The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) Closed Adoption Records unit maintains adoption records for individuals who have been adopted through the Child Protective Services program. If Child Protective Services (CPS) or DFPS was involved in the adoption case, those records are kept by the agency. If an adoption was consummated through a private adoption placement agency, the records will be maintained either by that placement agency, or the Central Adoption Registry. If you are unsure of what agency placed you, please contact the Central Adoption Registry maintained by the Texas Department of State Health Services at 512-458-7388.
How Can I Get My Records?
In the State of Texas, adoption records are sealed by law. However, an adoptee can obtain a redacted copy of their adoption record. The redacted copy will have certain personal information deleted to ensure privacy of the involved individuals. In order to honor a request for closed adoption records the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services must have been involved in the placement and adoption of the adoptee.
To inquire if DFPS was involved in your adoption, please call 512-929-6675.
Agency case records of children and adults are only releasable to certain parties and not to the general public.
Depending on your relationship to a case, you may or may not be entitled to the information you are seeking. General guidelines for entitlement are provided by program below.
CPS records are confidential under Section 261.201(a) of the Texas Family Code. Most records will not be released unless there is a court order to release the records. Some individuals are entitled to a copy of the record or portions of the record without a court order, including the following:
• Parent or other legally responsible adult of the child who is the subject of the case,
• An adult who was, as a child, the subject of the case, including adoptions,
• A person alleged or designated to be the perpetrator in the case, or
• Other individuals identified under 40 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) 700.203.
DFPS must comply with all statutes and rules pertaining to confidentiality of CPS records.