We offer an on-site nursery, staffed by caring professionals, as a neutral place for babies to stay if birth parents need to think it over. Birth fathers also need to sign a surrender in order for parental rights to be terminated. He may sign this surrender at any time during the pregnancy, however it does not take effect until 72 hours after birth. Of course, a birth father always has the option of parenting the child. In some cases, birth fathers are not active participants in a decision to parent or make a plan of adoption.
Illinois law provides an alternative to a birth father signing a surrender.
If the birth father is unknown or known but unable to be located, a legal notice is published concerning the adoption proceedings. If he does not come forward within 30 days after birth to claim his parental rights and parent the child, the court will terminate his legal rights. The Cradle encourages birth fathers to take an active role in planning for the future of their unborn child, and works with many birth fathers each year. The birth grandparents, or mothers and fathers of the birth parents, have no legal standing with which to interfere with adoption proceedings. However, many birth grandparents do participate in the counseling process, and The Cradle also offers a Birth Grandparent Support Group.