Safe Haven adoptions at Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois (LCFS) are quite rare but life-changing. These adoptions happen when a baby, up to 30 days old, is safely brought to a police station, firehouse, or hospital. After that, the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is contacted, and the baby gets medical care right away. DCFS keeps a list of agencies that can assist with Safe Haven adoptions and calls the next one on rotation.
Safe Haven placements come with unique challenges. Birth parents have 60 days to change their plan and go through a series of steps to regain custody of their child, which can make the process an emotional rollercoaster for the prospective adoptive parents. In addition, they receive no medical history or background information on the birth family. These unknowns, combined with the possibility that the child may return to their birth parents, require families who are willing to embrace uncertainty.
When the Stantons* got the call from LCFS, they were ready. After nearly two years of waiting, they received the news that a baby boy had been surrendered at a local fire station, and they could be his family. Though they knew the risks and the uncertainties ahead, they agreed. They brought baby Daniel home. When the 60 days passed, and they could start the legal process to adopt Daniel, the Stantons’ relief and happiness were overwhelming. Their long wait was over, and their family was complete.
Laurie Lawton, LCFS Director of Adoption, recognizes the deep courage required on both sides of the adoption process. “Expectant parents who choose adoption are making a difficult, selfless decision. They’re putting the needs of their child ahead of their own, and that decision is always going to involve grief and loss. Meanwhile, prospective adoptive parents go through an intensive process, learning about the lifelong issues of adoption and preparing themselves for the emotional journey ahead, often after experiencing their own grief and loss if they were unable to conceive a child.”
Thanks to your support, LCFS can continue to guide families through their adoption journeys, helping to create loving homes for children like Daniel. Your generosity makes special adoptions like these possible, turning moments of uncertainty into the beginning of a family’s story.
*To protect privacy, names and images are representational only.
