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The Baby Fold
612 Oglesby Avenue
Normal, IL 61761
Phone: (309) 454-1770
Fax: (309) 454-9257
Provider ID: 020329
The Baby Fold provides adoption services to children
of all ages, their birth family members, and their adoptive
parents, throughout the lives of the individuals involved.
Adoption provides permanent homes for children who are
unable to have that permanence with their own birth
families. Most children in need of adoptive homes have
been in foster homes; many require a range of therapeutic
services to help them build trusting relationships with
adults and succeed in adoptive placements. The Baby
Fold also works with birth parents of newborn infants
when those birth parents wish to make an adoption plan
for their children.
Children of all ages, races, and religions are in need
of adoptive homes. Infants may be in need of adoptive
homes because the birth parents do not feel that they
can currently meet the needs of the child. In this instance,
birth parents can make an adoption plan for their child’s
adoptive placement. When making this plan, birth parents
receive counseling on options, including whether to
parent, to ensure that they are making an informed decision.
Other children available for adoption enter the child
welfare system because of a situation that resulted
in the child’s placement in foster care. Most of
the children receiving adoption services are in foster
homes and are adopted by their foster parents. Many
have experienced the effects of abuse, neglect, prenatal
substance abuse, and separation from their birth families.
Parents are given opportunities to correct the conditions
that caused the child to enter foster care. When parents
are not successful in having their children reunited
with them, the Juvenile Court may terminate parental
rights so that children can achieve permanence through
adoption.
The Baby Fold gathers as much information as possible
about children who are in need of adoptive homes in
order to select families that will meet their needs.
At their level of understanding, children receive counseling
to help them understand why they cannot return to their
birth families. Children and adoption workers work together
to create "life books" for children that help
prepare them for adoption. Many children in foster care
who are adopted will be eligible for adoption assistance,
which will provide ongoing financial support, medical
coverage, and counseling services after the adoption
is finalized. All adopted children in Illinois are eligible
to receive free Adoption Preservation services until
they are 18 years old.
Birth parents receive counseling to help
them understand options available to them so that they
can make informed choices. Pregnancy counselors help
them understand the importance of providing complete
information about their family and medical background
so that their child will have that information as they
grow older. Birth parents who make an adoption plan
may choose varying degrees of open communication and
contact that will then be matched with prospective adoptive
parents. When parental rights have been terminated in
Juvenile Court, birth parents do not usually have the
opportunity for any ongoing contact with their children.
Adoptive parents must meet the requirements
specified in the Illinois Adoption Act. Intensive training
and support services are provided to prospective adoptive
parents. They must become licensed and receive training
to help them prepare for the challenges of adoptive
parenting and understand adoption issues. Likewise,
a home study must be completed and approved. The adoption
worker assists adoptive parents with completing applications
for Adoption Assistance for children who are eligible
and prepares the adoptive home study and all the necessary
documentation for the court so that the adoption can
be finalized.
Non-relative foster parents must meet all Illinois foster
home licensing standards. Adoptive parents must live
within The Baby Fold’s 50-county service area in
central Illinois.
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 The
Healthy Infant Adoption Program helps people who desire
to adopt newborn to three-year-old children. These
children have been surrendered to The Baby Fold by birth
parents who made an adoption plan.
Fees: For Healthy Infant Adoption, The Baby
Fold’s fees range from $7,000 to $10,000 or more,
depending on birth expenses. Adoptive parents also need
to pay legal fees for adoption.
The wait for a child can be from six months to a few
years depending on your openness regarding birth parent
and child history. The Baby Fold encourages adoptive
parents to develop open relationships with birth
families.
Hundreds of children in Illinois are
waiting for adoptive families. These children have come
into care due to abuse, neglect, or dependency issues in
their birth home. Those with the greatest need are:
• Children with physical, emotional, medical,
behavioral, or educational needs
• Children of school age or older
• Siblings who need homes together
There are
no agency fees for the family who adopts a waiting
child. Adoption Assistance may be available to cover
related living, medical, and legal expenses.
The Baby Fold is considered a
supervising agency for International Adoption. This
means that we can complete an adoption homestudy,
provide training, and license adoptive families. We
assist adoptive parents with paperwork for Immigration
and Naturalization Services. The Baby Fold has developed
partnership agreements with four agencies that provide
placement services to the adoptive parents. The Baby
Fold also provides post-placement supervision when the
adoptive parents and children return to the United
States and completes reports requested by the sending
country.
Fees for
International Adoption consist of a $1500 homestudy fee
and a $250 post-placement fee for each visit required by
the sending country.
To begin the adoption process, contact the Adoption
Unit at:
The Baby Fold
612 Oglesby Avenue
Normal, IL 61761
Phone: (309) 454-1770
Fax: (309) 454-9257
Provider ID: 020329
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The Baby Fold
612 Oglesby Avenue
Normal, IL 61761
Phone: (309) 454-1770
Fax: (309) 454-9257
Provider ID: 020329
Post adoption services are available to adopted
individuals, adoptive parents, and birth parents whose
children have been adopted and birth siblings of the
adopted individual. These services provide counseling,
information, search and reunion services, mediated
contact and referrals to individuals whose lives have
been affected by an adoption that was facilitated by The
Baby Fold.
The Baby Fold offer post adoption services to birth
parents that can enable them to send and receive
information through The Baby Fold, if the adoptive
parents agree. The Baby Fold also assists birth parents
in facilitating contact with children surrendered for
adoption after those children are adults, if the
children are willing to have contact.
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