Referral Procedure

If you or someone you know may be interested in any of Good Hearts’ programs, all referrals may be addressed to the Placement Coordinator at 281-298-4028, Monday through Friday, during the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. After hours referrals will be handled by Good Hearts’ on-call worker.

Good Hearts’ staff will discuss each child’s needs and the staff/potential foster family’s ability to meet those needs. This will be assessed by reviewing the child’s age, functioning level, proximity to siblings, the staff/family’s level of experience, community resources, and supervision ability. All admission decisions will be made in the best interest of the child and justified according to the program’s eligibility criteria, the client’s needs, the ability to provide required services, and the availability of staff/foster families to provide those services.

Non-Emergency Referrals/Admissions

Good Hearts will make all admissions decisions in consultation with the Treatment Team and will inform the referral source of the admission decision within 24 hours of receiving all requested documentation.

Emergency Referrals/Admissions

Good Hearts will admit a child on an emergency basis if the child:

  • is being removed from a situation involving alleged abuse or neglect;
  • is an alleged perpetrator of abuse and cannot be served in the child’s current placement due to his perpetrating behaviors;
  • displays behavior that is an immediate danger to himself or to others and cannot function or be served in his current setting;
  • is abandoned and after exercising reasonable efforts the child’s identity cannot be immediately determined;
  • is removed from his home or placement, and there is an immediate need to find a residence for the child;
  • is released to Good Hearts by a law enforcement or juvenile probation officer; and/or is without adult care.

For an emergency referral, an admissions decision will be made within 30 minutes of receiving the referral. Good Hearts will make the emergency admissions decision and inform the referring worker of the decision within 1 hour of receiving the referral.

Good Hearts does not accept emergency referrals for the Adoption, Primary Medical Needs, and/or Transitional Living Programs.