Children’s Services

We are safely reunifying families one child at a time

Our top priority is reunifying children with their families as quickly and safely as possible. When this is not an option, we seek permanent and supportive relationships for our youth and equip them with the skills needed for successful lives in adulthood.

Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM)

Minors who have been designated status as a refugee, an asylee, a victim of human trafficking, or a special immigrant juvenile. Youth are referred to us through our funders United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Many of the youth have fled their home country due to war, abuse and neglect, and other violence related crimes and are in need of homes that will provide a therapeutic, safe, and nurturing environment.

Unaccompanied Children
(UC)

Only unaccompanied minors who have entered the USA without proper documentation and who were subsequently apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the Immigration are eligible for care. All clients need to be sent to the program by the Office of Refugee Resettlement via DHS.

International Foster Care

We provide foster care and independent living placement to youth in our program, ages primarily 14-21. The program relies on engagement from a wide range of community members including foster parents, mentors, tutors, and host homes.

St. Mary’s Shelter

We provide a safe and nurturing environment for unaccompanied children, ages 5-13. Our primary goal is to reunify youth with their family members as quickly and safely as possible.

What we do

Advocating for the safety and well-being of the youth

Children’s Services provides daily care, supervision, and case management services to eligible unaccompanied immigrant and refugee youth.

Our programs are accredited by Praesidium – an abuse prevention organization that completes risk assessments and accredidations for organizations serving vulnerable populations. We are a zero tolerance policy when it comes to abuse.

International Foster Care

Our International Foster Care program provides both short and long term foster care placement as well as Supervised Independent Living to unaccompanied refugee and immigrant youth. Holistic services include: intensive case management, foster home development and support, indirect financial support for housing, food, clothing and other necessities, educational support including tutoring and ESL, job skills and independent life skills training, mental health services, ongoing family tracing, cultural activities and recreation.

Program Requirements
  • Must be between the ages of 25 and 65
  • Must be single (non-cohabitating) or married*
  • Christian/Catholic preferred
  • No major life changes within the past year
  • All persons 14 and over in the home must pass a criminal background check, including FBI fingerprinting
  • Live within the Dallas/Fort Worth area
  • Must have a high school diploma or GED, and some English proficiency
  • Must have a phone and internet in the home
  • Must have a working motor vehicle safe to transfer children to activities, along with a valid Texas drivers license and insurance
  • All occupants of the home over 1 year of age must be screened for Tuberculosis
  • Must have adequate space in their house to comply with the Texas Child Care Licensing Minimum Standards (80 sq ft bedroom)
  • May only be licensed through one child-placing agency
Frequently Asked Questions

Click the button below to learn more about our program, how to become a foster parent, the placement process, and more.

International Foster Care – Program Homes

Agency Homes

Our agency-run and agency-funded homes are operated by foster parents, who are agency employees. Generally having six youth in care at any time, allowing for flexibility, especially with sibling groups. We currently have one transitional foster care agency home and we have a need to open one more. If you are interested, please visit our careers page or Indeed job listings.

Community Homes

Located throughout the DFW Metroplex (within 100 miles) and can be licensed to welcome one to four foster youth depending on how many minor children are in the home. Community foster parents are able to maintain their jobs. As the youth become part of the family, our team supports the youth and the foster parent in the home . Foster parents receive financial assistance, home development support, ongoing training, successful completion of orientation, 40 hours of pre-service training, and home study assessment.

Our goal is to transition youth from foster homes to independent living settings, anywhere between the ages of 18-20. Ind living settings could include college dorms, transitional homes (Marillac), host homes or their own apartments with friends, relatives, etc., or JobCorps. Youth in supervised independent living still get case management, a stipend, and education/vocational support.

Foster Parent Opportunity – [NEW]

We are looking for agency foster parents to join our mission to serve international foster youth between the ages of 14-18. Please visit our careers page for more information.

Are you considering becoming a foster parent?

If you are interested in becoming a foster parent in the DFW area, you need to complete an intake process through the DFW-URM Intake Team at U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants by clicking the button below for the inquiry form. You can also contact them by email: DFW-URM@uscrimail.org or phone: 703-214-1073.

Children’s Services Impact

Every day, we are striving to improve the short and long term lives of children

FY 2023

0
children served
0
children were refunified with their families
0
young adults graduated high school

Anisa’s Story

Of the tens of thousands of people we serve every year, none are more vulnerable than children. They may face homelessness. They may be unable to return to their families. Or, as in the case of Anisa, they may be refugees escaping a violent homeland that claimed the lives of their parents. Our team is dedicated to giving all of these children a nurturing environment where they can thrive. Anisa’s path started with International Foster Care and a new home with a local family. And he flourished.

His hard work in both academics and athletics earned him a college soccer scholarship. He’s now part of Supervised Independent Living, our program that mentors youths like Anisa as they enter adulthood. Preparing for university life and excited about the future, Anisa now regularly greets his case manager with a huge smile and the news that “Everything is gooood!”

Help Us Meet the Need

Your gift can change someone’s life today. When you donate to CCD, you support unaccompanied children as we reunite them with their families as quickly and safely as possible.

$50

Celebrates a foster youth’s birthday with cupcakes and presents

$100

Provides a year’s worth of rosaries to children at St. Mary’s Shelter

$400

Helps a child in our foster care program complete their driver’s education

$1,000

Supplies new clothing for 10 children who arrived with only the clothes on their backs

$2,500

Sponsors the cost of providing a safe and nurturing environment at our shelter for one day