Women's Counseling and Support Services

In celebration of the sacredness of life, we affirm women and are respectful of their social, religious and cultural diversity, and are mindful of personal choices concerning their pregnancy. Through interactive programs and services, we challenge women to educate, empower and advocate for themselves, their children and significant others in the areas of relationships, parenting and adoption. Through compassion, dignity and grace we seek to serve all women with a special regard for the most vulnerable.

Since its inception in 1942, Catholic Charities has provided service to pregnant and parenting women and girls and the significant others in their lives. The agency expanded its services in 1980 to begin the operation of the Women-in-Need (WIN) program, currently known as Women’s Counseling & Support Services (WCSS). The WCSS program has served as a model of pregnancy services throughout the state due to its ability to provide education and counseling services to women, their families and significant others, and to refer to established, qualified, licensed practitioners in the areas of medical and mental health.

This program is designed to assist women experiencing social, medical and/or emotional difficulties relating to a pregnancy, or the parenting of a small child. WCSS provides access to comprehensive and integrated medical, health care, educational and social services. Our core services include: individual, family and group counseling; advocacy; referrals for prenatal and pediatric care; and child care, parenting, housing, educational, vocational, and financial referrals when appropriate.

Service areas include the following counties: Bureau, Champaign, Henry, LaSalle, Marshall, Mercer, Mason, Peoria, Piatt, Putnam, Rock Island, Stark, Tazwell, Vermillion, and Woodford in Illinois, and Scott County in Iowa.

Catholic Charities has a lifetime commitment to birthparents, adoptive parents and adoptees as provided through our post-adoption counseling and adoption search services.

For more information, please contact us at 309.671.5720.

Client Eligibility

The WCSS Program is specifically designed to assist women, their families, and their significant others who are experiencing difficulties in relation to pregnancy issues or parenting issues. Any woman, married or unmarried, and significant others (i.e. family members, father of the child, etc.) are eligible for full services during and after the pregnancy. While services are not sub-contracted with other professionals, services do include referrals to qualified licensed health practitioners for medical care such as the health department, WIC, and medical society. Supportive services are also provided for maintenance within the community such as parenting classes, parenting support groups or individualized problem support or treatment groups for drug, alcohol or mental health issues. When such services are not provided by the local office, a referral is made to qualified licensed agencies to provide that service. Individual and family counseling are all provided by WCSS workers to clients planning for the infant whether they plan to parent or place the child for adoption. Assistance is offered to clients regardless of race, color, religion or residence. The majority of women served through this program experience high-risk pregnancy due to their limited resources and low socio-economic status.

Cabrini Maternity Services

The WCSS Program is also able, upon client request, to provide alternative housing for pregnant teens and adult pregnant women. Funding assistance is provided by the Diocese of Peoria. These services include housing, food, and social services to assist her throughout the pregnancy.

There are two types of eligibility:

• For pregnant clients 18 years and older, rent assistance or a licensed foster home can be provided while they are pregnant, providing all community resources have been exhausted. A Child Abuse and Neglect Tracking System (CANTS) check must be completed as well as an assessment. Clients need to be drug and alcohol free and cannot have anyone living with them other than their children.
• For pregnant clients who are under 18 years old, and there is a need for her to live outside the family home, a licensed foster home will be utilized as a voluntary, temporary placement until the baby is born. The family must participate in services and be actively involved in discharge planning.

The primary purpose of WCSS is to provide comprehensive social services and ancillary services to women, their families and significant others who are experiencing unplanned pregnancies or difficulties in parenting with the purpose of allowing them to plan for themselves and their children in a healthy and safe environment.

The key components of the service are: (1) intake and screening, (2) service planning, (3) case management, including medical, vocational and housing referrals, (4) decision making and post abortion counseling, including grief counseling and birthparent support groups, (5) prenatal care education, (6) adoption planning, (7) parenting education, (8) conflict resolution counseling, (9) problem solving skill building, (10) dissemination of information regarding provision of services not offered directly through WCSS, (11) abstinence education offered in school settings. Services include both office and home visits, as appropriate.

Adoption Procedures

Catholic Charities of the Peoria Diocese is a child welfare agency licensed by the State of Illinois under the Child Care Act (Section 2.08) for the means of “receiving any child or children for the purpose of placing or arranging for the placement of the child or children in foster family homes or other facilities, for child care, apart from the custody of the child’s or children’s parents.” Catholic Charities then operates under its Child Welfare License granted by the State of Illinois Department of Children and Family Services according to prescribed standards contained in the DCFS Rules and Regulations, Part 401: Licensing Standards for Child Welfare Agencies.

The Adoption and WCSS programs of Catholic Charities seek to serve the needs of the child by placing the child with a permanent family, and assisting the family to legally adopt the child.

Catholic Charities adheres to an open adoption policy. An open adoption is defined as a full exchange of first and last names, addresses, phone numbers, and on-going contact (visits) between adoptive and birth families throughout life. Catholic Charities believes this is in the best interest of the child.

We also acknowledge there are times when a birthmother or birthfather may not desire this type of adoption plan. In that case we will honor and respect the birthparent’s wishes and keep the adoption closed. This decision is made solely by the birthparent(s) and not by Catholic Charities employees.