportunities include:

  • Being a champion for children by reaching out to your circle of friends, family, members of your community, and co-workers about kids who need a forever family.
  • Volunteering with us at weekend events, fundraisers, or community presentations. Contact Claudia Munoz at claudia@kidsave.org to learn more.
  • Following us on social media and helping us spread the word by sharing our posts with your network.
  • Creating or joining a committee for fundraising, event planning, or outreach. Contact Sophie Westacott at sophie@kidsave.org to learn more.
  • Choose Kidsave International as your charity when you shop Amazon Smile or other retailers who support the charity of your choice.
  • Making a donation! Every dollar goes to programs that help kids find families.

EVENTS

Upcoming Events

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LATEST NEWS

A Spooktacular Day of Connection and Fun

Kidsave’s Weekend Miracles event in LA brought foster youth and caring adults together for Halloween fun, building connections through games, treats, and community celebration.

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We can’t do this without you! Please get involved.

If you want to adopt a child, mentor a teen, volunteer, or start a program in your city please contact us.

2024-09-05T09:00:18-07:00
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