DCFS awards foster care adoption contract to Let it Be Us

CHICAGO – Let It Be Us, the largest nonprofit in Illinois providing collaborative, innovative solutions for effective recruitment and placement of children in Illinois foster and adoptive care, has been awarded a $750,000 three-year contract by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

Illinois ranks one of the lowest in adoption placement rates in the U.S. for children awaiting adoption, according to a news release. The contract will significantly improve these children’s trajectories for finding forever families.

Founded by Dr. Susan McConnell, the executive director and herself an adoptive parent, the milestone solidifies Let It Be Us, which is based in Barrington, as the go-to resource for linking waiting children with loving, permanent families across the state.

Already a trusted leader in adoption and foster care innovation, Let It Be Us will further enhance the visibility, accessibility and support systems surrounding the adoption process. With the designation of this contract, the organization will implement a series of strategic initiatives to improve placement outcomes.

To accomplish this mission, Let It Be Us will launch Illinois’ Heart Gallery – part of the Adoption Listing Service – directly on its website, providing caseworkers and prospective families with an interactive, user-friendly database highlighting the countless children and teens awaiting placement. The gallery will offer a glimpse into their extraordinary stories, personal interests and will serve as a vital tool in thoughtful matchmaking to place children in their forever homes. All Illinois cases for children in need of adoptive resources are mandated to be registered with the Adoption Listing Service.

“We are honored to take on this critical role in Illinois’ child welfare system,” McConnell said in the release. “Our mission has always been to create innovative solutions to support foster care and adoption and the future of waiting children. Managing the Adoption Listing Service of Illinois and the Heart Gallery of Illinois allows us to directly impact the lives of children in need of permanency.”

Let It Be Us’ strategic plan to elevate the Illinois Adoption Listing Service includes:

Developing an Enhanced Online Adoption Exchange – A user-friendly platform where families can explore profiles of waiting children and submit inquiries directly.

Increasing Recruitment and Outreach Efforts – Hosting both virtual and in-person adoption events to engage potential adoptive parents.

Streamlining Family Matching Processes – Using data-driven tools and caseworker collaboration to ensure better matches between children and families.

Providing Additional Training and Support – Offering resources to caseworkers and families to improve understanding of the adoption process.

To lead this transformative initiative, Let It Be Us has appointed a specialized team, headed by Lindsay Weinberg Perlmutter, JD, LCSW. A seasoned expert in child welfare, Weinberg Perlmutter brings extensive experience from roles at the Adoption Center of Illinois, DCFS Post Adoption and Subsidized Guardianship, CASA of Cook County and the University of Chicago Law School.

For more information on Let It Be Us and the Illinois Adoption Listing Service or to make a donation to support these vital resources, visit www.letitbeus.org or call 847-764-5428.