If you follow on Facebook and Twitter, you know that we almost had some placements last Thursday.
The situation was that a sibling group of 5 needed short-term emergency placement. Because it is nearly impossible to find foster homes available to take 5 children, the State was having to split the siblings into 2 homes. The call we received was for 3 children.
Since 20-year-old Bubba recently moved back home, we currently only have 2 beds available, and that includes the trundle. So sadly, we couldn’t accept the placements.
Then, a few minutes later, the State called back: “Could you take a sibling group of 2?”
“Yes, we can!”
We were excited that Stinkpot would have some older “siblings” to play with this summer.
However, after that conversation, the State called back a third time.
“We’ve found a foster home for the kids in their home county.”
These children will be able to have visits with their siblings easier.
The question of how many foster children you can have in your home, lead to over 20 comments on Facebook.
Siblings available for adoption. Click photo for more details.
These are the capacity requirements for foster family homes in Texas:
“The State of Texas allows no more than 6 children in the home including your own children or children for whom you provide day care.”
A two-parent foster family home may care for up to six children, including any biological and adopted children of the caregivers who live in the foster home and any children receiving foster or respite child-care, and children for whom the family provides day care.
If a licensed foster home has one foster parent that is absent for extended periods, such as military service or out-of-town job assignments, the home must comply with single-parent foster home requirements when only one foster parent is regularly present in the home.
A single-parent foster family home may care for a maximum of:
(1) Five children if any child in the home is under five years old;
(2) Four children if more than two children in the home receive treatment services; and
(3) Four children if any child in the home receives treatment services for primary medical needs.
