According to the most recent data from the Administration for Children and Families, Texas places a higher percentage of children and youth in kinship placements (44.5 percent) than the national average (34 percent).Kinship caregivers can be a life-changing resource for children and youth entering care, ultimately reducing the numbers of children placed in out of home group care settings.‍

Are you a caregiver to a relative child?‍

Texas law provides a way for kinship (relatives or unrelated individuals with whom a child had a significant relationship prior to coming into CPS care) to become licensed foster parents for children in CPS custody for whom they are the primary caregivers.‍

Family knows family best! Divinity knows family!‍

Divinity has a heart for kinship families and understands the individual challenges that they face both emotionally and financially as they are asked, sometimes unexpectedly, to assume a parenting role for these children.​

Divinity has been serving kinship families from day one and has built the reputation as an agency who goes above and beyond to meet the unique needs of kinship caregivers with respect, common sense, and the compassion they deserve.‍

Our kinship families say we take the stress out of a very confusing process.‍

​All of our services can be offered in Spanish, if that is the preference of the family. Divinity has bi-lingual culturally competent staff in all stages of service.‍

If you are a kinship caregiver for children in CPS custody, we encourage you to call our office 830-890-5838 and speak to a member of our development team about the benefits of becoming a licensed foster home for the children in your care.

Every attempt is made to place children with kinship caregivers (relatives/unrelated person with whom they have a significant relationship). This is not always possible.​

If you are teachable, love children, and want to have a positive impact on your community, fostering may be the avenue for you to make a lasting difference in a hurting child's life. But you must know the path is not for the weak and foster care in a child's mind, is the only place where "your mother becomes a stranger and a stranger becomes your mother."​

Divinity believes that our foster parents are the true heroes in changing children's lives. It is our desire to equip foster parents to parent “children from hard places” with insight and compassion.  Divinity has embraced the parenting principles taught by Dr. Karen Purvis called "Trust Based Relational Intervention" (TBRI).  Parenting "children from hard places" can not be approached in the same manner as children who have not experienced trauma. All children who are involved in the CPS system have experienced trauma and need caregivers who understand their needs and have the tools to meet those needs. The foster home is where HOPE and HEALING take root.​

We also understand the challenges in maintaining compliance with numerous state regulations, the time constraints involved with paperwork and documentation while parenting children. Divinity strives to provide comprehensive guidance and support to our families all along the way.‍

Sometimes children who are placed in foster care are not able to be reunified with their birth family, during the 12-18 month timeframe allowed by the court. In these situations, the court has the option to terminate the legal relationship between the child and their biological parents. It is also possible that parents will voluntarily relinquish their legal rights to parent the child. When either of these circumstances occurs, the child becomes legally-free for adoption.‍

​Children in foster care who are legally-free may be adopted by their current related or unrelated foster parents or be matched with straight adopt families. Our agency offers dual licensing which means that you will be certified to foster and adopt, if you choose to do so.‍

The goal of adoption is to provide a permanent legal forever-family for the children. CPS and the court have many considerations when matching a child with an adoptive family.​

Here are a few:

• Keeping biological siblings together
• The child's desires
• Educational setting
• Willingness to maintain safe "connections" for the child
• Dynamics of the adoptive family
• Level of training and experience with children

There are over 1,000 children, just in the San Antonio area, waiting for a Forever Family.  Grow your family through ADOPTION!