Adoption-related questions and issues may arise soon after a child joins his/her adoptive family, or further down the road when the child reaches adulthood. Children’s Home & Aid recognizes the importance of continued support, guidance and assistance to all parties involved in an adoption.
The Post-Adoption services program offers services to adults adopted as infants or children through Children’s Home & Aid, their biological parents, their adoptive parents, and to other children and families with adoption as a core issue. Below is an overview of the Post-Adoption services.
Adoptive parents may be prompted to contact Children’s Home & Aid for a variety of reasons, including:
- To obtain general parenting education, child development information, linkage and referrals for services.
- To learn how to speak with a child about adoption as issues arise.
- To inquire about the child’s biological parents or cope with unresolved feelings about their own grief or loss associated with the adoption.
The biological parents may contact Children’s Home & Aid at different times of their lives in order to:
- Share updated information about themselves and exchange letters and photographs through the agency.
- Inquire about the growth and development of their child.
- Obtain information and referrals for counseling or other services.
- Discuss feelings of grief and loss associated with the plan of adoption.
- Request searches or biological history.
Adoptees may in turn contact Children’s Home & Aid in order to:
- Share updated information about themselves.
- Request information about the biological parents, including vital medical information and the circumstances of the adoption plan.
- Discuss feelings of grief and loss.
- Pose questions about their identity.
- Obtain referrals for counseling or other services.
- Request search or background information.
- Request for documentation for passport or legal matters.
All post-adoption services are confidential. Children’s Home & Aid treats each member of the adoption triad as distinct clients and abides by laws of confidentiality and adoption established by the State of Illinois and the Professional Code of Ethics. Therefore, no identifying information from records or counseling sessions will be shared with any other person or organization without explicit written authorization from the relevant party. If all parties desire a reunion, Children’s Home & Aid works clinically to explore all potential issues and facilitates every step of the process.
To contact Children’s Home & Aid about our Post-Adoptive services, please send an email to postadopt@childrenshomeandaid.org.
How Are the Internet and Social Media Changing Adoption?
The Donaldson Adoption Institute is launching a new study seeking relevant information through a private survey from adopted persons, adoptive parents, birth/first parents and adoption professionals to help answer that question. This research follows up on the Institute’s 2012 report Untangling the Web.
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.
