Northwest Region
1400 N. Broad Street
Griffith, IN 46319
(219) 838-0996
Fax: (219) 838-0999

• Birth parent counseling
  
• Case Management
  
• Hospital Coordination
  
• Home Assessments for agency, private-assisted, inter-state and international adoptions
  
• Agency, private-assisted and special needs placements: open and closed adoption matches
  
• Post-placement supervision
  
  

LSSI provides adoption placements of Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic and mixed race infants up to the age of two years. You must meet the following requirements for infant placement through our agency:

1. Be a heterosexual married couple who is childless or have children. We will also consider single individuals for more difficult to place infants of all races when a same-race couple is not available.
2. Have a stable marriage of at least 2 years duration. Have no divorce or marital separation within the past 2 years.
3. Possess financial stability and sufficient income to meet the needs of an additional family member.
4. Be in good physical and mental health.
5. Be of good moral character.
6. Have a Christian religious affiliation and intend to raise a child in the Christian faith.
7. Be able and willing for one spouse to remain home for an adjustment period to establish infant bonding.
8. Be willing to consider exchange of non-identifying information with birth parents through the adoption worker.
9. Show appropriate motivation to adopt (not currently involved in fertility treatment) and have reasonable expectations of the adoption.
10. Have an acceptable adoption assessment or update, current within the past 12 months.
11. If there are children in the home, the youngest child must be at least 1 year old.

• counseling to birth parents
• obtaining health and background histories of birth parent families
• assisting with medical delivery arrangements
• identifying medical expenses and manner of payments to physicians and hospitals
• preparing legal documents
• arranging foster care when necessary
• phone calls
• consultations with attorneys
• court appearances
• post-placement supervision (This can involve coordinating services with other agencies.)

While every effort will be made to provide satisfactory services to you as prospective parents, you must keep in mind our primary concern becomes the child, who has been legally relinquished to our agency for adoption. All decisions regarding placement are based on the wishes of the birth parent(s) and in the best interests of a child.

The assessment process should validate your strengths, prepare you for adoption, and transform your ideal expectations into realistic considerations. You will be asked to share many personal aspects about yourselves and your life. You will also be asked to authorize release of information from a number of resources. This can feel uncomfortable, or intrusive at times. Some couples and individuals handle this in stride, while others may view this experience with greater sensitivity.

Following a placement through LSSI, your family will receive post-placement supervision until your adoption can be legally finalized. The adoption specialist will make at least one home visit to inquire about family adjustment, note your child's growth and development, obtain medical records, if necessary, on your child and generally provide support to the family.

If your placement was through interstate compact, arrangements will be made for post­placement services through a child placement agency in your state. We will ask this agency to submit periodic progress reports to LSSI until you are ready to legally finalize your adoption.  If you have received placement of a child from another country, we will provide post-placement visits as requested by your international agency or as specified by a particular country.