Are you from Illinois and looking to adopt, but you do not know where to get started? Does everything relative to adoption seem overwhelming and simply frightening? Are you unsure about the laws and regulations in your state? Then look no further; Adoption.com is the source for you.
All infomercial vernacular aside, Adoption.com really is a perfect source for retrieving any and all information you may need if you are thinking about adopting. Although I am from New Jersey, the assistance and tools I received through researching Adoption.com allows me the opportunity to discuss adoption in Illinois for those who may have questions about how adoption in Illinois works. I know it may seem slightly (or entirely) unnerving to trust someone from a different state in divulging some of the most important information you may need, but trust me. I have had the proper assistance that I am now able to pass on to you so that you will be equally, if not more, informed than I on how adoption in Illinois works.
A solid starting point would be to type Adoption.com into your search bar so that you are brought to the main website. Once here, you will be greeted with a plethora of information and platforms to explore to obtain the information you need. Before looking into adoption in Illinois, I would browse the guides and articles about adopting as a whole, just to ensure this is what you want and are prepared for. The aforementioned article/guide is the perfect reading material to fully guarantee adoption is the decision for you. Sandra Benointon presents a well-produced slideshow presentation about every question to ask prior to making the decision to adopt and other resources even to browse to 100% solidify your decision. Once you are certain, the assumption is that you will probably like to look for all the adoption information in your specific state.
To do so, look at the homepage for Adoption.com. At the top, you will notice multiple subject lines with downward arrows adjacent to the words. Scroll your mouse over the word “adopt” and locate the “local adoption” option. Click that. You will be brought to this part of the website in which you are presented with a map of the United States. Simply click on Illinois and you will be brought to this page. This has everything you will possibly need. You will see three initial postings about how to handle domestic, international, and foster care adoptions. For example, if you were looking to go through the foster care adoption process, you would click on the information highlighted in orange which would bring to you this section. Here, you can gather information about registries, adoption records, and adoption agencies. If you still are looking for more, you can always go back to the previous page on Adoption.com. For some answers to frequently asked questions, you can scroll to the bottom of the webpage and receive answers right away.
You can receive information about what marital status you need, the regulations to follow for adoption in Illinois, and even if there is any adoption assistance you may have available. If you want a more in-depth review of every piece of criteria necessary for adoption in Illinois, the Illinois adoption guide is definitely something you should invest your time in. Just before the information at the very bottom of the webpage, you will notice a few photos with differing topics all related to adoption in Illinois. The first one you will see is the Illinois adoption guide. When you click it, you will be presented with a slideshow done by Liz Young. Here, she offers a walkthrough of every piece of information necessary for adoption in Illinois. She includes a more in-depth look at the standard criteria needed to adopt including marital status, age, work, personality, and experience. She also includes any and all disqualifying crimes that would inhibit someone from adopting in Illinois. She also includes information regarding the necessary process of completing a home study, the rights of the birth father, and even the information necessary if you are adopting in Illinois but are not from there yourself. She also includes all necessary information regarding domestic, international, and foster care adoption in Illinois.
If you are content with the surplus of information in that slideshow presentation but wish to know more about the logistics of how adoption in Illinois works, you can take a look at the wiki page on Adoption.com. Here, you will have every piece of information you need to put together so that you have a full, well-rounded understanding of all the laws, criminal background history, and post-adoption laws in Illinois. If you are absolutely overwhelmed by all of the technical terms, you can navigate to the forum section of Adoption.com. Here, you will find something similar to a blog post forum. Different people with similar questions and concerns post in the forum in which any and all interested people can respond and give as much feedback as possible. For Illinois specifically, there are even forums for specific towns related to adoption including Springfield, Illinois, adoption; Chicago, Illinois, adoption; and Joliet, Illinois, adoption to name a few. This is also a perfect place to submit your own question or concern for others to respond to and offer any assistance or guidance that they can.
Now, if you have gone over all of the technical and logistical sides of adoption and want to start looking for a child to take into your forever home and make a part of your family, the photolisting section of Adoption.com is the perfect place to start your journey. Here, you will be presented with a myriad of photos of all of the children waiting for their forever homes. You will initially see all of the children from every state awaiting adoption. However, if you wanted to specify per state, there is an option to do so. And lastly, if you are looking for a child to call your own, but are still unsure about what adoption agency to use or which ones even exist in your area, the directory will assist you. This is the link you will need to finally decide on which provider will be the best match for you in your adoption journey. Multiple providers are presented for your specific state in which you can browse and research so that you choose one that best accommodates your needs and your individual adoption experience.
If you, however, live in Illinois and wish to place your child for adoption, the Parent Profiles section of Adoption.com is where you want to research. Here, you will see any and all active profiles for hopeful adoptive families in Illinois. You can also look at other profiles from families who live in other states. Even if you live in Illinois but think your child would do better outside of the state, you have the resources to look for exactly what or who you think would be the best option for your child.
Trust me yet? I told you that even though I am from New Jersey, I would provide you with all the necessary outlets for your potential adoption journey. Of course, all credit is due to Adoption.com, and the multiple, corresponding articles, forums, guides, etcetera it has within it. Oh, there is one thing I left out that you can always try as well: when you are on the main webpage, there is a search bar in the top right-hand corner. You can always type in adoption in Illinois, Illinois adoption, or anything related to find any information you may be searching for. I would suggest navigating throughout the entire website, however, to familiarize yourself with all of the helpful options available to you. You will become more secure in using the website in addition to retrieving your information from multiple people and opinions. This will allow you to obtain a more wholesome, well-rounded approach to your adoption journey so that you are able to make the most beneficial and accurate decisions for both you and your future child.
The thing to take away from this, too, is that if I was able to obtain all of this information without the potential of adopting a child, someone who actually is thinking about it can too. They—potentially you—will be ten times more likely to actively take the time to do any and all research possible. And that is entirely possible. I was able to find all the information I needed if I wanted to adopt in Illinois, and everyone that lives in Illinois can do the same. The resources are there for you. The guidance is there for you. The assistance is there for you. Although I was the adoptee in my story, I know how much of a process it truly is. Taking the time to navigate Adoption.com and uncovering every bit of information you need will make the process 1,000% simpler. All you have to do is believe that. So, trust me?
