Privacy Policy
Confidentiality of Client Information
Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI) is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of clients. Each program implements written procedures concerning the access, use and disclosure of client information, consistent with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations. All members of the LSSI workforce, including employees, volunteers, contractual staff, and interns, are informed of confidentiality requirements, and must sign written agreements to comply with the agency’s policies and procedures relating to the confidentiality and security of client information.
Information Disclosure and Search Policy
Lutheran Social Services of Illinois believes that adoption is a lifelong experience and all of the persons involved in an adoption -- the birth parents, the adoptive parents, and the adopted person -- are forever bound together through this experience. LSSI further believes that openness in adoption is a continuum and that the degree of openness in each adoption is determined by mutual consent of the involved persons. For adopted persons under the age of twenty-one years, the adoptive parents must consent to any openness.
At the time of an adoptive placement, Illinois law requires that non-identifying background information about the birth parents shall be disclosed to the adoptive family. Any disclosure of identifying information by the agency about the child, the child’s birth parents, and the child’s adoptive parents shall be shared only with the informed written consent and authorization of the persons involved.
As a part of its post-legal adoption services, LSSI shall provide services to the parties in an adoption based upon their written authorization as to the degree of openness desired and will act as an intermediary for those who choose not to fully disclose identifying information. At any point when there is a change in the degree of openness desired, new authorizations shall be obtained reflecting this change.
The agency shall offer search and reunion services in its post-legal adoption program. These services shall also be based on mutual consent of the persons involved. Staff persons who conduct searches for parties to an adoption shall be required to be sensitive to their feelings and shall respect any person’s desire to maintain confidentiality. Support, counseling and consultation services shall be made available to persons involved in search and all other post-legal adoption services.
All authorizations to release identifying information or deny the release of identifying information shall be in the form of a notarized affidavit unless the provisions of Illinois law require a different process.
Web Privacy Policy
This site uses www.opentracker.net to collect visitor data and analyze traffic on our site. This information helps us understand visitor interests and helps us improve our website.
When you visit our site, the pages that you look at, and a short text file called a cookie, are downloaded to your computer. A cookie is used to store small amounts of information. This information is collected for traffic analysis only.
The cookie does not contain personal details. Depending on the browser that you use, you can set your preferences to block/ refuse cookies, and/ or notify you before they are placed. Opentracker does not sell, give, or trade the statistics they store to any 3rd parties for data-mining or marketing purposes. Please visit www.opentracker.net for their privacy policy.
Complaints
Complaints about this Notice of Privacy Policy or how Lutheran Social Services of Illinois handles your information should be directed to the office of the:
Privacy Official
c/o Lutheran Social Services of Illinois
1001 E. Touhy Avenue, Ste 50
DesPlaines, Illinois 60018
Tele: (847) 635-4600
