Shelley Ballard, Illinois Adoption Attorney

11/01/2023

     Children are the kite strings that hold our Nation’s ambitions aloft, and every one of them deserves to grow up in a safe and loving home.  This National Adoption Month, we celebrate all the families made whole through adoption and recommit to ensuring that every child can build a life of...

10/28/2023

10/01/2023

When you are considering adoption, your best guide is your adoption attorney.

Read more to learn about why selecting an attorney in adoption matters: http://ow.ly/qAcV50MPKM3

09/25/2023

Contact Congress Our advocacy tool directly connects you to your Members of Congress in the House and the Senate and allows you to send a customized message. If your member has already sponsored the bill, you will have the opportunity to send a thank you message and request their support to move it....

09/23/2023

Thank you U.S. Senator Bob Casey and Senator Kevin Cramer for supporting restoring refundability to the Adoption Tax Credit by introducing S. 2895, the Adoption Tax Credit Refundability Act!

09/08/2023

Instead of talk therapy, the Institute for Therapy through the Arts offers therapy through alternative approaches: movement/dance, drama, art and music.

08/10/2023

Illinois passed a new law that will extend the amount of unpaid leave that employees are entitled to for certain categories of child bereavement. The Child Extended Bereavement Leave Act (CEBLA),

07/26/2023

Building a family by adoption or guardianship is a journey, and Illinois DCFS is here to support you along the way. Visit www.PathBeyondAdoption.illinois.gov for information and resources to support you through post-adoption family life. Call the toll-free PATH (Partners Available to Help) Beyond Adoption support line at 866-538-8892 during business hours or leave a voicemail message at any time to get your questions answered and connect to resources.

06/29/2023

Adoption loans are a financial solution for those hoping to bring home a child through adoption. Adopting a child can become expensive, and these loans are just one option to help cover those costs. Adoption loans are available from various lenders, including banks, credit unions and online lende

06/17/2023

The Safe Haven law is a simple, safe, legal alternative to unsafe infant abandonment. A parent can hand an unharmed newborn less than 30 days old to staff at hospitals, emergency medical care facilities, police stations, firehouses, college and university police stations and Illinois State Police district headquarters and walk away with no questions asked. If you need help, call 888-510-BABY. For more info, visit https://saveabandonedbabies.org.

01/18/2023

The Barrington-based non-profit's Springboard to Adulthood program helps foster youth get on their own; emotionally, physically, and financially.