Adoption

Adoption is a process through which children become part of new families, involving the transfer of parental rights and responsibilities from biological parents to adoptive parents. It is a global practice, with specific procedures and regulations varying by location and agency. In the United States, adoption can occur through private domestic adoption, foster care adoption, or international adoption. Children of all ages, from newborns to 17^[1], can be adopted, and around 100,000^[1] children are adopted nationwide each year for various reasons, such as infertility, family expansion, or providing a home to children in need.

In the Bloomington-Normal area, foster care plays a critical role in addressing the needs of children requiring temporary homes and support. However, Illinois faces a significant shortage of foster parents, causing challenges like children being relocated to other states under new legislation, the Kinship in Demand (KIND) Act. The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) governs the process of relocating foster children to different states. This process ensures that children placed across state lines receive a safe and loving environment. However, it can be lengthy and complex, often taking several months to complete. This law can disrupt children’s stability and familiar surroundings. As of January 2025, approximately 3,244^[2] children are in foster care in Illinois’s downstate region, including Bloomington-Normal.

While the foster care system provides protection and care for vulnerable children, it faces many challenges, such as high caseloads, overcrowded group homes, instances of abuse and neglect, and difficulties for children aging out of the system. Solutions to improve foster care include training prospective foster parents to ensure safety, reducing caseworkers’ workloads, and placing children with relatives during parental rehabilitation to maintain stability and minimize trauma.

Adoption Overview
Foster Care Training and Certification
Support in Bloomington-Normal
Adoption and Family Services
Cost Of Adoption
The Importance of Adoption
Sources

Adoption Overview

Domestic Adoption is when all parties involved in the adoption process live in the United States. This includes the adoptive parents, birth parents, and child. ^[3]

Public Adoption is another way of referring to adopting through the foster care system. ^[3]

Private Adoption is when the birth parents give their child to a specific adoptive family through an attorney. ^[3]

Adoption in the United States

Domestic Adoption: With the exception of South Dakota, all states experienced a decrease in the number of adoptions from 2019 to 2020. Domestic adoptions were made up of 58% public adoptions and 42% private adoptions. In 2020, an estimated 95,306 children were adopted for domestic adoptions, which has decreased since 2019. ^[4] (p. 5)

International Adoption: Most states reported a decrease in international adoptions from 2019. In 2020, there were 1,622 international adoptions ^[4](p. 6)

Adoption in Illinois

Domestic Adoption: Of domestic adoptions, 20% were private adoptions and the remaining 80% were public adoptions. According to the National Council for Adoption, in 2020, the total number of domestic adoptions was 1,903 in Illinois ^[4] (p. 25)

International Adoption: There has been a significant decrease in rates of adoptions since 2018. In 2020, there were 79 international adoptions. ^[5] (p. 25)

Significance: The decrease in adoptions means that there is a significant gap between the children waiting to be adopted and the families willing to adopt.

Foster Care Training and Certification

The Training and Certification Process

Prospective foster parents must undergo training and certification to ensure they are well-prepared to care for foster children. This includes:

27 hours of training focused on the needs of children in foster care.
Ongoing training to stay updated on best practices and new regulations.

Support and Resources Provided for Foster Parents

Foster parents in Bloomington-Normal have access to various support and resources to ensure they can provide the best care possible for the children in their care. Caseworkers are assigned to meet the specific needs of the family and the youth in care, offering guidance, support, and assistance. Health insurance coverage is provided for youth in care, including medical care and prescriptions, ensuring that children receive the necessary healthcare without placing a financial burden on the foster family. Additionally, foster parents and children have access to therapy, counseling, and academic counseling services to address their emotional, psychological, and educational needs. To further support foster families, various training programs, support groups, and newsletters are available, providing valuable information, advice, and a sense of community. Monthly stipends are also provided to cover the basic needs of the foster child, such as food, clothing, and housing costs. These support systems and resources play a crucial role in helping foster parents provide a stable and nurturing environment for the children in their care.

Here is a link to a podcast from a former foster parent talking about the process of getting licensed and her experience RSS^[4]

Support in Bloomington-Normal

The specific rates for adoption in Bloomington-Normal are not listed, but the main goal is to get an idea of how to either get support or get involved. There are multiple ways organizations and individuals are supporting those going through or have already gone through the adoption process.

Local Organizations: For more personal and in-depth guidance in navigating the adoption process, local organizations, such as The Baby Fold, ABC Counseling & Family Services, The Center for Youth & Family Solutions, Pregnancy Resource Center and others offer opportunities to volunteer or donate.

Adoption Therapists:Adoption therapists in Bloomington Illinois are another great alternative to getting help. Therapists who specialize in understanding and navigating through the emotional highs and lows of the adoption process, (especially post-adoption), can really help adoptive families who struggle to cope with lifestyle transitions and adoptee mental and/or emotional trauma(s). ^[5]

Community Involvement: A creative way to get the community involved and educated, Touchstone Storytelling is a small business that organizes a way for families to celebrate and share their child’s adoption story. For toddlers, there are adoption board books, for older children there are storybooks, and adoption journey books for adoptive families. The owner is Charlene Homan, who is an adoptive parent as well. She really believes in remembering the origin stories and passing that history down from generation to generation. Her website is easy to navigate and there are multiple events/announcements posted that make an effort to involve the community in gaining knowledge of adoption and preserving that history. She even has events at Heartland Community College, teaching willing participants how to make their own memoirs. ^[6]

Volunteer/Donation Opportunities: The Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program of Mclean County's mission is “to promote and protect the best interests of children who have been abused/neglected by providing well-trained volunteers to advocate for children and their families through a trauma-focused lens until a safe and permanent home is secured.” Volunteers get involved with the foster parents, biological parents, teachers, therapists, caseworkers and so many more people who are a part of the child’s life during their time in foster care. CASA volunteers are only responsible for one child as opposed to therapists or caseworkers who have multiple cases at once. On average, a case timeline can be lessened up to six or seven months with a CASA involved. Time for volunteering can be as little as 5 to 10 hours a month. ^[7]

Local Organizations: Local organizations such as The Baby Fold, ABC Counseling & Family Services, Pregnancy Resource Center and others offer opportunities to volunteer or donate.

Here is a link to a podcast featuring local stories of adoption in Bloomington Normal through Google Drive ^[8] or through RSS. ^[9]

Cost of Adoption

The cost of adoption can vary greatly, especially depending on which type of adoption you choose. Three common types of adoption are adoption through the foster care system, adoption through a private agency, and international adoption. People who are adopting have to cover fees for a lawyer, a social worker, a home study, some have to pay for the mother’s medical bills, and potentially even travel.

Through A Private Agency: Parents can work with an attorney or adoption agency to adopt a child who lives in the U.S. The cost varies for the individual. Adoption through a private agency can be expensive with the costs being anywhere from $30,000 to $60,000 according to Child Welfare Information Gateway.The expenses are related to legal fees, agency fees, and depending on the situation, birth mother expenses. ^[17](p. 3)

Independent Adoption with an Attorney: The cost is a little less ranging from $25,000 to $45,000 and is likely to be more involved with newborns. When adopting newborns, the price would also cover the biological mom’s medical bills and other expenses. ^[17] (p. 4)

International Adoption : International adoption is usually the most expensive type of adoption. The expenses are agency fees, legal fees, and travel expenses. The cost also varies on the country you are adopting from and what the process is there.

This option involves working with either private or public adoption agencies that are outside of the U.S. The process and cost vary depending on the country and organization chosen. The adoption process can take anywhere from one to five years to complete according to Child Welfare Information Gateway estimations. Costs for international adoption ranges from $20,000 to $50,000. This path requires working with the immigration process, applying for passports and travel visas, and understanding the foreign legal systems. There are government offices, agencies, orphanages, nonprofit organizations or individuals like an attorney that one can work with. ^[17](p. 5)

Through the Foster Care System: Adoption through the foster care system is a process where children who can not live with their birth families are put in a home with a foster parent. Children who are put in the foster care system often come from unsafe homes and will need extra attention and reassurance in their foster homes. Foster care is a temporary placement in a home until the government finds a more permanent home for the child. Foster care adoption is when people adopt a child who is in the foster care system. The process of adoption through the foster care system can be lengthy, as the adoptive parent(s) will have to pass background checks, home inspections, and other assessments of their ability to provide a safe and loving home for the child

For adoption through the foster care system, it is often the least expensive type of adoption. In the U.S. adoption through the foster care system is generally low-cost and can even be free. This is because many of the adoption expenses are covered by government agencies. On top of that, there is additional financial support available after adoption.

There is a very large need for adoption in the foster care system as well. There are some great benefits that go along with adopting through the foster care system. These benefits include a monthly check for the government to help with paying for a child, free college for the child in the future, state-funded health insurance for the child until they turn eighteen, and also there are almost no fees included in actually adopting the child. So, foster care not only eliminates the bigger fees of adoption, but it also offers advantages after the adoption. There are 17,920 children that are in the foster care system in Illinois now, and of those children there are a little over 3,000 that are ready to be adopted.

The Importance of Adoption

Adoption is a process that provides children with stable and loving families. This offers a child a new chance at life and a better possibility of to grow and thrive within a better household and environment. Adoption is also a chance of family for couples and individuals that are interested. There are currently more than 68 kids in the foster care system in Bloomington, Illinois alone. Local adoption centers need help in order to get more kids adopted. This help may consist of donations or engagement with their organization. Adoption is important not only for the children and families but also the community. Adoption promotes acceptance and diversity.