The history of adoption in Ukraine

How to adopt abandoned children in Ukraine ?

For past years of children adoption foundation in Ukraine has helped thousands children to find their adoptive parents and foster care. Two out of these three adopted children were adopted in Ukraine through domestic adoption program with Ukrainian parents. All these children are the lucky ones, they have found their adoptive families their fathers and mothers, their new families. They will grow in their new families and there be a lot of doors that will be opened before them. It will not be easy. But they already have and will have a choice. Something other children do not have.

The history of adoption in Ukraine – this is the rare example where the private initiative of the organization changed the system in the state. Ukraine Adoption is one of the main tools, and probably the most important method in the fight against children abandonment in Ukraine as well as in any other country that face the same problem of abandoned children like Ukraine adoption today. For other children who have not found their adoptive family the choice will be left between the boarding schools and orphanages.

There are many voice today that says that Ukraine should do away with this old system of orphanages in Ukraine, it is simply should not exist any more. Who would of say no ? Children should grow up in families, and good families, but do we actually have this alternatives? Perhaps orphanages of family type a new government initiatives will do help in solving the problem to a certain extent but it will not solve the problem to the point that entire boarding school system can be dismantled and forgotten as the thing of the past.

Here are some barriers?

First, the “residential” system of orphanage in Ukraine is new and not fully developed as the concept it is positive but it is still new. It works this way to prevent adoption of the children by adoptive parents in both domestic and/or international adoptions. The argument behind this statement is in the fact how these family type orphanage organized, they get their government financing as a boarding schools based on the number of orphaned children admitted in the school. Therefore, as the argument goes employees of these institution family-type orphanages are the first people who are not interested in adoption of their orphanage children.

Very often, children are being hidden from potential adoptive parents, who would take the child or children into their personal adoptive family, not the institution family type orphanage. It is also noted that these family-type orphanages attribute to a non-existent illness or mental disorder of the child to prevent these children to be adopted by adoptive parents, as a some sort of deterrent factor that will discourage adoptive parents from going any further to adopt these children, labeled with mental disease. But will these institution family-type orphanage any better for a child then adoptive family ? of course not. But bureaucracy still makes its way. Certainly these people and institutions are not govern by the best interest of the child.

Every good adoptive organization in Ukraine shall be able to verify these “disease” and tell the truth to adoptive parents, the true state of health of the adoptive child and with the help of authorised adoptive agencies to  overcome all of these obstacles and get these “institutional disease” treated immediately with the help of government legal assistance office. Ukraine policies towards abandoned children in orphanages are made clear for everyone and give priorities in the field of adoption, both domestic adoptions and international adoption. Ukraine adoption is the priority policy towards abandoned children in Ukraine.

The second problem, which systematically employs only the public initiative is the formation in Ukraine of the culture of adoption. Although over the last 10 years have seen fantastic mental shift in culture of adoption in Ukraine there is still much left to be done to develop better understanding and public receipt and public encouragement for adoption. Now adoption in Ukraine is no taboo subject for discussion, no shame, no big deal. But still it is not yet encouraged and public did not speak in favor of it openly. The process of public learning is still going on with much of a progress.

The third problem is the most difficult right now, it has been aggravated by the armed conflict in Eastern Ukraine is a social orphanhood. This is when devastated economic fabric of society and deteriorating welfare state and medical care forcing parents to leave children because of socio-economic problems or because of severe diseases of child.

Ukraine adoption programs has all “prescriptions and drugs” in order to solve the problem of orphanhood and to permanently close the doors of children’s orphan homes.

Ukraine adoption federal program shall adopt only 4 steps:

1. The political will to close orphanages as the system for child care, with adoption programs in place to care for abandoned children

2. Motto “Every child needs a family” has already become official state policy of Ukraine in the adoption field

3. To take working adoption policies and practice in Ukraine to support both domestic adoption and international adoption of Ukraine children. To adopt the best of international practice and policy in the field of domestic and international adoptions.

4. Roll the sleeves and work

Then each of the presently abandoned child in Ukraine will have a chance for a new family, a chance for the future, a chance at happiness.

God Bless