Adopting a child from Ukraine (2023)

The international adoption process has changed dramatically in the last 6-8 years. Waiting times for international adoption have grown and there are no longer any countries that are “easy” or quick processes.

Adoption is one of the most important decisions a family can make.

Strange as it may sound, we always suggest that families be very selfish in making this decision and carefully consider all of the following factors:

• Age of the child or children to be adopted
• medical problems
• age of other children in the family
• Settling-in period for the whole family, including the new family member
• work schedule
• Other family commitments such as aging parents etc.
• School system they are in and resources available for adopted children
• Importance of the initial assessment and addressing any concerns that may arise from such an assessment
• The full personal care that the adopted child and other children need at home.

This list can be continued indefinitely.

If the family agrees that adoption will benefit the whole family and they are emotionally ready to adopt, Ukraine may be one of the best options for them.Ukraine offers many advantages compared to other countries when the family hopes to go through and complete an adoption in a timely manner.

Ukraine allows the following adoption situations:

• Adoption of children from 5 years
• There are more opportunities when the family is open to a minimum age range of 5-9 years and any gender
• There are a number of sibling groups waiting for adoptive families and Ukraine will allow sibling group adoption if one of the children is under the age of 5 to ensure the children are not separated; Age can vary from 4-9 or younger.
• The rules permit the adoption of children under the age of 5 if they have certain special needs that allow them to be considered for international adoption.

The Ministry of Social Policy in Ukraine does not allow families to receive medical information about children before travel. The family must obtain this information during a meeting at the Ministry. It is imperative that the placement agency that the family works with prepares them properly before the trip to ask the right questions and connects the family with knowledgeable international adoption doctors in advance to provide the children's medical information quickly and thoroughly evaluate. This is the best way to protect the family and child from an adoption that the adoptive parents cannot adequately provide for. If the family feels they can meet the child's needs, it is most likely the right placement and everyone will benefit.

Every adoptive family must be diligent in ensuring that the agency they work with is knowledgeable, ethical and working with an experienced coordinator in that country who is fully committed to guiding the family through every stage of the process.

An overview of the adoption process from Ukraine:

1. homeschooling:This is the process to qualify a family for adoption. It is a complete assessment of the prospective adoptive family's preparation for adopting a child and their ability to care for an internationally adopted child. It must be completed by a licensed adoption agency in the state where the adoptive parents reside. Although Ukraine is not a party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption, they require a certificate of Hague Accreditation from the intermediary body. The time frame averages six to ten weeks to complete the home study process.

2. Application to USCIS: This is the start of the immigration process for a child to be adopted from another country. USCIS approval can take up to 3 months.
3. Dossier creation:This is the package of documents required by the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine to enable a family to adopt. The placement agency is responsible for providing the full list of required documents and guiding the family through them. A month is more than enough time to prepare the dossier package.
   1. Your recruitment agency should triple check your dossier, including a pre-check by the coordinator, before sending it to Ukraine. The dossier must be dated within 6 months of the submission date, but preferably the documents are much more recent than 6 months. After the coordinator submits documents to the Department of Social Policy, it takes 20 working days for officials to review your documents.
   2. If the documents are correct, the ministry will issue a registration number. That means everything is correct and meets the requirements.
   3. There is a possibility of refusal if the ministry asks for some changes in the dossier documents.
   4. Once the documents are registered, the Ministry will notify the coordinator of an appointment for a family appointment within a week of approval.
4. The adoptive parents can travel to Ukraine within a month after the approval decision.
5. Each family has the right to meet with the Ministry three (3) times.
6. Upon arrival in Ukraine, the agency coordinator is responsible for guiding the family through each step of the process. The placement agency prepares the family for their trip and the coordinator usually attends the family's meetings with a ministry psychologist. They provide profiles of children legally eligible for intercountry adoption according to age, health, gender, or other criteria identified in the home study.
7. When the family identifies a child, they are given permission to meet with the child in the region where the child lives.
8. The ministry grants ten working days to communicate with the child by visiting the orphanage. Many families will make the decision to adopt within a shorter time frame.
9. When the family is ready to proceed, they have a meeting with the notary who will certify their decision to adopt a particular child.
10. Both parents must appear in court, which takes place approximately 20 days after the child is admitted to the family, depending on the availability of the judge.

Each adoptive family can split the process into 2-4 trips if they cannot stay all the time.

• 1^stThe trip lasts from 3 weeks to 1 month, or the family can stay 10 days and then go back to court two weeks (or up to 1.5 months) later.
• 2^ndTrip is 2 weeks, approx. A parent can travel with a spouse's power of attorney, but we always recommend that the family should travel together for bonding reasons.

If the family is not comfortable with the child and is unwilling to accept a particular background or illness, they have two or more opportunities to meet with the ministry representative. Families must consult with their placement agencies to ensure their documents are within the required time frame if a second or third trip is planned with the ministry.

Adoption from Ukraine is a good option for married families as Ukraine does not allow single parent adoptions. It offers a family the opportunity to complete an adoption within a year if open to a child aged 5+ and/or sibling groups.

educational resources

Our top suggestion is to educate yourself about specific medical conditions that you are comfortable with, including attachment and attachment issues. You can contact international adoption specialists such as the following:

DR. Genist:jajenista@aol.comOR (734)-668-0419

dr Bledsoe and Dr. Davis: (206) 598-3000

Dr. Ron Federici:drfederici@aol.comOR (703) 830-6052

Or you read books like:

"Adopting the Wounded Child" or "Raising the Wounded Child" by Dr. cheeky

"Parenting with Love and Logic" by Keefer and Schooler

"Tell the Truth to Your Adopted or Foster Child" by Keefer and Schooler

As an agency, we are always open to conference calls and meet-ups to answer questions and accompany families on this exciting and life-changing journey.

Please ask questions, understand the process and what you can and cannot do. We will be happy to help you and are available to you as a contact person.

Inna Pecar, MSW, LCSW

Director of KidsFirst Adoption and Original

from Ukraine