Information available for potential adoptive and foster parents
- Details
- Published on Monday, 14 January 2013 16:03
- Written by The Peorian
The Center for Youth and Family Solutions is offering information, training and on-going support for families interested in adopting or becoming foster parents t children in need of safe and nurturing parents.
The Center will host Foster & Adoptive Parent informational meetings throughout the next several months at its various offices throughout central Illinois, including in Peoria. The meetings will be on the second Tuesday of every month.
There are currently over 12,000 children in Illinois living with foster families. Today, almost 3,000 children in our state are waiting to be adopted by a loving family, a CYFS news release said.
"Deciding to be a foster or adoptive parent is a big decision and these informational meetings help adults explore their options, learn more about the adoption and fostering process, as well as get any questions they have answered," says Mary Kay Collins, assistant director of licensing and adoption for CYFS.
CYFS offers training and educational seminars, support groups and ongoing support for any individual or couple who chooses to become a foster or adoptive parent. It also offers several different adoption programs, including Infant Adoption, Embryo Adoption and the Adopt a Waiting Child Program, which is a program designed to help families prepare to adopt older waiting children currently in foster care, Collins said.
The informational meetings are free, but advance notice is encouraged. For more information on CYFS or the informational meetings, please visit www.cyfsolutions.org or call an Adoption Specialist at the local office.
