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The Council on Adoptable Children of Texas was founded in 1970 by a group of
concerned adoptive parents in Houston, Texas. The organization was founded
on the belief that all children, regardless of race, handicap, age or other
special needs, deserve to be placed for adoption and that adoptive families
could be found for these children.
Soon
other adoption chapters of COAC formed in other parts of the state. At one
time there was a Spanish-speaking group in the Valley and there was an
African-American group in Austin. COAC groups in different areas have come
and gone at various times during the thirty years, but COAC of Texas has
remained dedicated to their original ideas plus expanded then to become a
support organization for the individual branches, for all adoptive families
and those adoptive families who are living with these special needs
children. The adoptive parents of each COAC chapter has helped to inform,
educate, and recruit for the children without permanent homes.
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COAC of Texas joined the
North American Council
on Adoptable Children (NACAC). NACAC began holding training conferences
in a bi-yearly basis (later changed to yearly) and in 1980 they held their
conference in Houston, Texas. The conference was supported by COAC of Texas
and their branches from throughout the state.
COAC members have worked hard to make changes in adoption process and to
inform the public about the children who have experienced neglect and abuse
in their lives. Changes that have occurred in the past thirty years include:
conferences and workshops that educate families and agency personnel about
long term effects of adoption issues and the knowledge of dealing with what
adoption brings to a family, the viewing of the records of the children that
they adopt, post adopt services, and training for pre-adoptive and foster
families. These and other important changes to the field of adoption have
occurred because COAC, members believed that they were vital for adoptive
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