Adoption
Bethany for Children & Families provides adoption and pregnancy counseling services to residents of Iowa and Illinois who reside within Clinton, Scott , Muscatine, Jackson, Rock Island, Mercer, Henry counties and counties within a 90 mile radius of the Quad Cities. The agency offers domestic, international, and special needs adoption services.
ILLINOIS’ ADOPTION LAWS HAVE CHANGED
Adopted persons allowed access to their original birth certificates
A new law allows adopted adults born in Illinois to request non-certified copies of their Original Birth Certificate (OBC), listing the names of their birth parents. Adopted persons born before 1/1/1946 may currently request their OBC. Adopted persons born after 1/1/1946 may request their OBC beginning 11/15/2011. 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 www.idph.state.il/us/vitalrecords/adoptioninfo.htm or call 877-323-5299 (toll free).
Domestic Infant Adoption
Services include assessment of the prospective adoptive family (home study), placement services, case management, and post placement support. Eligibility criteria for prospective adoptive parents who reside in Illinois include being at least 25 years of age, either gender, and need to be an Illinois resident for at least six continuous months immediately
preceding the commencement of the adoption. The agency requires applicants to be at least 21 years of age (unless they reside in Illinois, which requires 25 years of age minimum), if married it is desired that the union have occurred for at least two years prior
to applying for adoption, single persons are also eligible to adopt through the agency, either gender, and persons who have suffi cient housing, financial stability, and a cleared background check and assessment process completed by this organization.
| Fees: |
|
| Home study assessment: |
$2,000 |
| Home study update: |
$500 |
| Placement fee: |
$12,000 |
| Post Placement fee: |
$650 (for up to three visits) |
| |
$125 (for any additional visits) |
| Fees are non-refundable |
International Adoption
Services available by Bethany for Children & Families include a home study that meets international, Hague, and CIS guidelines, coordination of services with placement agencies, and post placement services.
| Fees: |
|
| Home study assessment: |
$2,000 |
| Home study update: |
$500 |
| Post Placement fee: |
$650 (for up to three visits) |
| |
$125 (for any additional visits) |
| Fees are non-refundable |
Birth Parent Services
Counseling services are offered at no cost to persons experiencing an unplanned pregnancy and contemplating adoption for their child. Bethany for Children & Families provides parenting support services for those individuals who decide to parent their child. Birth parents who choose adoption for their child may choose the adoptive family and select the type of adoption with which they are most comfortable; open, closed, or semi-open adoption. Counseling is offered to the birth parents following the adoption of their child. Fees: There is no cost to the birth parent for these services.
Special Needs Adoption
This refers primarily to children adopted through the Iowa foster care systems. These are typically older children, sibling groups, and/or children with special behavioral or medical needs.
Search and Reunion Services
Bethany for Children & Families offers services to birth parents who placed a child for adoption and adoptees who are seeking medical or non-identifying social history information or desire a reunion with their birth family.
| Fees: |
|
| Filing affidavit: |
$10 |
| Medical information: |
$50 |
| Non-identifying Social History report: |
$125 |
| File Search: |
$25 |
| Search/Reunion Services: |
$250 |
| Fees are non-refundable |
Bethany is a licensed adoption agency in Iowa and Illinois.
Illinois License #: 310510 Illinois Department of Children & Family Services Adoption Informati on Hotline and Complaint Registry:1-800-572-2390
Downloads:
Birth Parent Rights & Responsibilities
Adoptive Parent Rights & Responsibilities
Adoptive and Birth Parent Grievance Procedure
Adoption Policy and Procedure Manual
Annual Report CFS 596Q
Financial Audit
Adoption Preservation Services Brochure
Adoption Process Brochure
Adoption Question & Answer Brochure
|
Contact Information
Adoption
Deanna Solis
563.327.0186
dsolis@bethany-qc.org
Nancy Shaffer
563.327.0183
nshaffer@bethany-qc.org
Foster Care
Lynn Lohman
309.736.6628
llohman@bethany-qc.org
Foster Care Home Licensing
Lynn Lohman
309.736.6628
llohman@bethany-qc.org
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