Placing a Child for Adoption

Placing a child for adoption is as difficult as facing an unplanned pregnancy, but it is a courageous thing to do. At Family Resource Center respect for birth parents and adoptive parents is a central part of our philosophy. We take a straightforward down-to-earth approach and never pressure or push. If you are thinking about placing a child for adoption, our caring and experienced staff is accessible 24 hours a day every day to answer questions, offer support and sometimes, just to listen.
Call us at 1 (800) 676-2229.

If you are thinking of placing a child for adoption, FRC offers practical support like assistance with obtaining medical care, coming up with ideas for meeting living expenses, and temporary housing for those who have nowhere to stay. Our compassionate and experienced adoption counselors can work with birth mothers to find ways to tell family and friends about their unplanned pregnancy.

We are located on the north side of Chicago, and birthmothers are always welcome in our office. However, they do not have to come to us in order to receive services. We can meet birth mothers and birth fathers who are thinking about placing a child for adoption anywhere and any time that is practical and convenient. We can offer counseling and information over the phone, and arrange for additional services when needed.

Family Resource Center is a small, personal agency and we treat all our clients with respect and dignity. We have even created a Birth Parent Bill of Rights to help women understand what they are entitled to. At FRC birth parents make as many decisions, or as few, as they choose.

• Birth parents who make an adoption plan for their baby can choose the adoptive family to parent that child.
• Birth mother and birth fathers can decide for themselves exactly what kind of adoption they want - ranging from completely open (where you meet and know the adoptive family), to completely closed (where all identifying information is kept confidential), and any variation in between.
• Birth parents, in cooperation with the adoptive parents they choose, can decide how much or how little contact - in person, by phone, by photos - they want to have with each other before, during and after the child's birth and adoption.

While FRC strongly supports the concept of open adoption, we accept that for some, that simply doesn't work. We also know that people's attitudes and circumstances change over time - and we are always willing to help birth parents and adoptive parents make connections.

Family Resource Center was founded in 1987 by a group of people that included men and women who had placed children for adoption, adults who were adopted as children, adoptive parents, and community members interested in the adoption process.

Since 1989 we have directly placed over 1000 children for adoption, including those with complex medical issues (HIV, Downs Syndrome, neuro fibromotosis). We have assisted another 1600 adoptive families in Illinois through our home study services program. Each year we average over 85 adoptions (domestic and international), and support another 75 families with home study services.

From the very beginning Family Resource Center has been committed to developing an innovative and compassionate approach to adoption. We believe that everyone is entitled to CHOICE and RESPECT. Our philosophy is that people are best able to manage their own lives, and that it is possible for birth parents and adoptive parents to work together on a basis of mutual respect to plan and provide for a child’s future. We are not advocates of “open adoption” or “closed adoption,” but rather of cooperation between birth parents and adoptive parents to find the degree of contact and communication that is comfortable, and best for the child.

Family Resource Center is not affiliated with any religion and we are happy to work with birth mothers, birth fathers and potential adoptive parents from any religious denomination or cultural background.

If you are thinking about placing your child for adoption, please call us. We can give you the information, support and choice you need to make an informed decision. Contact a birthparent counselor by clicking here. or call us at 1 (800) 676-2229.