Post Adoption Support

The Cradle’s Post Adoption Services offer guidance and support from skilled social workers to help you understand the type of information and services available, including:

Learning background information
Connecting with birth relatives
Receiving search and outreach tips, and more

Anyone related to an adoption can contact The Cradle for assistance, even if we did not facilitate the adoption.

Get Started

Schedule a 30 minute phone consultation with a post adoption social worker.

FREE Informational Phone Consultation: This one-time phone call is available for anyone connected to a Cradle adoption to discuss the type of information and services available based on your specific situation.
Phone Consultation ($25): Available to anyone touched by adoption to discuss the type of information and services available based on your specific situation, provide guidance and support around connecting with birth relatives (through DNA, on own or an intermediary), and help navigate the process and experience of connecting with birth relatives.

Background Information

The amount of non-identifying social and medical background information available in The Cradle’s records varies depending on the era in which the adoption was planned.

A Background Report can be requested by an adopted person aged 18 or older, an adult child (21 or older) of a deceased adopted person, a spouse of a deceased adopted person with a minor child, adoptive parents, a birth parent, a sibling (21 or older) of a deceased birth parent and a birth sibling (21 or older) of a person that was adopted where the common birth parent is deceased.

View a sample Background Report for a Cradle adopted person, their eligible descendants or the adoptive parents.
View a sample Background Report for a Cradle birth parent or eligible birth family members.

A Background Report costs ~~$125~~ $100 ($50 if pre-1940). In celebration of our Centennial, we are offering a special rate for the entire 2023 calendar year. Complete this form or schedule a Phone Consultation with a post adoption social worker to get started.

Names and other identifying information about birth parents may be available on the Original Birth Certificate. For Illinois births, visit OBC or call 877-323-5299 to learn more. For other states, contact the state’s adoption department.

Contacting Birth Relatives

An Adoption Registry allows for the exchange of Identifying Information between adopted people and birth parents or other eligible relatives. Join The Cradle’s Registry for free and register with The Illinois Adoption Registry and Medical Information Exchange.

The Cradle offers Search and Connection Services ($300) for adoptions we facilitated. Guidance is provided to help manage expectations, explore possible outcomes, navigate the process and experience of connecting, and support developing relationships. Schedule a Phone Consultation with a post adoption social worker to learn more and get started.

Sometimes people who were in contact through an open or semi-open adoption, or a search facilitated by The Cradle, lose touch. We can try to help you reconnect and provide support through an Outreach Service ($50). Schedule a Phone Consultation with a post adoption social worker to learn more and get started.

Even if you search on your own or make contact with birth relatives through DNA services such as AncestryDNA, 23andMe, FamilyTreeDNA, or MyHeritageDNA, The Cradle can still provide support.

Visit Confidential Intermediary Service of Illinois or call 847-298-9096 to learn about State of IL search program.

Birth Certificates

For Illinois births, a non-certified copy of the Original Birth Certificate may be requested from the Illinois Department of Public Health. To be eligible, you must be an adopted person aged 21 or older, an adult child (21 or older) of a deceased adopted person, or a birth parent. For non-Illinois births, contact the state’s adoption department to determine eligibility.

For Illinois births, the legal birth certificate may be requested from the Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Records. For non-Illinois births, contact the birth state’s vital records department. If that state is unable to locate your legal birth certificate, contact IARMIE at 877-323-5299 for assistance.