Part 1 was the back story on why and how a 128 page assessment on Ukrainian adoption was produced. This assessment document can be found here.

Part 2 was an introduction to Ukrainian domestic adoption.

The assessment report on page 47 recommended a 6-month adoption (rather then the current 14-month) registry period be established. During the 6 months only Ukrainian parents would be allowed to adopt. And government workers would actively seek to match the child to Ukrainian parents.

Anyone else find it interesting that Ukraine won't be accepting dossiers for the next 6 months?

The 14-month registry period is set by law. And the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's unicameral parliament) isn't in any shape to be changing laws. They cannot even elect a speaker or a Prime Minister.

From the report, here is the child registration recommendation.

If after these six months of searching for an adoptive family in Ukraine (domestic adoption), attempts have not been successful, the child's file would be placed on the national register. From then on, intercountry adoption should be considered, but the obligation to continue to search for Ukrainian adoptors would still apply.

Here are some statistics about domestic adoption......

In recent years, the number of domestic adoptions in Ukraine, excluding "intra-family" adoptions.... has been steadily declining. NAC data show that in 2000 they numbered 2,043, falling to 1,760 in 2002 and to just 1,492 last year (2004), i.e. a 25% drop in the space of 5 years.

According to one source, 10 per cent of Ukrainian families (i.e. 1.5 million) would adopt a child under the right financial conditions, and another stated that it is invariable only "permanently infertile couples" in Ukraine who consider adopting. However, very few of these "potential adopters" actually take the initiative to adopt.

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We are concerned by the large number of adoptions by Ukrainians that have been revoked in recent years: reportedly 322 in the period 1999-2004, in other words 1 domestic adoption for every 34 pronounced during that time, or 3 per cent.

We were told that revcations concern children of all ages and whose adoption may range from recent to long-standing. The trend may be improving: 46 revocations were ordered last year, against the annual average of 54 for the period, but annual figures for domestic adoptions have themselves been declining significantly since 2000 so the figures are stil high.

Here are some reasons why domestic adoptions disrupted.

• child's mental illness


• child's inability to adjust to family life


• parents unprepared for child's issues


• insufficient information provided by insitution


• post adoption stress or depression


• language problems


• problems related to secrecy of adoptions in Ukraine


• RAD


• SID


• absence of post-adoptio support groups


• child's anti-social or self-harming behavior


• physical or sexual abuse by adoptive parents

Ukraine To Promote Domestic Adoptions

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3