Baptist Children's Home
and Family Services

Angels' Cove: Foster and
Adoptive Care Services
(ID# 401813)

Emergency and short-term foster care services are provided for younger children in need of a stable, Christian home environment. Through BCHFS foster care, children receive compassionate care within a healthy, functioning family.

Baptist Children's Home and Family Services is a licensed adoption provider for the state of Illinois. Through the Mount Vernon office, you can find out more about our adoption program and our home study services for domestic and international adoptions.

Click here to learn about Foster Care Services
Click here to learn about Adoptive Care Services

Foster Care Services

Short-term, voluntary foster care services are provided for younger children in need of a stable, Christian home environment. Through BCHFS foster care, children receive compassionate care. BCHFS foster care services provide two basic functions:

Temporary Respite Care

For mothers in need of temporary assistance to “get back on their feet” or overcome an emotional, physical or financial stress, a short-term temporary care placement may be useful. This placement, along with ongoing counseling, may prevent the family from falling into the pattern of abuse or neglect.

This is strictly a voluntary placement, therefore, the parent maintains all parental rights and access to their child. They may withdraw the child at any point, unless there are indications of abuse or neglect.

Temporary Care Awaiting Adoptive Placement

Occasionally a child will come into care prior to the selection of an adoptive family or with physical or emotional problems. The child is then placed in the BCHFS foster care program until placement may be arranged or a thorough assessment of the child’s situation is obtained.

Foster Parenting

Due to the small number of foster care placements, BCHFS does not license many families as foster parents. In the past we have used families in close proximity to the Mt. Vernon office. As the program grows, families throughout the state may be recruited.

BCHFS foster homes are licensed and maintained by BCHFS staff. Although foster homes are required to meet all standards set forth by the State of Illinois, Department of Children & Family Services, the homes are supervised strictly by BCHFS.

Foster families are reimbursed at a monthly rate plus medical care expenses.

Foster Care Service and Treatment Authorization Form
and Grievance Policy Procedure Information

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Adoption Services

Baptist Children's Home and Family Services is a licensed adoption provider for the state of Illinois. Through the Mount Vernon office, you can find out more about our adoption program and our home study services for domestic and international adoptions.

Important Adoption Forms, Schedules and Fees

• Domestic Adoption Fee Schedule
• Domestic Adoption Home Study Fee Schedule
• International Adoption Home Study Fee Schedule
• Adoption Service and Treatment Authorization Form
  and Grievance Policy Procedure Information

Adoption Program Specifics

Angels’ Cove of Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services is licensed to provide adoption services in Illinois. We have established the following eligibility requirements for prospective parents adopting through our domestic adoption program:

For healthy, same race infants:

1. Applicants must have been married at least 3 years.
2. Applicants may have no more than two children in the home and
   unable to have additional children.
3. Oldest parent may not exceed the age of 50 years.
4. Applicants must be committed Christians and active in the same
   evangelical church as described in the Adoptive Parent Faith Declaration.
5. Applicants must be Illinois residents.

Domestic special needs (different race, older child, physical/mental handicap):

1. Applicants must have been married at least 3 years.
2. Applicants must be committed Christians and active in the same evangelical church as described in the Adoptive Parent Faith Declaration.
3. Applicants must be Illinois residents.
   

Initial Inquiries

Inquiries will be accepted in the Mt. Vernon office by mail or phone. Preliminary information will be mailed. Eligible applicants will return pre-application, supporting documents and non-refundable fee. The adoption committee will review those and applicants will be notified of determination.

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Applicants

When we are ready to begin the licensing process, applications will be sent to eligible couples to be completed and returned with the home study fee. The time period between the initial inquiry and applications is unknown. Couples are required to have annual contact to keep their name on the adoption waiting list. Applicants are responsible for keeping us informed of their contact information.

Home study, licensing, and post-placement services are provided by Baptist Children’s Home & Family Services’ staff in Mt. Vernon, Springfield, Chicagoland and Swansea.

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Domestic Adoptions

Adoptions are typically referred to as Domestic (adoptions of children within the US) or International (adoptions of children outside the US).

BCHFS strives to place children with loving, Christian parents residing in Illinois. If families are
interested in adopting, they should personally contact the Mt. Vernon office to request a pre-application packet or ask questions regarding the adoption process. Others may request information, however, applications will only be sent when prospective families have contacted us directly by mail, email or telephone.

• How long does it take to adopt?
• Can I afford to adopt?
• Do I have to see the birth parents?
• What if we want a closed adoption?
• At what point can the birth mother change her mind?
• What about birthfather's rights in Illinois?
  

Can I afford to adopt?
BCHFS wants to make adoption affordable to couples who want to be parents. Therefore, the fee is based on income. A $50 fee is required to place a family’s name on the waiting list. The home study fee is $1,200 plus travel reimbursement.

Other than the home study fee and travel expenses, there are no other fees due until a child is placed in the home. One half of the adoption fee is due when they receive their child; the balance upon finalization in six months.

A portion of medical expenses may be charged to the family. However, adoptive parents have the option to request only birth mothers whose medical expenses are covered through public assistance or insurance.

Do I have to see the birth parents?
Healthy parents raise healthy children. Adoption is a beautiful and normal way to build a family. However, when families choose to deny the existence of the child’s biological family or pretend they don’t exist, the parent-child relationship is off to an unhealthy start. Getting to know the child’s birth parents helps adoptive parents to better know their child. It gives them easy access to additional medical history and leaves the door open to questions the child may have at different points of emotional development.

An unhealthy fear of birth parents is usually due to sensational media coverage, movies, or misinformation. Young women rarely go through 9 months of pregnancy, struggle through the adoption process, only to come back and disrupt their child’s life because of their own needs.

What if we want a closed adoption?
Although we encourage a degree of openness in most adoptions, adoptive parents may still request a closed adoption. This, however, may extend the waiting period considerably as most birth parents prefer some degree of openness and quickly bypass families who are unwilling to consider this.

At what point can the birth mother change her mind?
This amount of time varies from state by state, therefore, you cannot depend on public opinion or media for this information. In Illinois, relinquishment papers may not be signed by the birth mother until at least 72 hours after the child is born. Such papers signed to a licensed adoption agency are permanent and irrevocable. In other words, once a birth mother signs, she cannot change her mind.

Illinois does require a six month post-placement period. However, this is not a period of time for a birth mother to withdraw relinquishment and regain custody. It is a period of supervision to determine that the child is doing well within the adoptive home.

In order to contest an adoption, birth mothers must prove they were forced to sign under duress or fraud. The staff of BCHFS care deeply about our birth parents and do our best not to place them in a situation where they feel forced to relinquish the child.

What about birthfather’s rights in Illinois?
BCHFS staff consider birth father’s rights an important part of the adoption process. Not thoroughly addressing birth father’s rights creates the potential for a tremendous legal loophole in the adoption. Some agencies file adoptions with no or little consideration to properly addressing the rights of the child’s birth father - somewhat of an “out of sight, out of mind” philosophy. This is legally dangerous and ethically wrong.

Although their role is certainly different, the birth father is still a part of the child. Therefore, we feel it is important to attempt to contact the birth father, talk to him about his desires for his child, obtain medical histories and other pertinent information that might be helpful to adoptive families. If we do not know the identity of the birth father, his rights are addressed through publication and the Putative Father Registry.

Birth fathers are frequently misunderstood. They are seen as terrible “dead beat dads.” However, in most cases they just have no idea what they should do in this situation; therefore, they choose to do nothing. We have found that when approached about making a plan based on the best interest of their child, birth fathers tend to be cooperative and emotionally invested in making this decision.

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International Adoptions

BCHFS does not directly coordinate international adoptions. We do provide home study and post-placement services to Illinois families adopting through international agencies outside of Illinois. We also serve as liaison between U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services and Illinois Department of Children & Family Services.

How do I know International Adoption is Right for My Family?
If you have an open heart and mind to people of a variety of races and like to learn about different cultures then you might want to consider an international adoption. If you want to provide a loving, stable, two parent home for a child then adoption is for you. International adoption can be very expensive so you must look at the cost when deciding to adopt from another country. Do you live in a community that will readily accept a child of a different race? Have you investigated bonding and attachment issues? Have you researched a variety of countries and their cultures? How does your extended family deal with different races? Would the child attend a diverse school, church and community activities?

Home Study and Post-Placement Services
BCHFS provides domestic and international home study services to Illinois families. Illinois states that residents of Illinois must utilize a licensed agency to provide the home study investigation when working with an adoption agency outside the state of Illinois. This has proven to be a great opportunity to help families.

Post-placement services are conducted once the family has adopted their child and includes information on the progress of the child since the adoptive placement.

These services are coordinated by our Mt. Vernon office but may be provided by all area office directors. If a family is interested in this service, they should contact Sarah Howard or Susan Garner in the Mt. Vernon office.

You may visit All God's Children International at www.AllGodsChildren.org.

FREE Informational Meetings: International Adoptions through our
Partnership with All God's Children International

FREE INFORMATIONAL MEETING
• June 14, 2008 from 10:00am to 12:00pm
• July 12, 2008 from 10:00am to 12:00pm
• August 9, 2008 from 10:00am to 12:00pm
• September 13, 2008 from 10:00am to 12:00pm
• October 11, 2008 from 10:00am to 12:00pm
• November 8, 2008 from 10:00am to 12:00pm
• December 13, 2008 from 10:00am to 12:00pm
  
  Springbrook Community Church
  29 W 771 79th Street
  Naperville, IL 60564
• Directions to Location

Interstate Adoptions
At the present time BCHFS does not place children for adoption out of the state of Illinois. However, on occasion we are asked to assist other out-of-state agencies with the adoptive placements. Our role in this procedure is to provide in-home maternity services to birth mothers planning adoption. We also serve as a liaison between the birth parents and the adoptive parents while they are in Illinois. Adoption and interstate documents are completed and the family is notified when they may return to their home state.

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