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There is a single woman posting on Ukrainian email lists and forums.
She is asking all the questions that I asked back in 2000. And these are questions that I am asking in 2006. I would like to adopt a second child. I don’t want my daughter Natasha to be an only child.
Question: How much time to complete an adoption?
Answer: In the past it was 1 year from start to finish. Now it is about 2 years. There is hope this will improve and drop back down to 1 year.
The Ukrainian government decided to reorganize their adoption process which caused part of the slow down.
Question: Will being single hurt my chances of successfully adopting?
Answer: Not really.. It may take single parents a few more months to complete the adoption then married families.
Under Ukrainian law married families must get appointments/referrals before single women and men.
Question: How much money for the various services?
Answer: This greatly depend on your state. A home study (assessment of you and your home life) can cost between $3,000 to $500.
Everyone should shop around. You aren’t buy a child. You are paying someone to follow state law. Even though you are adopting internationally, your state laws dictate what must be in the home study.
Hopefully you will get a social worker/home study preparer who can spell correctly. My home study had to be revised 3 times due to spelling errors. Adoption.com has more information about costs here.
Oh the average for independent Ukrainian adoption is $15,000 to $20,000
Question: And exactly what services do I need?
Answer: Start with the US State Department’s web site for a description of the dossier. You need to create a dossier and hire someone in Ukraine to translate/facilitate your adoption.
Question: What are my chances of completing an adoption?
About 1% to 2% of families don’t accept a referral/find a child. In the past the Ukrainian government would only provide 3 referrals. Sometimes they would only provide 1. Each situation is unique.
I also know a story… Husband and wife got off the plane agreeing. Next day they were still disagreeing. This was an ugly fight and they decided to fly home without getting their referral. It seems they weren’t ready to adopt a child.
