What
is “Non-identifying information”?
After the adoption is
legally completed, adoptive parents of minor children must be given this
information by the agency upon request. The adopted person may request this
information about his own adoption when he is an adult. The agency/organization MUST provide that
information in as much as it is available.
The following is a list of the “non-identifying” information as specified by the Illinois Adoption Act:
1. Data about biological relatives, including:
·
Parents’
general appearance
·
Parents’
age
·
Parents’
race and ethnic heritage
·
Parents’
religion
·
Parents’
education
·
Parents’
talents, hobbies and interests
·
Parents’
occupation
·
Existence
of any siblings
·
Information
about biological grandparents, including reason for
immigrating to the
·
Parent(s)
marital status
·
Detailed
medical history of parents and other significant relatives
·
Detailed
mental health histories of parents and immediate relatives
·
If
deceased, age and cause of death
2. Conditions or diseases believed to be
hereditary
3. Drugs or medications taken by the child’s
biological mother during pregnancy
4. Psychological and psychiatric information
5. Any other information that may be a factor
influencing the child’s present or future health
In addition to the above information mandated
by the Illinois Adoption Act, the Illinois Department of Children and Family
Services procedures also require that certain other information be given to
families prior to the adoptive placement of a child through DCFS.
Obtaining
“Non-identifying information” after the adoption
Adoptive parents of minor children request the “non-identifying information” for a variety of reasons:
· The information given
at the time of the adoptive placement may have been misplaced.
· The adoptive parent may
not have a clear memory if the information was given verbally rather than in
writing.
· For a variety of
reasons, the information given at the time of the placement may have been
incomplete. For example, it is not
uncommon that the worker who compiled the information did not have access to
all files pertaining to the birth family.
· The birth family may have given additional information or even a letter to the agency after the adoption process was completed.
· There may be a current
need for specific information from files to respond to questions the child is
asking or to assist treatment by a health care provider.
If your child was a ward of DCFS, you may request “non-identifying information” through the MAC program. After you submit a written request, MAC staff will attempt to locate all the files which might contain information about your child, his placements and his birth family. A written report of all the information permitted by law to be given you will be prepared.
You may want to consider making such a
request. Not only might this report
contain valuable medical or social information which you should have, it may
help you help your child with current issues or those in the future. As he begins asking questions, this
information may help you respond to his questions. This information may help you understand your
child and his behavior better.
If the information you already have, or that you receive as a result of making this request is difficult to deal with, consider seeking professional help. An experienced professional can help you think through the significance of the information as well as when and how to handle it with your child.
Access to Information
by Birth Relatives
As it is currently written, the
Illinois Adoption Act does not mandate that any information be given to a birth
parent concerning the adoptive family of the child or the well being of the
child once termination of parental rights has occurred. The IDCFS Post-adoption program provides the
following for birth parents whose children were wards of the Department:
· growth and development prior to the termination of parental rights
·
the
child’s placement history, not including any identifying information about
foster or adoptive families and development prior to the termination of
parental rights
A birth parent may request non-identifying information concerning the current well being of the child when the child is a minor. A search will be initiated in order to obtain information from the adoptive parents concerning the child. Any information obtained may only be given to the birth parent with the written consent of the adoptive parent. No information concerning the adoptive family can be given without their written consent even if it would be considered non-identifying.
Search and
Reunion Service for Adoptive Parents of Minors and Adult Adopted Persons
Increasingly, adoption agencies are recognizing that adoption is a life long process and are offering a variety of post placement programs including search and reunion service. In other words, the agency can help locate a birth relative or other person who was significant in the life of the adopted person.
If the adoption was completed through
the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, meaning that the child
was a ward of DCFS at the time of the placement, this service is available to
all parties to the adoption for no fee.
Midwest Adoption Center is under contract to DCFS to provide this
program statewide.
Individuals requesting
Search/Reunion service may only want information from a biological relative,
may want to communicate with the relative while not revealing his/her identity,
or may be seeking a face-to-face reunion.
Program staff will utilize the information available in DCFS records as
well as any information provided by the person searching to attempt to locate
and establish contact with the biological relative.
If the relative is located, staff will
explain to him/her the reason for the contact and what is being requested. Every attempt will be made to negotiate an
arrangement which is comfortable for everyone.
This program is not intended to provide in-depth counseling. Appropriate referrals may be made to
counselors and/or support groups for those individuals desiring on-going help.
The program is designed to recognize
the importance of past connections (even
connections to birth relatives who have not previously met) while maintaining
each person’s privacy and confidentiality.
This program may be useful to you or to your child in a variety of ways:
·
Your
child may have a strong desire to contact siblings or other birth family
members. As his parent, you may request
service in order to locate that relative.
Program staff would help facilitate an agreement comfortable for
everyone and which is designed to respect the best interest of the child.
·
Your
child may be asking questions about his birth family, or you may need
information which cannot be found in available files. Program staff could attempt to locate and
contact a birth family member to obtain the needed information. Communication could be arranged through the
agency or directly between the adults involved as agreed upon by everyone
involved.
· Birth relatives may request information about the well being of your child, or may want to pass information along to him/her. Program staff would contact you to facilitate an appropriate exchange of information. No information would be given without your written permission. Such an outreach from the birth family could open many doors for you and your child. Access to more detailed medical and social information could be invaluable as he tries to put together the two parts of himself. You could communicate with the birth relative anonymously for a period of time before making a more informed decision about how to proceed.
·
When your
child is an adult, s/he may want to locate and establish contact with birth
relatives. Program staff would attempt
to locate the individual and facilitate an agreement which is comfortable for
both parties.
All of these scenarios are complicated. There are many things for each family to consider, many feelings, many concerns. But the possibilities are also many, and include many potential benefits for you and your child. We urge you to learn more about these issues by reading, using your adoptive parent networks as well as adoption professionals so that you can make the best possible decisions for your family.
Former
Wards of DCFS
Former wards of the Department who were
in foster care but never adopted may also request service through this
program. Some were in many placements
and would like to have a better understanding of what happened and when. Some request assistance in locating
individuals who were important to them during the time they were in care
including former foster parents or children who were in care in the same foster
home.
Search and Reunion
Options for Birth Relatives
Many birth parents
(and other relatives) consider the possibility of “searching” for the child
placed for adoption. The parent may have
received very little information about the family into which the child was
placed and has probably not had any word of the child since the time of the
adoption. The longing to know if the
child is well and happy can be intense and continuous. Or there may be a need to transmit medical
information that could have great importance to the child. While some birth parents eventually decide to
attempt a search, others decide not to proceed fearing that a contact from them
has the potential for upsetting the child and/or the adoptive parents.
If the child was a ward of
DCFS at the time of the adoption, birth relatives may request search service
through the Department’s Post-adoption Program.
Birth parents may request a search for all children placed, including a
minor child; however contact will be first made with the adoptive parent(s) who
must give consent in writing. If the
adopted person is an adult, contact may be made directly with him/her and the
consent of the adoptive parent(s) is not required.
If the child was not an IDCFS ward, birth parents and certain other birth relatives may be able to use the Confidential Intermediary Service of Illinois to attempt to establish contact.
Illinois
The Illinois Adoption Registry
administered by the Illinois Department of Public Health has been enhanced to
include the potential for the exchange of updated medical information. Adoptive parents and birth relatives now have
the opportunity to not only make their wishes known concerning contact with one
another, but also to exchange medical information. For more information, contact the Illinois Adoption
Registry at (217)557-5159.
To request
service through the DCFS Post-adoption Program please contact:
847-298-9096