Adoption

Welcome to the Adoption Center of Central Illinois! The Adoption Center of Central Illinois is a program of Family Service Center. Focused on growing families through adoption, we provide services for the entire adoption triad - birth parents, adoptive parents, and adopted children.

We believe that adoption is a wonderful option for families, and we want adoptive families to be ready for their journey together. The adoption program of Family Service Center has been providing services to birthparents and adoptive families almost 150 years.

Our program assists by creating and completing families through infant adoptions. Our agency also completes home studies and assists with paperwork for international adoptions. For more information, please call us at (217) 528-8406.

Important information for all families involved with adoption and Family Service Center can be reviewed here.

Infant Services

The Adoption Center of Central Illinois works with families to begin the adoption process. The family will need to complete an adoption home study, become licensed as a foster parent and attend an adoption training. For some families, the process can seem overwhelming and confusing - contact us if you would like a free consult on Illinois adoptions and their typical progression. Our adoptive families typically have an infant placement within 12-18 months. Some placements are much sooner, and others take longer. Each family is different, and we support each of our adoptive families along the way.

Family Service Center requires potential adoptive parents to be at least 21 years old. We believe that families can come in all shapes and sizes and supports all potential parents in their dream of becoming a family.

In the case of a child placed with an Illinois family from another state, Family Service Center will assist families with the necessary documentation as required by the Illinois Interstate Compact Office.

Adoption Program Fees

Application Fee:
$100 (due at time of application)

Domestic Homestudy Fee:
$2,500 (includes orientation, training, homestudy and post placement supervision)

International Homestudy:
$3,000 (includes orientation, training, homestudy, post placement supervision, liaison work with placement agency, dossier consultation and help.)

Placement Fee:
$13,000 (includes admin costs, liaison work w/ hospital, case management, birth mother expenses from 6 weeks pre to 6 weeks post-natal.

Total estimated adoption costs due to Family Service Center:

Domestic Adoption: $15,600
International Adoption: $3,100

** Many adoption costs can be submitted to the IRS for adoption tax credit. The most recent information from the IRS for 2021 states that up to $14,660 can be claimed as a tax credit. Please speak to your tax preparer for more information.

Other related costs:

Birth Searches:
$50 per hour

Placement Visits:
$50 per hour

Mileage:
$0.61/mile – included with homestudy cost within our service area.

Birth Searches

Our agency recognizes that placing a child for adoption is a difficult decision, and we respect all of the birthparents who consider this option, including those that decide to parent their child. We also believe that placing a child can be a wonderful choice for everyone involved, including the birthparents.

Family Service Center offers free counseling to expectant mothers and fathers when they are making a choice whether adoption is the best choice for their baby. Staff is available to meet with the expectant parent and offer ongoing support during her pregnancy and after.

Our agency would also offer support and assistance to a couple seeking to find an adoptive family for their child. We would be happy to meet with any birthparent to explore all the steps of the adoption process and offer as much guidance as possible. Counseling is also available to the birth mother and or father after the child is placed for adoption to assist with any grief or loss issues.

If you or someone you know is interested in placing a child for adoption, please contact us at fsc@service2families.com for more information, or call us at (217) 528-8406.

Birthparent Services

Family Service Center keeps extensive adoption records on file for children and families who completed adoptions through our agency, some of which go back since our beginning 150 years ago. Our adoption specialist would be happy to assist you in locating information from your adoption file. There is a small fee for birth searches and fees are based on the time it takes to locate records.

Our current schedule of fees can be found here.

Post Adoption Services

In the fall of 2011, FSC adoption support services merged with SCIAPA (South Central Illinois Adoptive Parent Association) and became Adopt ILLINOIS. FSC is now the host agency for Adopt ILLINOIS.