Adoption
Supporting you on your journey to grow your family.
We recognize the adoption process can be confusing and overwhelming. Our experienced and knowledgeable team will assist you through every step of your adoption journey. Each adoptive family has an adoption specialist who provides support and guidance before, during and after the adoption.
Speak with an Adoption Intake Specialist
Complete an Application
Complete the Home Study Process
Prepare for a Potential Placement
Post PlacementSpeak with an Adoption Intake SpecialistThe first step is a free one-on-one telephone call. During this time, our intake specialist will gather some information and answer your questions. In addition, you will learn about the different types of adoption and the adoption process from application to post placement. This is a time to explore various aspects of adoption and review the next steps.
Complete an ApplicationIf you choose to work with LCFS, the next step is to request an application packet. Upon receipt of your completed application documents and application fee, you will be assigned an adoption specialist who will walk you through your entire adoption journey and help prepare you for your role as a parent. Our adoption specialists have advanced degrees and/or training in adoption and several have experienced adoption in their own lives.
Complete the Home Study ProcessIndividuals, who are seeking to adopt in Illinois and live in Illinois, are required to complete an adoption home study. The home study is both a process, which focuses on helping you prepare to add to your family through adoption, and a document that must be completed by your adoption specialist. While there is an assessment component, your LCFS worker will provide you with information on your chosen adoption program and support you throughout this process.
The home study involves four to five interviews, including a home visit, during which your adoption specialist collects the information required by all governing bodies. Additionally, you are required to complete educational training on adoption issues and other topics related to your specific plan. These trainings may be completed through in-person seminars or online classes as well as reading. Your LCFS adoption specialist will discuss the training opportunities that are offered to help you meet your training requirements.
Depending on the program, your availability and completion of requirements, a home study process generally takes between 8 and 12 weeks from your first home study interview. If you wish to adopt a “waiting child,” home studies require licensing and training by the Department of Child and Family Services; this process may extend the timeline. In emergency situations, when placement is expected sooner, LCFS can expedite the process.
Prepare for a Potential PlacementYour adoption journey and potential placement will depend on the type of adoption you are exploring. To learn about our different adoption programs, check out the Adoption Programs & Fees tab below. LCFS does not have a waiting list for prospective adoptive families.
Post PlacementYour LCFS adoption specialist will continue to assist you during the months after a child is placed with you and will provide the necessary report to the court for the finalization of your adoption. The number of post placement visits will be dependent upon court and state requirements.
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Children found their forever families through LCFS' adoption program last year
An identified adoption is one in which prospective adoptive families and birth parents connect with each other directly or through an intermediary. Adoptive parents may choose to work with a marketing organization, a legal services group, or an agency located in another state which handles the outreach and initial contact with prospective birth parents. Families may also decide to network or advertise on their own or find another way to directly connect with an expectant mother. However the connection takes place, LCFS will provide guidance to the prospective adoptive families.
Agency-assisted identified adoptions offer the safeguards and services of an agency adoption while providing you with the opportunity to be proactive in connecting with expectant parents considering an adoption plan. There is no waiting list, and LCFS does not charge a placement fee in identified adoptions.
Your LCFS adoption specialist will support you through the entire adoption journey, including guidance on your relationship with the birth parents. LCFS will explain the options and benefits of an open adoption, but you and the birth parents will determine the type and frequency of contact you will have before and after placement. Your adoption specialist will help you and the birth family arrange a form of contact that is agreeable to both of you.
Finally, when the prospective birth mother is in Illinois and is served by LCFS, you can feel secure in the knowledge that the birth parents have been assisted with their decision making and planning. Our supportive services include gathering background medical and social information, contact with the hospital, placement and relinquishments. A newborn can be placed with you directly from the hospital. LCFS also works with your adoption attorney to support a secure adoption process.
PDFs for viewing/download:
LCFS has completed hundreds of interstate adoptions and is one of the few agencies in Illinois with the knowledge and expertise to smoothly coordinate an adoption between parties in two different states. LCFS is able to assist prospective adoptive families in Illinois who identify prospective birth parents in another state. In addition, if you are a prospective adoptive family living outside of Illinois and have located expectant parents living in Illinois who are considering an adoption plan, LCFS can help you complete your adoption. An LCFS worker will provide services to the expectant parents.
PDFs for viewing/download:
LCFS will assist prospective adoptive parents who are interested in adopting youth in care who are waiting for adoptive families. Our adoption specialists assist prospective adoptive parents in obtaining and reviewing information and in navigating the process of selection by the placing agency and the pre-placement process. Following placement, they provide guidance, support, and linkage to services throughout the post-placement period, supporting the adjustment of the child and family.
PDF for viewing/download:
LCFS can complete a home study for Illinois prospective adoptive parents who are working with a Hague-accredited placing agency or approved adoption service provider (ASP). Your LCFS adoption specialist will:
- Assist you in meeting all of the international home study requirements and complete a thorough home study report.
- Assist you in obtaining the required, approved Hague adoption training.
- Help you identify the type of child best suited for your family.
- Provide you with information on adoptive parent resources.
- Provide post-placement/post-adoption services and support and complete the reports that are required by your child’s country of origin and the ASP.
- Provide guidance on obtaining a Social Security number, a U.S. birth certificate and proof of U.S. citizenship for your child, as well as information for the finalization of your child’s adoption or re-adoption in the United States.
PDF for viewing/download:
LCFS can assist couples or singles, of all sexual orientations, gender-identity, ethnicity, race and/or religion who reside in Illinois. LCFS’ adoption guidelines are similar to those of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Prospective adoptive parents must be at least 21 years of age, but otherwise there are no requirements regarding marriage, divorce, or number of children. In addition, we do not require documentation of infertility.
As an accredited and licensed Illinois adoption agency with a long history of providing professional and caring adoption services, working with LCFS provides many benefits to prospective adoptive families.
- No placement fees charged for identified adoptions.
- Existing arrangements between prospective adoptive and birth parents are honored.
- Personal service and support from a LCFS adoption specialist to assist with all phases of the process.
- Home studies are typically completed within 8 – 12 weeks of first interview; in emergency situations, LCFS can expedite the process.
- Extensive experience with interstate adoptions.
- One of the few agencies in Illinois with the knowledge and expertise to assist families in adopting older children from foster care who are identified by other states as waiting for adoptive homes.
- Provides guidance and educational resources to help prospective adoptive families prepare for the entire adoption process.
- Illinois birth parent services include gathering medical and background information and facilitating the placement and relinquishments once the placement decision is confirmed.
- Newborn placements are routinely completed directly from the hospital to the adoptive parents.
- Assists with arrangements for pregnancy-related expenses, as needed and as allowed by Illinois law.
- Provides guidance on adoption relationships.
- Post-placement and post-adoption support and services available.
- Provides adoption services anywhere in Illinois.
LCFS search assistance services are conducted with respect and discretion and are focused on helping adoptees and birth parents access information or the connection they seek. Services include providing non-identifying background and medical case-file information to adoptees as allowed by Illinois law, and if requested, making an attempt to contact a birth parent or an adoptee based on case-file information. If a connection is made, LCFS will provide guidance and support during the connection process.
NOTE: If you are an adoptee age 21 or over who was born or adopted in Illinois, you can request a copy of your original birth certificate. Instructions can be found on the Illinois Department of Public Health website. Using the information on your original birth certificate, you may be able to search for your birth parents on your own.
LCFS can provide search assistance services to you if:
- You were placed for adoption through LCFS and you are at least 21 years of age. If you are under 21, you will need the permission and assistance of your parents.
- You are a birth parent who placed your child for adoption through LCFS, and that child is now at least 21 years of age.
Process and services provided:
- In order to receive information and assistance from LCFS, you must first complete a registration through the Illinois Adoption Registry and Medical Information Exchange on their Website or at 217-557-5159.
- Registering with the Illinois Adoption Registry will give you access to information and connect you with relatives if they have also registered and given permission for contact. If you are an adoptee under age 21, your adoptive parents must complete the registry application.
- If you are an adoptee, LCFS can review your adoption records and provide you with the nonidentifying information to which you are entitled by Illinois law. The information documented may be limited, but if available can include family and medical background information. LCFS can help you start a search by attempting to contact your birth parent(s) on your behalf using information on file. LCFS cannot guarantee that the person(s) will be reached or if reached, will
agree to any additional contact. If a connection is made, LCFS will provide guidance and support during the connection process. - If you are uncertain whether LCFS was involved in your adoption, you can contact us with your verification of registration and a photo ID, and we will complete a check of agency records. There is no charge for this initial verification.
- If you would like to retain LCFS services, download and follow the instructions on the Fees for Post-Adoption Search Assistance form.
Agency contact:
Leni M. Howard, ACSW
Northern Illinois Adoption Manager
900 Jorie Blvd., Suite 192
Oak Brook, IL 60523
leni_howard@lcfs.org
630-352-6735
Birth Family Search – Korea
Korean-born adult adoptees (age 19 and older) or parents of adopted minors who were placed through Lifelink International Adoption (a prior subsidiary of LCFS) can initiate a search for birth parents. LCFS will facilitate the exchange of available information through Eastern Social Welfare Society (ESWS). If the adoptee/adoptive family plans on traveling to Korea and requests a review of the adoptee’s file at ESWS, meeting with foster family, and/or meeting with the birth family with whom contact has already been established, all requests must be made at least 30 days prior to travel. NOTE: Age restrictions may apply and ESWS may decline a request for a birth parent search for a minor unless there is a medical need. LCFS provides the documents to ESWS to establish the search and has no bearing on the outcome of the search.
FEE: $300
Correspondence with Located Korean Birth Family and/or Foster Family
LCFS can serve as an intermediary between an adoptee who was placed by Lifelink International Adoption and located birth family and/or foster family members by facilitating ongoing correspondence. Photos and letters will be emailed to ESWS’ Post Adoption Program. We are unable to provide translation services. If both parties consent to share email addresses, ESWS will then encourage direct contact.
FEE: $30 per correspondence
PDF for viewing/download:
General Adoption Questions
You do not have to be Lutheran to adopt through LCFS. LCFS can assist couples or singles, of all sexual orientations, gender-identity, ethnicity, race and/or religion who reside in Illinois. LCFS’ adoption guidelines are similar to those of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Prospective adoptive parents must be at least 21 years of age, but otherwise there are no requirements regarding marriage, divorce, or number of children. Also, we do not require
documentation of infertility.
Yes, LCFS does have availability to work with families in completing their home studies and guiding them through their adoption journeys, but LCFS does not have a waiting list for placement of children that families can join.
LCFS is licensed by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Children and Family Services. LCFS is also a member of the National Council for Adoption, Lutheran Services in America and Social Current. In addition, LCFS is a recipient of the ‘Innovator Seal’ from the All Children – All Families program of the Human Rights Campaign for supporting and serving LGBTQ+ youth and families.
We support adoptive parents and birth parents defining for themselves the level of openness with which they are comfortable. At the same time, we offer you information and education focusing on the many benefits of these relationships for everyone involved in the adoption. Because each adoption is unique and each situation is different, those involved should make decisions about how “open” the adoption will be.
About Home Studies
The home study usually includes four to five interviews, some of which may be virtual, and includes a home visit. There is also an educational component that may be completed concurrently with the interviews.
A home study prepares those who wish to adopt. Although there is an assessment component, our staff is not judgmental and it is not an interrogation. The process is designed to be cooperative, thought-provoking and educational.
This training may consist of completing Internet classes, attending an educational seminar, reading specific books and/or articles or some combination of the above. Your adoption specialist will discuss with you what training opportunities are offered in your area and coordinate your specific training plan so that you meet the necessary training requirements. The training plan will vary depending on the type of child you will adopt and whether you are
planning a domestic identified adoption or an international adoption.
Depending on the program, your availability and completion of requirements, a home study process generally takes between 8 and 12 weeks from your first home study interview. Home studies for waiting child adoptions include DCFS licensing and training, which extends the timeline. In emergency situations, when placement is expected in a matter of days, LCFS can expedite the process.
The fees vary based on the adoption program. Below are the fee agreements for our:
Foster care licensing is not required for domestic infant adoption nor for an international adoption. It is only required for our families who are pursuing the adoption of a U.S. waiting child. There is no fee for a foster care license.
The licensing process takes eight to twelve weeks and requires the completion of DCFS training.
About Domestic Adoptions
LCFS can suggest avenues for connecting with a prospective birth mother but does not have an adoption marketing program or a waiting list for prospective adoptive parents.
The costs of an identified adoption can vary widely. In addition to the agency’s fees, Illinois law allows prospective adoptive parents to pay certain pregnancy-related living expenses through the agency. The baby’s hospital bill can be covered by the adoptive parent’s group health insurance, retroactive to birth, provided there is an adoption.
LCFS does not mandate open adoption or force families to share identifying information with birth parents. “Identified adoption” refers to adoptions in which adoptive and birth families connect and choose each other rather than being “matched” by a program.
Our Clients. Their Stories.
Be inspired by people telling their own stories of changing their lives for the better with the help of LCFS’s programs and services.
The McLeod Family's Story
“We felt like adding to our family with adoption through foster care gave us an opportunity to not only provide a child with a home that needed one, but also expand our family.”
LCFS is licensed by the state of Illinois (Agency license # 012998) Note: None of the children shown on this website are available for adoption unless otherwise noted.
