Adoption Placement

Placement – it’s the part of the process Arms Wide Greater Houston and South Texas staff enjoys the most. It’s also what we work towards with families from the moment they attend an Information Meeting!

Once you have successfully completed the screening, application, training and home study, you are eligible for the match/placement of an adoptive or foster child in your care.

The following is a typical scenario for straight adoption placement of a child:

  Arms Wide Adoption Services receives a request from Children’s Protective Services (CPS) regarding the child(ren) in need of placement.

  The Arms Wide Coordinator contacts prospective adoptive parents to see if they are interested in being considered as a possible family for the child(ren) . At this point, the Arms Wide Coordinator may not have much information about the child(ren) to share – all we will know at this point is what CPS has shared.

  If after talking with your Arms Wide Coordinator, you’re interested in moving forward with placement of children, Arms Wide will submit your family’s home study to CPS for consideration for placement. Once CPS decides that your family is a good match for a child(ren), you will have the opportunity to come to learn more about the child(ren). After all parties agree that your family is a good match with the child(ren), your family will then meet the children in person and have a number of pre-placement visits to help the child(ren) transition into your home.

  You work with CPS and Arms Wide to meet the child(ren)’s basic needs (food, clothing, shelter,) as well as his or her medical, dental, educational, personal development needs and others. You are responsible for taking the child(ren) to birth parents and/or sibling(s) visits, medical appointments, therapy appointments, and anything else that is needed.

  Your Arms Wide Coordinator will support your family through the placement, answer any questions you have and help facilitate the smoothest transition possible. Our staff is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to ensure you have the support you need during placement as well as into post adoption.


The period between pre placement and legal finalization is at least six (6) months, unless you are the foster parent of the child you plan to adopt and they have already been in your home at least six (6) months. If the child has already been in your foster home for six (6) months or more at the time of placement, Arms Wide makes every attempt to finalize the adoption process as quickly as possible, although CPS and the court ultimately decide when finalization will take place.