Kinship Care in Lubbock
Many local agencies work with Kinship families who have taken in relatives or fictive kin children in the foster care system. Agencies work with kinship families to provide extra support through financial means (funding to get the home into compliance with licensing standards, as well as higher daily reimbursement rates than DFPS kinship payments offer) as well as advocacy and additional training and resources to support the family through the process from licensing to adoption if that is the goal.
The chart below allows you to compare the local agencies and what they are each able to offer specifically for Kinship families in the Lubbock and surrounding areas.
| Agency | Training | Financial Assistance | Languages Spoken | Summary of Services & Special Considerations | Will Provide Adopt – Only Home Studies |
| Arrow Trashaunda Tatum trashaunda.mcbride@arrow.org | Online | Arrow can help pay for FBI fingerprinting, fire inspection, fire extinguisher, medication lock box, and other concrete needs for licensure purposes and compliance. Arrow provides Walmart gift card for children at time of placement. | English Spanish (if at least one spouse speaks English) | Kinship-specific training offered for foster and straight adopt. They license single parents, cohabiting, married, and same-sex couples. | Yes |
| Bair Foundation Matthew Ware mware@bair.org (806) 797-2247 | Online, In-Person | Families receive a fire extinguisher upon licensing. | English | We strongly support children remaining with family whenever possible, and we are able to accept, work with, and verify all kinship homes across any service package with T3C. All of our families are therapeutically trained using a TBRI‑based approach and are verified up to the TFFC service package. This means they are fully equipped to support children with behavioral needs, trauma histories, and crisis situations as they arise. We are able to license families in as little as 30 days. We provide extensive wraparound services, many of which can begin immediately during the licensure process. These include in‑house therapists, skills trainers, 24/7 on‑call clinicians, and weekly staffing’s for children who are struggling. | |
| Buckner Children and Family Services Nicky Locker nlocker@buckner.org | Online/In-Home (CPR and Behavior Intervention are required to be in-person) | Buckner offers T3C daily reimbursement rates and provides reimbursement for fingerprints, training, inspections, clothing at time of placement plus twice a year, and financial assistance for a home to be in compliance. | English & Spanish | Buckner has holiday, summer, and back-to-school events, plus free summer and fall camp at Camp Buckner for the whole family. Childcare may be an option during training if requested in advance. Applicants may be single or married for at least two years. | Yes |
| Children’s Home of Lubbock Johnna Prather 806-762-0481 ext 232 jprather@childshome.org | Online, In-Person, In-Home | CHOL will pay for CPR, TB test and finger printing. They provide smoke alarms/co2 detectors, babyproofing supplies, and med lock boxes. There is also assistance available for health inspections. | English | CHOL has a monthly support group and several annual family events. Childcare during training is available upon request. CHOL will allow children over 3 in the caregiver’s room and license families with more than six children to keep siblings together. Applicants may be single or married for two years. | Yes |
| Children’s Hope Zandria Pauda zandria.pauda@childrenhp.org | Online, In-Person | Reimbursements are provided when they get their fingerprints, CPR training, Fire inspections/Health inspections, and TB tests. | English & Spanish | Children’s Hope has a foster parent support group. Training on Zoom is available for families who do not have childcare. They license single parents, cohabiting, married, and same-sex couples. | Yes |
| DePelchin Children’s Center Sarah Schleiger sschleiger@depelchin.org Britni Mann bmain@depelchin.org | Online, In-Person | Reimbursements are available for fingerprints, TB tests, fire extinguishers, and other household needs. CPR is paid for. | English | DCC has back-to-school and Christmas parties. Training is available through Zoom, otherwise childcare during training can be accommodated. Mentors are also available to families. They license single parents, cohabiting, married, and same-sex couples. | |
| National Youth Advocate Program Scott Mansfield 806-548-2471 smansfield@nyap.org | Online, In-Person, In-Home | Reimbursement available for fingerprints and TB tests. NYAP will provide financial assistance to help homes meet compliance. | English | NYAP will license a home in 45 days. Most training is in the home, and they do not require the same amount of training for adopt-only families. They license single parents, cohabiting, married, and same-sex couples. | Yes |
| Saint Francis Foster Care Alexandra Villarreal alexandra.villarreal@st-francis.org | Online, In Person, & In Home | Reimbursements are available for pre-licensing expenses. | English & Spanish | Saint Francis provides holidays, back-to-school, and foster parent appreciation. They do not require the same amount of training for adopt-only families. Applicants must be able to read & write. They do not have any marriage requirements. | Yes |
| Texas Family Initiative Ashley Hernandez 325-738-0765 ahernandez@tfifamily.org | Online | Reimbursements for fingerprints and CPR. Funds for clothing twice a year ($100). | English | TFI has an annual foster parent retreat. They have a counseling team available. They license single parents, cohabiting, married, and same-sex couples. | Yes |
| Texas Girls and Boys Ranch Erin Olmos 806-939-5515 Eolmos@txgbr.org Emily Schramm 830-263-4734 Eschramm@txgbr.org | Online, In-Person | Pay for CPR, reimbursement for fingerprinting, assist with clothing, diapers, wipes, etc. through our commissary. | English | Every family has an assigned therapist. Equine therapy and Neurofeedback are available. Families have access to the commissary for clothing, baby gear, and other donated items. Support Groups, extra training opportunities, foster parent mentors, and strong support system provided. We have a Post-Adopt program to continue supporting families and children even after the adoption process is complete. Applicants may be single or married for two years. | Yes |
| Upbring Audriana Keller audriana.keller@upbring.org https://upbring.org/ | Online, In-Person | Reimbursements for fingerprints, pet vaccination, and inspections. Other needs are also considered. | English | Upbring has foster parent meetings and mentors available for support. There are also parties throughout the year. Childcare is available during training when needed. They license same sex couples, any marriage requirements depend on the case |