Provides services for birth parents, adoptive parents, and adopted children.

Adoption Center's Programs:

-- Infant Adoption - The family will complete an adoption home study, become licensed as a foster parent and attend an adoption training. Adoptive families typically have an infant placement within 12-18 months. The Center requires potential adoptive parents to be at least 21-years-old. Families can come in all shapes and sizes and supports all potential parents in their dream of becoming a family.

-- International Adoption - The Center completes adoption home study services, foster home licensing services, and post placement visits for families pursuing international adoption.

The Center keeps extensive adoption records on file for children and families who completed adoptions through the agency. The adoption specialist is happy to assist an individual in locating information from his or her adoption file. There is a small fee for birth searches and fees are based on the time it takes to locate information.

Serves families interested in adopting a legally free child.

Allows birth parents and adoptive parents to design an adoption plan that is in the best interest of the child, and recognizes the importance of the adoptive parents and birth parents developing an on-going relationship. Services include:

-- Counseling young women who are pregnant.

-- Adoption orientations.

-- Adoption home studies for domestic and international adoptions, as well as for special needs adoptions.

-- Post-placement supervision.

-- Finalization services.

-- Ongoing support groups.

-- Adoption searches.

Offers expectant parent advocacy that includes help and support for anyone who is pregnant, domestic adoptions and post-adoption services that includes counseling for children who have experienced trauma.

Serves families interested in adopting a legally free child.

Allows birth parents and adoptive parents to design an adoption plan that is in the best interest of the child, and recognizes the importance of the adoptive parents and birth parents developing an on-going relationship. Services include:

-- Counseling young women who are pregnant.

-- Adoption orientations.

-- Adoption home studies for domestic and international adoptions, as well as for special needs adoptions.

-- Post-placement supervision.

-- Finalization services.

-- Ongoing support groups.

-- Adoption searches.

Provides accurate information on adoption, and lifelong support, so the family is successful in meeting the child's best interest by offering the following services and resources:

Provides free and confidential pregnancy counseling for families, every step of the way; before, during, and after the birth of the child.

Assistance with making an adoption plan or parenting plan.

Parenting education.

Support and education for baby's father on request.

Home studies for prospective adoptive parents.

Newborn care home for baby as a safe haven.

Provides services to all those who have adopted, placed a child for adoption, or been adopted through our agency. The services provided include, preparing an adoption history report of non-identifying information, conducting a full search to locate birth parents or adoptees, updating the file with locating information.

Services are designed to support and strengthen the lives of adoptive parents, adult adopted persons, and birth parents by providing compassionate profiles, searches, and intermediary services.

Services include:

-- Individual and Family Counseling by request from anyone involved in an adoption plan made through Catholic Charities at any time.

-- Mutual consent registry.

-- Background histories and non-identifying profiles.

-- Post adoption search and intermediary service in the form of indirect and direct contact between interested parties.

Serves all Nebraska adoptive families - international, domestic infant, private, step-parent and foster adoptive families. Advocates for the special interests of adoptive families and connects families to one another. Six core services include Permanency Support Services, Respite Care Connections, Parent2Parent Network, Mental Health Connections, Training, and Support Groups and Family Activities.

Case management available for up to 180 days. Individualized family plan designed and implemented with the family's input.

Assists post adoptive and guardianship families in locating formal and informal respite providers and can provide financial assistance for respite services (limited). All families who receive financial respite assistance through the program will be asked to attend a training.

Mentoring in partnership with Nebraska Foster and Adoptive Parent Association (NFAPA) to assist in providing peer mentoring services to post adoptive and guardianship families.

Mental health services - locates and refers families to professional post adoption and guardianship providers.

Training opportunities that can support skill building on issues related to adoption.

Support groups and networks for families and youth where social networks can be created and peer support can be achieved.

Offers help for families to adopt American children, both with and without unique challenges. The children assisted are not only from Illinois, but they can also reside anywhere in the United States. OCH works with other agencies to assist with the matching process and to assess the needs of the child to determine whether the child and family make an appropriate match.

Provides accurate information on adoption, and lifelong support, so the family is successful in meeting the child's best interest by offering the following services and resources:

Provides free and confidential pregnancy counseling for families, every step of the way; before, during, and after the birth of the child.

Assistance with making an adoption plan or parenting plan.

Parenting education.

Support and education for baby's father on request.

Home studies for prospective adoptive parents.

Newborn care home for baby as a safe haven.

Provides adoption services that include, home studies for adoptions and foster licensing, direct hospital placement adoptions, adoption seminars, support groups during adoption waiting period and adoption support for birth parents.

Offers domestic, international, and interstate adoption programs for families wishing to adopt a child. A social worker will assess the family prior to adoption. Adoption competent therapy available for adopted children & teens, adult adoptee's, adoptive parents, birth parents, and families.

Serves families interested in adopting a legally free child.

Allows birth parents and adoptive parents to design an adoption plan that is in the best interest of the child, and recognizes the importance of the adoptive parents and birth parents developing an on-going relationship. Services include:

-- Counseling young women who are pregnant.

-- Adoption orientations.

-- Adoption home studies for domestic and international adoptions, as well as for special needs adoptions.

-- Post-placement supervision.

-- Finalization services.

-- Ongoing support groups.

-- Adoption searches.

Adoption services include recruitment, screening, assessing, and case management provided to persons choosing to adopt an infant. Counseling and support are provided to birth mothers/fathers choosing to place a child for adoption, as well as post-adoptive services for those who are adopted, adoptive parents, and birth parents. This includes international and private adoptions.

Adoptive home assessments provide guidance to prospective adoptive parents and/or adoptive parents in Iowa and Illinois.