In The News

Read the latest news about LCFS and the children, families and communities we serve together.

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LCFS launches Best Start for Families

December 1, 2023

Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois (LCFS) is thrilled to announce the launch of its innovative new program, Best Start for Families. This experiential training model provides families with the necessary motivation, tools and skills to navigate the challenges of parenting successfully. The “Best Start for Families-A Health Equity Approach” curriculum is based on the International Child Development Program ...

Accepted, secure and unconditionally loved

May 24, 2023

As we celebrate 150 years of service, we want you to know just how important you are to us and more importantly the circle of support that surrounds the children and families we serve. You don’t have to help. But you do. You choose to lift up children and families during their time of need. And for that we say ...

Harvard case study highlights LCFS’ racial equity work

December 20, 2022

The case study “Disruption is in our DNA: Lutheran Services in America and the Results Innovation Lab” chronicles how Lutheran Services in America is fundamentally challenging the status quo through innovation and collaboration and features initiatives by member organizations to close disparities for children, youth and families and change outcomes in the child welfare system. The study was produced by ...

What Does Open Adoption Look Like?

November 10, 2022

The term open adoption is often still misunderstood outside of the adoption world. In simple terms, an open adoption is one in which the expectant parents identify who they want to adopt their child, begin to form a relationship with them, and then after placement they have some level of mutually agreed upon contact with the adoptive family and child. ...

LCFS and 360 Youth Services reach agreement to be stronger together

April 4, 2022

Today, the leadership team of Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois (LCFS) announced they have finalized an agreement to bring 360 Youth Services under the organizational umbrella of LCFS. 360 Youth Services will continue to operate as a separate social service non-profit, retaining its name, mission, values, and services, but with LCFS providing administrative support and governance. Both organizationsare ...

LCFS’ work highlighted in ‘Foster Focus’ Magazine

July 19, 2021

Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois’ work to improve outcomes for children and families of color was highlighted in the recent issue of Foster Focus Magazine, the only monthly national magazine about the foster care industry. Click here to check out the article. We’re so proud of all of our staff who’ve worked hard to ensure more children of ...

Beverly Jones Discusses LCFS’ Racial Equity Journey on Local Media

April 26, 2021

Lutheran Child and Family Services has been working tirelessly to get foster children into forever families and reunited with birth families whenever possible. We are particularly focused on improving outcomes for minority foster children who have historically been underserved and lagged behind in reunification. LCFS VP and COO Beverly Jones has reached out to local media to promote our racial ...

Mike Bertrand Named Nonprofit Executive Director of the Year

April 6, 2021

The Executive Service Corps is the premier nonprofit consultancy with the mission of making nonprofits successful. To achieve their mission, they provide consulting, coaching, and professional services to over 150 nonprofit organizations impacting 1.2 million people each year. Each year the Executive Service Corps bestows its prestigious philanthropic awards on exceptional leaders in the nonprofit community. This year, ESC has ...

LCFS receives national recognition as an innovator

October 9, 2019

The Council on Accreditation’s 2019 Innovative Practices Award celebrates LCFS’ Regenerations program as an example of successful innovation in the human services field. Sadly, Illinois has struggled with hundreds of older foster youth in correctional and detention centers that are past their release dates, but stay in jail because they have no place to go. Many times these youth were ...

LCFS Recognized by HRC Foundation for LGBTQ Inclusion Efforts

June 26, 2019

Today, Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois (LCFS), the second largest private provider of child welfare services in Illinois, including foster care and adoption, proudly announced that it is being recognized in Celebrating Everyday Change-Makers in Child Welfare — a first-of-its-kind report highlighting more than 70 child welfare agencies across the country that partnered with the HRC Foundation’s All ...