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Here are some questions typically asked about our domestic African-American
Adoption Program:
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1) What types of children are available?
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The children are mostly newborns, occasionally toddlers or sibling groups, generally African American or bi-racial. |
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2) How are children matched with families?
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Adoption-Link strongly supports same race placement. Trans-racial placement however, is seen as a viable alternative,
provided that the adoptive family is educated, sensitive and open to the complex issues involved. Of course, birth parent’s choices regarding placement are always honored except in those instances when a birth parent waives the right to choose an adoptive family.
In these situations, the agency makes the placement decision based upon the best interests of the child.
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3) Can we pick the gender of the child?
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We generally do not allow an adoptive family to specify the gender of the child since most pregnant birthmothers do not know, with any degree of accuracy, the gender of their babies.
Therefore, most adoptive families must be open to an infant of unknown gender.
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4) Do you ever have twins?
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Yes, occasionally we do have twins. In the event of multiple births or sibling groups, there is an additional fee.
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5) Do you have babies now?
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We have a waiting list of families. You will be presented to a pregnant woman generally in her mid to last trimester of pregnancy. We will present a number of family files to each birthmother. If she is interested in you
we will call you with her background information. If you choose to go ahead, and when appropriate, we will facilitate a phone call or a meeting between you and the birthparent.
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6) How long is the wait?
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The average wait time for a healthy African American infant is 18 months. The wait time for a bi-racial or mixed race infant may be longer.
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7) How many children have you placed?
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Since 1992, we have placed almost 750 children.
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8) Where do the babies come from?
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The majority of our birthmothers live in the Chicago area.
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9) What are the costs?
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The cost is $14,300 for Illinois families who do not have a home study; $13,000 for non-Illinois families. Most medical/hospital bills are paid by Public Aid. Some birthmothers request money for legally allowable expenses.
You will be informed of a birthmother’s specific needs before you accept the referral. Providing such assistance is not a requirement. Families adopting a child whose ethnicity is different from their own are required to complete training.
The cost for Chicago area families is $150 per person and $125 per person for out-of-state families participating in tele-training. Additional training is $130 per course.
Attorney’s fees are separate and range from $1,500 to $2,300, including court costs. There are no hidden costs. We also conduct home studies for families in the Chicago area who are adopting domestically and internationally (from abroad)
from agencies other than Adoption-Link.
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10) Who is eligible to adopt?
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You must be at least 21 years of age and if married, be married for at least one year. Adoption-Link has fewer restrictions than many traditional agencies. We are open to older parents, large families, unmarried parents and gay and lesbian families.
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11) What about the baby’s health?
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Adoption-Link gets health information from the birthparent(s). In addition, a hospital routinely does a toxicology screen on a newborn. This information becomes available about two days after the birth. The results of this “tox screen” only tell us if the mother used drugs recently. Birthmothers are generally tested for HIV and hepatitis in the hospital before delivery. High-risk babies may also be tested for HIV prior to the signing of the birthparent(s) surrenders. All adoptive families receive the baby’s hospital records when they take custody.
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12) Do we need a home study?
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Yes, either from Adoption-Link, or if you are from out-of-state, from an agency in your area.
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13) Can we meet with the staff?
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Once you have received and reviewed our information packet and find you are interested in learning more about Adoption-Link, you may call the office (708-524-1433) and speak in depth about the adoption process and/or make an appointment to come to our office.
You can also contact the agency via email at
info@adoption-link.org. References are available.
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14) What is your position on open adoption?
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Adoption-Link is supportive of the degree of openness you and your particular birthmother are comfortable with. This option may range from totally closed to varying degrees of openness.
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15) How do you locate your birthmothers?
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Birthmothers are located many different ways, through hospital social workers, newspapers and magazine ads, the Yellow Pages, attorneys, word-of-mouth, etc.
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16) When can a birthmother sign surrenders?
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According to Illinois law, a birthmother can sign final adoption surrenders 72 hours or more after the baby’s birth. Once signed, these surrenders are irrevocable. There is no grace period in Illinois when the birthmother can change her mind.
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17) What about the birthfather?
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The birthfather can sign surrenders at any time during the pregnancy but has the right to change his mind during the 72 hour waiting period after birth. If the birthfather is identified with a current address, every effort is made to contact him about the pregnancy. If the birthmother states she does not know the father or is unwilling to identify him, his rights are then terminated by the courts approximately 75 days after placement. We always register the birthmother and child with the Putative Father Registry.
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18) How old is the baby when I receive him/her?
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Usually the baby is three to five days old. Adoption-Link recommends that families wait until adoption surrenders have been signed before traveling to Chicago and/or seeing the baby.
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19) When do we go to court?
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You will go to court with your adoption attorney after the birthparent(s) have signed final adoption surrenders.
You will then receive the “interim court order” giving you temporary legal custody. The adoption will be finalized about six months after placement.
If you live in the Chicago area, your social worker will visit your home several times during this period before recommending finalization.
Out-of-state families will be visited by their home agency worker who needs to provide Adoption-Link with three post-placement reports.
Whether you live in Illinois or out-of-state, all legal work can be completed in Illinois. You will only need to go to court once, right after the birth. The final judgment order document for adoption will be sent to you by your Illinois attorney.
The baby’s new birth certificate will also be mailed to you several months after the judgment order.
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20) What about confidentiality?
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Adoption-Link will give birthparents only your first names and other non-identifying information. Additional information will be provided only by you at your discretion.
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21) What do we do to get started?
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Adoption-Link will give birthparents only your first names and other
non-identifying information. Additional information will be provided only by
you, at your discretion.
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22) What do we do to get started?
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To apply for any Adoption-Link program, please fill out the following application and then sign, date and mail to Adoption-Link along with a non-refundable application fee of $150. Download an Adoption Application here or contact Adoption-Link by email to receive an application packet in the mail.
Upon acceptance of your application to the program, $700 will be due. The educational requirements need to be scheduled and the home study process started.
Please call us at 708-524-1433 or email us at info@adoption-link.org for more details.
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Frequently Asked Questions Regarding the Adoption of an HIV/AIDS Infected Child
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1) How is it possible to adopt a child with HIV/AIDS without putting a family's
other children at risk? |
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HIV is fragile and transmission is difficult. Numerous studies have shown that
family members do not contract HIV/AIDS through ordinary household activities
such as sharing the same cup, hugging, kissing, coughing, sneezing or spitting.
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2) How is the virus spread?
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The virus is transmitted only through blood, semen, vaginal fluid or breast
milk.
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3) How should blood spills be handled?
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Whenever blood is present , one should wear rubber gloves and disinfect
surrounding household surfaces, sinks and countertops.
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4) Will a family's existing insurance policy cover an adopted HIV/AIDS-exposed
child?
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The amended ERISA Act of 1993 requires that any group health plan providing
coverage for dependent children must provide benefits for an adopted child
under the same terms and conditions that apply to a biological child of a plan
participant.
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5) What information about an HIV/AIDS-infected child do parents need to provide
to the child's school?
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Confidentiality laws are in place to protect parents and their children.
According to the AIDS Legal Council of Chicago, the child's pediatrician is
required to notify the state Board of Health, which will in turn notify the
school principal. Otherwise, disclosure is totally at the discretion of the
parents.
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6) Is it true that many infants who test HIV positive at birth convert to
negative within the first year or so?
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Yes. Statistics show that 75% to 80% of children who test HIV-positive at birth
only have the birth mother's antibodies and not the virus itself. A
sophisticated blood test called the PCR can now determine with a high degree of
accuracy by four months of age whether an infant is antibody or antigen
positive.
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7) How can a family knowingly subject themselves and other family members to
the possible loss of a child with HIV/AIDS?
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While there is still no cure for HIV infection, it is not the death sentence it
used to be. A combination of drugs, called a "cocktail," can keep HIV from
replicating itself and reduce the viral load. No one knows how long it may be
possible to keep the virus under control and prevent the onset of AIDS, but
many people are now staying healthy indefinitely as medicine is steadily
gaining the upper hand.
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