Adoption Eligibility
In order to be eligible to adopt a child, it is required that the adoptive parent is:
- 23 years of age or older
- single, married, or in a long-term relationship
- financially stable enough to support the family and the adopted child
There are no religious requirements for adoption. Home ownership is not necessary. Individuals are eligible to adopt whether or not you already have children.
Domestic Infant Adoption
The Children’s Home & Aid Domestic Infant Adoption program places infants and toddlers with adoptive families in an environment of trust and openness with birth families. This program offers training and support to adoptive parents around issues of openness, infertility, child development, and cultural identity.
Please note: Only families who live in Illinois are eligible for placement on the waiting list for the Domestic Infant program.
International Adoption Services
Children’s Home & Aid assists with International Adoption by coordinating adoption efforts between adoptive parents and international placing agencies. Home study services and post-placement supervision are among the services provided to adoptive parents seeking to complete an international Adoption. Children’s Home & Aid also provides informative training sessions for adoptive parents that focus on the child’s culture, attachment, adjustment to a new family, environmental and medical concerns, as well as other important topics.
Private/Identified Adoption
Adoption services are also available for adoptive families who find adoptive placement on their own, which is known as private/identified adoption. These services include home study, educational training, and post-placement supervision.
If you would like to make a difference in your life and the life of a child, contact the Children’s Home & Aid regional office nearest you and ask to speak with an adoption professional about how to begin the adoption process.
Children’s Home & Aid Earns Seal from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, announced today that Children’s Home & Aid has earned the All Children—All Families seal of recognition for implementing fully inclusive policies in working with LGBT families. >read press release
Adopted Persons Allowed Access To Their Original Birth Certificates
Adopted adults born in Illinois can request non-certified copies of their Original Birth Certificate (OBC), listing the names of their birth parents. Requests for an Original Birth Certificate may be made by filing a form with the IL Adoption Registry and Medical Information Exchange (IARMIE). Birth parents of adopted persons born after 1/1/1946 may request that their names be removed from copies of the OBC during their lifetime by filing a form with the IL Adoption Registry and Medical Information Exchange (IARMIE). All birth parents may share background information or indicate a desire for contact though the IARMIE. For more details or to download application forms, go to www.newillinoisadoptionlaw.com or http://www.idph.state.il.us/vitalrecords/adoptioninfo.htm or call 877-323-5299 (toll free).
Additional Information
Find a regional office near you.
Request More Information About Becoming an Adoptive Parent
Review the Annual Report for Illinois Licensed Adoption Agencies.
Adoption Services Fee Schedule
Although the expenses involved in domestic infant and international adoption can be discouraging to families initially, many have found that there are ways to help reduce the actual costs. Before deciding that building your family through adoption is out of your reach, please review the information below to see the different options to help minimize your expenses. If you would like additional information on how to make adoption an affordable option, please talk with one of our adoption professionals.
>Adoption Expense Assistance
>FAQs on the Adoption Tax Credit
If you are an expectant mother and are considering adoption, please see Pregnancy and Early Parent Counseling (PEPC).
Children’s Home & Aid recognizes, respects, promotes and celebrates the value of cultural diversity and will ensure that each client’s ethnic or cultural customs, practices, and beliefs, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, disability, and/or community differences will be respected by agency staff.
