It doesn’t matter how far along you are—it’s never too early or too late to reach out to us. When you’re ready, we can set up a time for you to meet with one of our counselors, at a place convenient to you.
Your Cradle Counselor will serve as your guide throughout your home study, educational workshops, and placement. Our commitment to you is lifelong—we want your child and your family to thrive.
The Cradle hosts webinars, courses and workshops to help families, professionals and community members increase their understanding of adoption and parenting.
It doesn’t matter how far along you are—it’s never too early or too late to reach out to us. When you’re ready, we can set up a time for you to meet with one of our counselors, at a place convenient to you.
Your Cradle Counselor will serve as your guide throughout your home study, educational workshops, and placement. Our commitment to you is lifelong—we want your child and your family to thrive.
The Cradle hosts webinars, courses and workshops to help families, professionals and community members increase their understanding of adoption and parenting.
The Cradle offers guidance and support to anyone touched by adoption, whether the adoption was facilitated by The Cradle or not. Help is provided to learn of available services, manage expectations, explore possible outcomes, navigate the process and experience of learning new information or making a connection and to support relationship development.
Informational Consultation – For anyone touched by adoption to learn about the types of information and services that may be available.
In Depth Consultation – Provides guidance and support about the types of information and services that may be available based on your specific situation and explores expectations, motivations and possible outcomes.
Search and Connection Consultation – For anyone searching and anyone found through a search, including DNA. It can take place before or after a search, a person has been found or a connection has been made. Guidance and support are provided to explore and manage expectations, motivations, possible outcomes, relationship development and incorporating new information and people into their lives.
Navigating Relationships Consultation – Provides guidance and support for navigating new, existing, or challenging relationships, changes in level or type of contact, communication strategies and difficult conversations.
If you are seeking therapy or are unsure which of these options are right for you, please contact The Cradle’s Help Line at helpline@cradle.org.
The amount of information available varies depending on the era in which the adoption took place. For Cradle adoptions, a Background Report can be requested by an adult adopted person, adult descendants of a deceased adopted person, a spouse of a deceased adopted person with a minor child, adoptive parents, birth parents, adult siblings of a deceased birth parent and adult birth siblings of a person that was adopted where the common birth parent is deceased.
For Cradle adoptions, we offer opportunities for adopted people, birth parents and eligible relatives to authorize the release of identifying information to others involved in the adoption, make connections or reconnect if you were in contact and have lost touch.
Illinois born adopted people (21 or older), their surviving descendants and birth parents may be eligible to request a non-certified copy of the Original Birth Certificate from the Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Records. For other states, contact the state’s adoption department.
Call our 24-hour toll-free number to speak to a Cradle counselor
800-CRADLE4 (800-272-3534)
Text CRADLE to 66746
Have a General Inquiry?
Call 847-475-5800
Looking to adopt?
Schedule a Call with a Counselor
Need Post Adoption Support?
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The Cradle is 100 years old in 2023! You can get involved with our Centennial Celebration by sharing your story to be part of Faces of The Cradle, attending an event, learning more about our history or making a donation.