Compass United
Compass United is a federal partner providing National Call Center services 24/7 to children, parents, and sponsors engaged through the US Department of Health and Human Services, needing immediate help finding resources in the community to support their child or family.
Join Our Team
Foster Care
Permanency
The goal of Compass Connections is to help each child find their true north. Our goal is to ensure each child’s safety and well-being are paramount, with a focus on permanency – ensuring all children are safely placed with their forever family.
What We Do
Compass Connections partners with state and federal government agencies to match caring adults with children in need. These children are placed in foster homes because they have suffered abuse, neglect or other issues in their biological families that endanger their safety.
The number of children in the foster care system supersedes the amount of caring and supportive homes available. Compass Connections is actively seeking families who can rise to the challenge to provide children and youth with care, love and a safe place to call home. Serving San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth, Tyler and the surrounding areas in Texas.
Compass Connections supports foster parents with any challenges, and they will train and prepare you as much as possible. It’s a great and rewarding journey.
- Rachel, Foster parent
Being a foster parent for 14 years with this agency says it all. It has been such a blessing to know we have made a difference in “our” children's lives. We know they leave us with wonderful memories of our time together.
- Laura, Foster parent
Our experience as foster parents has been a blessing for us and our kids in our home...Lives changing for a better future.
- Rosie and Mark, Foster parent
Foster Heroes
- IT WON’T COST YOU – Foster parents receive a monthly stipend to assist with the basic needs of each child, such as food and clothing.
- HEALTH CARE IS COVERED – Each child is covered by health and dental insurance, which covers all office visits, medical procedures and medications.
- YOU’RE NOT ALONE – Our foster parent support group addresses common challenges and provides tips for difficult situations. Bond with other foster parents who share their experiences.
- WE ARE THERE FOR YOU – Our case managers are available 24/7/365. If there’s an emergency, Compass Connections is there for you.
- ADOPTION MAY BE AN OPTION – Depending on the circumstances, adoption may be an option – many of our foster parents have taken advantage of this amazing opportunity.
Support Systems
- We are available 24/7/365. If there’s an emergency, Compass Connections is there for you.
- Monthly Support Groups
- Training Opportunities
Our Services
Case Management / Family Support
Assessing, planning, implementing, coordinating, monitoring, and evaluating the options and services required to meet children’s and families’ needs.
Clinical Services
Mental health plays a vital role in children’s physical and emotional wellbeing and development. At Compass Connections, we are dedicated to providing quality clinical services. Our clinical team is one that empowers children to thrive in the midst of adversity, believing that each child can grow through challenging times.
FAQs
The average age and background of a child in foster care is 6-12. However, we do receive children from 0-17. Their backgrounds vary based on country of origin, neglect, abuse, or drug exposure.
Children in foster care experience trauma at a very young age and do need some nurturing care to help them overcome these traumas. (Special needs simply means foster children need care they have not received or not enough).
Compass Connections strives to place sibling groups together.
Children in state custody may be eligible for adoption. There are a variety of conditions for the children to be available for adoption. Biological parents are given the opportunity to take classes and work on getting their home life stable to care for their children. Most of the time, reunification is the goal. However, if biological parents are not able to meet the needs of their children, the Court might determine that termination of parental rights is needed.
Compass Connections has Support Groups every month in a variety of ways. We meet virtually most months, for coffee in person by geographical area quarterly, and twice a year in person for Foster Parent Appreciation Month and during the Christmas season.
Compass Connections is a wealth of knowledge in providing you with answers to your inquiries about being a foster parent. Feel free to reach out to us.
We do provide help with Respite. However, we strongly suggest that you establish a back up plan and have a Caregiver who may assist you with caring for the children in case of an emergency. Now is the right time to find that person or couple to get background checked as well as get trained simultaneously with you.
The number of foster, adoptive, and biological children will never be more than 6 at any time. The number of children in the home is based on experience, training, and various other factors considered for each individual family. This depends on the square footage of the bedrooms where the children will sleep, whether the foster parents have biological and/or adoptive children. Biological and/or adoptive children are included in the count. If you have 2 biological children and your bedrooms have enough square footage to have 4 additional children, that satisfies the 6 children capacity. (Age and gender may be a factor if foster children may share a bedroom with biological children).
You do not need to maintain contact with the child’s biological family if you don’t feel comfortable doing so. The Case Managers establish the communication. (Only if it is in the best interest of the child and to help transition the child back to biological family).
Yes, there is financial assistance to help meet children’s needs while they are placed in your home.
You will provide us with your preference of age, race, ethnicity, and gender for the child placed in your home.
As permanency is the goal for any child, the length of time in foster care varies. For children who are foster to adopt, the ability to adopt the child into your forever child may be a achievable goal. The length of time in any home for a foster child is 14 days to 1 year.
You can take children on vacation with you. It is encouraged as part of Normalcy. However, you are not able to take foster children in the TFC program out of the country. If you are taking children out of the Bexar County or the State of Texas, you need to request permission.
Adoption
Depending on the circumstances, adoption may eventually be an option for foster parents. Many foster families have made this transition from a temporary home to a forever family.
