The State of Illinois provides a number of important rights for residents working towards growing their family through adoption. There are also certain responsibilities spelled out for these individuals in Illinois family law.
Potential adoptive parents are responsible for cooperating with an adoption agency in an honest manner. They may not withhold information that the agency asks for. As any new developments occur within the family, to the extent that they may be relevant to the adoption, the agency must be promptly informed. They must also participate in the training required by the agency for potential adoptive parents.
There are a number of responsibilities associated with the home study, or assessment conducted by an adoption agency. Particularly if a couple goes on to work with a different agency than the one that did their study, they are responsible for coordinating the transfer of that original study to the new agency. If a subsequent agency does proceed to place a child with parents, the parents will be responsible for obtaining consent to the adoption from the agency that authored their study.
Some other responsibilities might seem to be common sense. Paying fees on time is one. Adoptive parents are also responsible for working in cooperation with the agency after an adoption on the required monitoring and reporting.
While an adoption is an exciting and unforgettable time for parents, there are a number of important family law issues surrounding the process. Parents may feel their rights have been overlooked; agencies may charge that parents have not met their responsibilities. Working with a legal professional can help keep the process in sync with Illinois family law requirements and provide support for parents in the event of a dispute with an agency.
Source: State of Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, “ADOPTIVE PARENTS’ RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES IN ILLINOIS,” accessed on Nov. 13, 2017