89 Ill. Adm. Code 309.170
Post-Adoption Services
Section 309
Section 309.170
Post-Adoption Services
a) Purpose of Post-Adoption Services
Services after adoption of a child are often essential in
maintaining the adoptive family unit and empowering families to be advocates in
the community for their children's needs. Consequently, the Department will
provide post-adoption services in order to reduce the risk of adoption
dissolution and to support the goal of permanency in adoption.
b) Post-Adoption Services
The Department provides the following post-adoption services
either directly or through purchase of service providers:
1) Adoption preservation services will be provided to families
with adopted children under age 18. These services are provided in accordance
with 89 Ill. Adm. Code 302 (Services Delivered by the Department) Subpart D:
Intensive Family Preservation Services, and through other contracts with
service providers.
2) Services to families receiving adoption assistance as
described in 89 Ill. Adm. Code 302.310 (Adoption Assistance). These services
include:
A) assisting families to utilize and access services available to
them through adoption assistance;
B) assisting adoptive parents of children with developmental
disabilities to access services available through the Illinois Department of
Human Services;
C) assisting families who are eligible for conditional adoption assistance
to access benefits at such time as their children's condition warrants
treatment or professional intervention.
3) Search and on-going sharing of information among members of
the adoption triad. This service includes:
A) providing to adults who had been the legal responsibility of
the Department or to biological families of adult adoptees adopted through the
Department, when they have requested information in writing:
i) non-identifying information regarding their biological
background when requested;
ii) attempts to locate biological family members for purposes of
updating social history and/or medical information, if desired;
iii) identifying information upon the successful completion of a
search, when consents that have been witnessed by an adult third party from all
members of the adoption triad are received. The Department will provide names,
addresses, and telephone numbers so that they may arrange a reunion provided
that consents that have been witnessed by an adult third party from all birth
parents and adult adoptees are received;
iv) updated medical and psychosocial information between members
of the adoption triad, when consents from all birth parents and adult adoptees
that have been witnessed by an adult third party have been received.
B) acting as or cooperating with confidential intermediaries
appointed by the court in accordance with the Adoption Act [750 ILCS 50/18.3a].
In addition, the Department will maintain a list of confidential intermediaries
who have been trained and certified by the Department.
C) providing to adoptive parents of minor children, if requested,
non-identifying information on a child's background, if this information is
available. The Department will also facilitate the exchange of updated medical
and psychosocial information between members of the adoption triad and
facilitate contact when members of the triad have signed consents that have
been witnessed by an adult third party.
D) facilitating contact between adoptees and their siblings when
one or more is still in the Department's care or adopted elsewhere with the
consent of the adoptive parents of a minor child that has been witnessed by an
adult third party
E) facilitating contact, with the consent of the adoptive parents
that has been witnessed by an adult third party, between adoptees who are
minors and significant relationships in the minor adoptee's past when such
contact has been established to be necessary to the adoptee's best interests,
when all involved parties have provided written consent witnessed by an adult
third party for release of such identifying information.
4) Information and referral to services available in the
community which would be of benefit to the adoption triad. These services would
include, but not be limited to: adoption preservation services, therapists
sensitive to the issues of adoption, education advocates to assist families to
obtain special services, mental health agencies, support groups, respite care,
financial services and professional search groups. The Department, through its
agent, will maintain a listing of post-adoption services and will make this
information available to persons upon request.
5) The Department will also provide to any interested adult
adoptee, biological parents and siblings information regarding the Illinois
Adoption Registry described in Section 309.190 of this Part.
c) Who is Eligible for Post-Adoption Services
Post-adoption services are available to:
1) Families who have adopted children for whom the Department of
Children and Family Services had legal responsibility immediately preceding the
adoption. These families are eligible for the services described in subsections
(b)(1), adoption preservation services, (b)(2), adoption assistance, if they
meet eligibility criteria, (b)(3), search and ongoing sharing of information,
and (b)(4), information and referral.
2) Families who adopt children for whom the Department did not
have legal responsibility prior to adoption. These families are eligible for
the services described in subsection (b)(1), adoption preservation services, if
sufficient financial resources exists after adoption preservation services are
provided to children for whom the Department of Children and Family Services
had been legally responsible, and subsection (b)(4), information and referral.
3) Biological families of children adopted through the
Department. These families are eligible for the services described in
subsections (b)(3), search and ongoing sharing of information, and (b)(4)
information and referral.