Adoption in Chicago

Chicago Adoption, Home Studies and More

Adoption Services for
Birth Parents and Adoptive Families

Please choose where you’d like to begin:

Information about placing
a child for adoption
or
Information about adopting a child

Are you considering adoption in the Chicago area? Lifetime Adoption Agency is here to assist you and give you all the information you need. Our experienced adoption coordinators are available to assist families in growing their family through adoption and to work with birth parents to ensure they have the resources and support they need.

Lifetime Adoption has over three decades of experience in connecting birth families and adoptive families and is a nationwide leader in domestic, open adoption. Our adoption coordinators are kind, caring, and ready to help you. They will provide resources such as blogs, podcasts, webinars, referrals, and counseling. You will know you have all the support you need.

Help for Pregnant Women in Chicago

Help is available if you live in Chicago and are facing an unplanned pregnancy. At Lifetime Adoption, our adoption coordinators are caring and kind and can help you make an adoption plan. You may have a lot of questions and some concerns about the adoption process. To get answers and information and all you need to do is call or text our adoption coordinators, who are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If parenting your child is not the right choice for you and your child at this time, a loving home with parents who are emotionally and financially ready for a new baby may be the right solution. The coordinators at Lifetime Adoption can work with you to create an adoption plan perfect for you and your baby. You will be able to view profiles of Lifetime families, and you will choose the adoptive family that is the best choice for you and your child. You will even get to decide how much contact you want once the adoption process is complete. In addition, you will decide how things will go at the hospital.

Are you struggling to raise a toddler or young child? We got a call from Kara*, who was struggling with homelessness and was trying to raise a three-year-old and a 6-month-old. She wanted a better life for her kids, but she wanted them to stay together. She found a family that was more than happy to adopt both her children and to have an open adoption with Kara, who could visit with them twice a year. Kara felt peace knowing her children were being raised together, and this gave her a chance to work on her life. She enrolled in community college and is working towards a career in the dental field.

Lifetime has many families interested in adopting toddlers, sibling sets, and special needs children. While this is a hard decision, and making that call can be difficult, you will always find a kind, non-judgmental Lifetime Adoption coordinator to speak to. All of your questions will be answered, and she will provide all of the information.

Call or text Lifetime Adoption anytime, and we will be there for you.

Adoption Agencies in Chicago

Lifetime Adoption is a nationwide agency that will help you place your baby with an adoptive family in your home state or anywhere else in the nation. Your Lifetime Adoption coordinator will walk you through the entire adoption process.

At Lifetime Adoption, you can be sure you will have:

Help with pregnancy-related expenses you need
24-hour support is available even on holidays
Many adoptive parents’ profiles from across the nation to choose from. All with completed home studies and background checks
Peer and Professional Counseling available at no cost to you
Continued support after the adoption is final
And much more!

Adoption Counseling in Chicago

With an unexpected pregnancy comes a lot of emotions some important decisions. A referral to a professional counselor can help you understand your emotions and guide you through your decision-making process.

Another counseling resource at Lifetime Adoption is peer counseling. A peer counselor is a woman who has been through her own adoption journey and wants to help other women with theirs. She will listen to you how you are feeling and share with you what her adoption experience was. She can offer advice and tips on how to move through the adoption process.

Maternity Hospitals in Chicago

So how does the process go at the hospital when adoption is in place? Your coordinator will work with you to create a hospital plan. She will ask questions that you may not have thought of, such as:

Who would you like in the room when you go into labor?
Who would you like to hold your baby first?
Would you like to hold and feed your baby after the birth?
Will you go home before or after your baby is released?
Do you want the adoptive parents to come to the hospital?

Your Lifetime Adoption coordinator will make sure the hospital and adoptive parents understand your hospital plan, so everyone is on the same page and knows what is expected.

In the Chicago area, there are several hospitals with labor and delivery services:

Northwest Community Healthcare
Prentice Women’s Hospital
Rush University Medical Center
Saint Anthony Hospital
Swedish Covenant Hospital
The University of Chicago Medicine
University of Illinois Hospital

Whichever hospital you choose to deliver at, our experienced adoption coordinators will work with you. They have worked with women who have given birth at home, and women were surprised to go into labor while they were traveling out of state. So whatever your situation, they are there to help you through it.

How to Start the Adoption Process

Now all you need to know is how to get the adoption process started. Simply text Lifetime Adoption or fill out the contact form. A Lifetime Adoption coordinator will be there for you to help you make an adoption plan. She will find out what you need and make sure you have access to all the resources and services you require. Just let your adoption coordinator know if you have any concerns or questions. You will find a kind and non-judgmental adoption coordinator available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

View Lifetime adoptive families online anytime you like. Read letters they have written and watch video messages they have recorded to learn about their interests, beliefs, and values. You will be the one to decide what values and lifestyle you want in adoptive parents.

View adoptive family profiles online by clicking here. Whether you want a family from Illinois or somewhere else in the United States, you will find them on our site. Once you choose a family, your Lifetime Adoption coordinator will work with you and the adoptive family to create the kind of relationship you would like. Just call or text Lifetime today to get started.

Get In Touch

Other Paths to Adoption in Chicago

There are other paths for parents who are struggling to parent, such as foster care. Sometimes this is your choice, but sometimes if a baby is born with signs of exposure to substances, the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services may decide your baby should be placed in the foster care program. Both these situations are not ideal, and you will not be able to choose who your baby is placed with or if you will have any contact.

Relative or kinship adoption is another adoption option. With this option, a family member, who is usually blood-related to the child, can choose to adopt your child. Relative adoption can be a great solution, but there can be challenges. A relative may not understand that adoption is permanent. They will be this child’s parent forever.

What will work for you and your child is your decision alone. These adoption options will all be explained by your Lifetime Adoption coordinator. She will make sure you have all the best information and counseling you need if you would like to help you make the best decision for you and your child.

Adopting in Chicago

Do you dream of bringing a child to the Lincoln Park Zoo or introducing your child to the iconic Navy Pier? If considering adoption as a way to grow your family, Lifetime Adoption is here to help. Lifetime Adoption will be there to guide you through your adoption journey. Your adoption coordinator will answer all of your questions and provide all the information you need. You will learn all about open domestic adoption and will understand what to expect during the adoption process.

The Lifetime Adoption coordinators are very experienced at matching birth mothers with adoptive families. If you are in Chicago and are considering adopting a newborn baby or child up to the age of six, contact Lifetime at 727-493-0933. For more information, you can also fill out our free online adoption application.

Begin the Adoption Process

Don’t let the adoption process scare you. You don’t have to navigate this journey on your own. Your first step is to fill out our short online application. Applying is free and does not obligate you in any way.

Once your application is reviewed, and you are pre-approved, a Lifetime Adoption coordinator will contact you and will explain our adoption program. She will answer all your questions and explain how you get started. Your adoption coordinator will also gather additional information to create the best plan for you. Your coordinator will be there to guide you through every step you need to take.

Adoption Attorneys in Chicago

An adoption attorney will be an important part of your adoption. Illinois adoption laws can be complicated, so it is important that all the paperwork is filed and all laws are followed. Your attorney will make sure all papers are filed with the court and a finalization hearing scheduled. Your adoption coordinator is happy to refer you to a Chicago adoption attorney.

Home Study Services in Chicago

A home study will need to be completed when you choose to adopt. Your Lifetime adoption coordinator will connect you with a Home Study Service provider in the Chicago area.

In Chicago, how does the home study process work? You will work with your home study provider, who will ask for the following:

Financial and Employment Statements such as tax returns, profit and loss statements, and paystubs.
Medical Statements from your medical professionals confirming you are physically and mentally capable of parenting a child
You will provide three written references that verify you are suitable adoptive parents
Verification of your marital status

During the home visit part of your home study, your home study social worker will view your home and interview all the members of your household. This is meant to verify that you have a safe and adequate home to raise a child in. She will also ask about your views on parenting, marriage, and family. All of this information will then be submitted to the court.

Finalization of Adoption at Court

Finalization of your adoption will happen once you have been matched with a birth mother, your home study is complete, your baby has arrived, and you have completed the post-placement visits.

Illinois adoption law requires that the finalization of adoption happens once your home study is complete, you have brought the child home and had post-placement visits from a social worker. Then you will have a hearing at the court where the final decree of adoption will be issued.

Your Chicago adoption attorney will file all of the adoption paperwork at the district courthouse and set a date for the hearing. In Chicago, that will be at the Cook County Superior Courthouse in your county.

Other Paths to Adoption

Chicago International Adoption Agencies

Every adoptive family has to choose its own unique adoption path. The path you choose is one of the most important decisions your family will make. International adoption is one option you have.

If you choose international adoption, it will lead to other decisions. One decision will be which country you want to adopt from. You will want to consider the political climate of the country is and what the adoption laws and customs of that country are and many other factors.

Choosing an agency that specializes in adoption in the country you are interested in is very important. Make sure they have a proven track record of successful adoptions in the country of your choice. The nations of Africa, China, and Eastern Europe are some of the more popular countries to adopt from. Here are some agencies that specialize in international adoption:

Adopt International

Holt International

Foster Care Adoption

The foster care system is another option to adopt from. In Chicago, you will reach out to the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services. They will instruct you on the process of becoming an adoptive family.

To qualify to adopt in Chicago, you will need to be qualified as a foster parent first. The requirements are:

Participate in a home inspection and social assessment
Complete 27 hours of training focused on foster care and the needs of children who are in foster care
Complete a criminal background check of all household members
Be financially stable
Complete a health screening that includes verification that immunizations are up-to-date.

Another way to adopt from the foster care system across the nation is by contacting AdoptUSKids. This project shows the children waiting and hopeful for adoption across the entire U.S.

Mardie Caldwell

Funding Your Adoption

Called To Adoption

Open Adoption Webinars

Accreditation