Supportive Resources

Adoption Center of Illinois strives to provide updated, comprehensive and supportive resources for prospective adoptive families and adoptive families.

November is National Adoption Awareness Month

NAAM Let’s Talk! Daily Challenge

 

ACI’s Adoption Community Connection – An Online Community

ACI is proud to announce a new online community called Adoption Community Connection! Designed to build a safe space for adoptive families and waiting families to create connections with other families, find and share resources, and most importantly, to know you are not alone. Shared through a Google Drive, members will find various databases they can search through and add to. All members will be vetted by ACI staff to ensure the community remains a safe space for all.

Interested? Please email Molly Berger – mberger@adoptillinois.org or call 773-321-0329 to join.

 

  **ACI does not endorse or vouch for any particular organization or resource**

Fact Sheets and Articles

Getting Started with Adoption
Relationship with Birth Family
Prenatal Substance Exposure
International Adoption
Parenting
Talking to Your Child About Adoption: By Developmental Age

NOTE: Go by your child’s developmental/emotional age (not chronological)

School
LGBTQ Children & Families
Trans-racial Adoption
Grief and Loss
Children From Hard Places (Foster Care, History of Abuse/Neglect)
Trauma

Supportive Service Providers

LGBTQ Children & Family Support

National Resources

Illinois Resources

Medical Review Providers – National Resources
Neuropsychological Evaluations
Seeking Supportive Resources: Things to Consider
Special Education/School Advocacy

National:

Illinois:

Support Groups

Illinois Support Groups

Catholic Charities wants to introduce your family to our NEW monthly adoption support groups. Each month will be a scheduled topic either at our South Side office or in the community for field trip learning. Permission slips/Advanced RSVPs will be required. These groups are FREE to our all adoptive families in Cook County! While some of the groups are held at a church, this is not a religious-based group and a diverse group of families attend. Call Zaya Gillogly at 773-372-8109 for a schedule!

 

Online or National Support Groups

The mission of the Trans-racial Adoption Perspectives (“TAP”) group is to support all those involved in trans-racial adoption, through the facilitation of group discussions. Members include adult trans-racial adoptees, first/birth parents, trans-racially adoptive parents, all members of families connected to trans-racial adoption, and allies of all races, and adoption professionals.

Therapists

National:


Illinois:

DCFS Adoption Preservation Services (FREE!) -Supportive resources for ALL Illinois families who have an adopted child who is under the age of 18.

DCFS Cook County Regions

  1. Catholic Charities (Chicago, Cook) 312-655-8357
  2. Metropolitan Family Services (Chicago, Cook) 773-884-2211
  3. Jewish Children and Family Services (Some of Cook, Will* & Kankakee) 312-673-2711
  4. Healthy Families (Chicago) 773-257-0111

**Families in Cook County can contact either agency for service

DCFS Northern Region

  1. Children’s Home & Aid Society-Rockford 815-720-2111: Serves Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Winnebago & Whiteside counties
  2. Metropolitan Family Services-Wheaton 630-784-4800: Serves DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry & Will* counties

DCFS Central Region

  1. Cornerstone-Quincy 217-222-8254: Serves Adams, Brown, Cass, Northern Calhoun*, Greene, Hancock, Morgan, Pike, Schuyler and Scott counties
  2. Lutheran Social Services-Peoria, Galesburg, Rock Island 309-671-0300: Serves Bureau, Fulton, Henderson, Henry, Knox, LaSalle, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, Mercer, Peoria, Putnam, Rock Island, Stark, Tazewell, Warren and Woodford counties
  3. The Baby Fold-Bloomington, Champaign, Springfield 309-557-1066: Serves Champaign, Christian, Clark, Coles, Cumberland, DeWitt, Edgar, Douglas, Ford, Iroquois, Livingston, Logan, Macon, Macoupin*, McLean, Menard, Montgomery, Moultrie, Piatt, Sangamon, Shelby and Vermilion counties

DCFS Southern Region

  1. Children’s Home & Aid Society-Granite City 618-452-8900: (Serves Bond, Clinton, Jersey, Macoupin*, Madison, Monroe, Randolph, S. Calhoun*, St. Clair and Washington counties)
  2. Children’s Home & Aid Society-Herrin 618-988-1330: (Serves Alexander, Clay, Crawford, Edwards, Effingham, Fayette, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Lawrence, Marion, Massac, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Richland, Saline, Union, Wabash, Wayne, White and Williamson counties)

*Families in this county are served by two agencies, according to address. Call to be referred to the appropriate agency

Training Resources and Webinars

Webinars/Training Resources

**Please note that we strongly recommend that prospective adoptive parents and parents attend as many in-person trainings as possible.

Additional Resources

Book Recommendations
Additional Resources