Illinois Adoption Services

PROVIDING ADOPTION SERVICES TO FAMILIES IN THE STATE OF ILLINOIS

America World Adoption - Illinois is licensed and Hague accredited in the State of Illinois to provide Illinois adoption services. Although our primary role is to provide home study services for families adopting through America World's international adoption programs, we are also able to prepare Illinois adoption home study and post-adoption reports for families using other placement agencies and who meet America World's agency requirements. Our office is located in Northbrook, but we are able to provide services for families living throughout the state.

Illinois Adoption Home Study Services

The Illinois adoption home study is a major part of the adoption process designed to help you, America World, the US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), and the foreign government assesses your ability to provide a loving home for an orphan. A home study is an assessment process that provides a written report that is a comprehensive picture of your background, current family life, and how this new child will be integrated into your family. It is designed to be a non-judgmental, educational, and fruitful process. Some of the topics discussed during the home study process are the motivation for adoption, expectations regarding adoption: short-term and long-term, attitudes towards biological parents, type of child desired: age, sex, medical or emotional concerns, and attitudes of extended family and non-resident siblings. Your home study coordinator will also explore your values related to parenting, marriage, finances, spiritual beliefs, and childcare plans. These discussions will all take place during four face-to-face visits, one of which must be in your home. For residents in the state of Illinois, criminal record checks, child abuse registry checks, and references will be obtained. You will need to provide a copy of your birth certificate, marriage license, a financial worksheet (which will be provided to you), and medical statements for all members of the family. Your home may need to be licensed by the Department of Children and Family Services, details will be provided as necessary. All of these items will be collected and reported in the home study.

Illinois Post-Adoption Services

America World Adoption - Illinois also provides post-adoption services for your adoption. Post-adoption visits are vital to helping an adoptive family adjust and transition to a new family unit. We will visit your family in your home to assess your transition and write a post-adoption report. Each country and even some states have its own post-adoption requirements. Additional visits may be required depending on the type of adoption you complete. Your social worker will ensure that all state, agency, and country requirements are met in your post-adoptive reports. At a minimum, you will be required to have at least two post-adoption visits. In addition to post-adoption visits and reports, we will be available to offer support and referrals for special services, education, and/or training.

How to Begin

If you are adopting through America World and have filled out the online application, our team will call you to initiate the home study within 48 business hours of getting confirmation that you have been accepted into a program. If you would like to use our social services but are not adopting through our agency, you may fill out the application online and choose "Social Services Only" as the payment option. Once the application is processed, we will contact you within 48 business hours and will work directly with you and your placement agency to ensure all requirements are met in your home study and post-adoption reports. If you have any questions, please contact us at Illinois@awaa.org.