Yuri Pavlenko is the Minister for Family, Youth and Sport. The State Department on Adoption and Children's Rights (SDA) is in this Ministry. SDA has all authority over Ukrainian adoption. Everyone was hoping he would announce when adoptions will start up again.

Pavlenko held a press conference this morning about adoption and future plans to reduce the number of homeless children.

For anyone who is wondering.... Pavlenko is safe and won't be leaving. With the coalition government forming this means that some Ministers will be replaced.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko's pro-Western Our Ukraine party, the Bloc of Yulia Timoshenko and the Socialist Party agreed on the formation of a coalition government.

From: Ukraine's Government: Everything Old is New Again

Nasha [President Viktor Yushchenko's Our Ukraine Bloc is also called Blok Nasha Ukrayina] will hold on to the Family, youth and sports ministry currently headed by Yuri Pavlenko.

From: Outgoing Cabinet meets ahead of changes

The SDA will start processing appointments/adoption starting in September. They will start with registration number #14300. And there are 1,200 backlogged dossiers that need to be processed for appointments/adoption.

Families will be asked to fill out another form stating they want to continue with their adoption. During their paperwork organization (months of May and June), dossiers from 2003 were found. The SDA wants to verify who still wants to adopt from Ukraine.

Pavlenko didn't did say anything something about Americans submitting new dossiers and adopting children under 10 years of age. (For anyone who is new to Ukrainian adoption... Americans submitting new dossiers are restricted to adopting children 10 years or older, handicapped or siblings of previously. This is because about 10% of the post adoption reports are missing.) There are many families waiting on an answer to this question.

New dossiers will only be accepted after all the backlogged dossiers have been processed. (This is my assumption based on what was said at the press conference.)

SDA expects to accept new dossiers starting on Jan 1 2007. (This was said in the press conference.)

If post adoption reports are in the restrictions will be removed. (I don't know if this was said at the press conference or the old rumor is being repeated.)

The SDA will try to process 75 families per week... In other words 75 appointments per week.

I am sooooooooooooooooo sorry for everyone. I know that many families have been hanging on to their emotions by their fingertips. I know this is depressing and happy at the same time.

People adopting from Ukraine have received different SDA opening dates over and over. It gets very tiring with the date constantly moving. But if I had an approved dossier I would keep hanging on. I think Ukrainian adoption will start up again.

Here is more information about the press conference this morning.

During a press conference Minister for family, youth and sport affairs Yuri Pavlenko told journalists that before the end of this year it would be formed 93 family group care homes for orphans and 486 foster homes.

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The minister informed that it was formed 19 centers of social and psychological rehabilitation for children, six centers of mother and child, seven social hostels for orphans.

From: Homeless children to be removed from cities’ streets