Dear Families,
We have received additional information about the recent statement issued by the U.S. Embassy in Kiev in regards to Adoption Quotas for 2008. Please see below:
From: Kyiv, Adoptions
Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2007 2:46 AM
To: Kyiv, Adoptions
Subject: Corrected Version: Notice to US Adoption Community Adoption
Quota for 2008
Dear Members of American Adoption Community Interested in Ukraine:
We have made two corrections to the public notice on Adoption Quotas for 2008. The corrected version of this public notice dated December 12th is posted at:
http://kyiv.usembassy.gov/amcit_adoptions_notice_1212_eng.html
The phrase Children who have been abandoned or are currently residing under the legal custody of their relatives has been changed to read:
- Children who have been abandoned abroad or are currently residing abroad under the legal custody of their relatives (children who are not physically present in Ukraine)
In addition, the full list of the diseases that make children eligible for priority processing (handicapped children) has been added to the notice. The list is currently available only in Ukrainian and contains over a thousand of diseases. The list is available at:
http://www.moz.gov.ua/ua/main/docs/?docID=7269
Please note that only those children who suffer from one of the six diseases posted on our website at: http://kyiv.usembassy.gov/amcit_adoptions_eng.html are eligible for a waiver of the one-year waiting requirement.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any additional questions.
Sincerely,
Adoption Unit/Immigrant Visa Section
Consular Section
American Embassy
Kyiv, Ukraine
While we are still working on obtaining the complete translation of this document, from the preliminary review it does look that the list of diseases that allows children to be exempt from the quota system includes over a thousand of medical conditions. These diagnoses range from serious such as HIV, mental retardation and heart conditions to less serious such as astigmatism, asthma, and even burn injuries. The truth is the list was compiled with the purpose of determining the amount of financial assistance for each child to be provided by the government. We also know that the medical system in Ukraine would rather over diagnose a child than under diagnose. So it is not a secret that the vast majority of children in orphanages have been diagnosed with some sort of medical condition. This has always been the case in Ukraine and we have no reason to believe that it would change in the near future.
As the bottom line, we are positive that our Ukraine program will continue to move forward as planned and we will successfully complete your adoption.
Sincerely,
Commonwealth Adoptions International, Inc. Staff
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Dear Families,
The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine has recently sent out the following announcement:
On November 22, 2007 the Ministry for Family, Youth and Sports issued Decree #4137. This Decree approves the numbers of the new adoption dossiers from foreign countries that can be accepted by the Ukrainian State Department for Adoption and Protection of the Rights of the Child (SDAPRC) during calendar year 2008.
The result of the decree is that 460 dossier submissions have been allocated to parents from the U.S. for calendar year 2008. This number was arrived at using a special mathematical formula devised by the SDAPRC, based on the number of delinquent post adoption reports and the number of Ukrainian children who will be eligible for intercountry adoption in 2008. The total number of the dossier submissions is divided among five categories of children, so a specific number of dossiers can be submitted for each category:
- children under six years old (with no siblings) – 32 dossiers
- children from six to nine years old (with no siblings) - 83 dossiers
- children ten years or older (with no siblings) – 115 dossiers
- sibling groups (in which one of the children is younger than 6 years) – 92 dossiers
- sibling groups (in which all siblings are 6 or more years old) – 138 dossiers
The U.S. again has the highest number of allocations for foreign countries adopting from Ukraine, followed by Italy (381 dossiers) and Spain (285 dossiers).
The dossiers for the following categories of children will be accepted without any limitations and out of the regular line:
o Children who have been abandoned or are currently residing under the legal custody of their relatives
o step-children
o handicapped children, who suffer from a disease listed with the Ministry of Public Health Protection (the list of these diseases is posted at: http://kyiv.usembassy.gov/amcit_adoptions_eng.html)
The SDAPRC will accept the new dossiers from foreign citizens beginning February 4, 2008.
At this time, we are still gathering the information and analyzing the impact it may have on the families who already submitted the dossiers to the SDAPRC and the families who are planning to submit their dossiers in 2008. We are not sure if the quota system is applicable to both groups or just the latter.
Although from the first glance, it looks like the new quota system is quite straightforward and not too encouraging, as “numbers do not lie,” the situation may be more complicated and possibly even more optimistic than it appears.
While we can understand the reluctance of Ukrainian government to allow orphaned children leave the country, what is not clear is how Ukraine is planning to take care of all the children still living in the orphanages and whose numbers have not been decreasing.
There is a speculation that Ukrainian government has received a significant amount of funds from UNICEF to help to set up the country’s foster care system with the purpose of keeping the children in Ukraine while decreasing the number of children in orphanages. It is possible that the funds can only be granted if some conditions are met, and Ukrainian government is obviously reluctant to lose the funds. Another speculation is that the SDAPRC’s intention is to limit a number of agencies and facilitators working in Ukraine. Undoubtedly, the newly announced quota system will discourage a number of agencies, facilitators and adoptive parents from going to Ukraine to adopt or assist with adoption.
Another point is that the SDAPRC has been known to change its procedures and policies since its incorporation in 2006. It is important to remember that the quota system is not a law but just the arbitrary numbers adopted by the organization. There are possible exceptions to the rule, not yet publicly announced.
The list of diseases, exempting handicapped children from the quota system, the U.S. Embassy has been referring to is actually a list of medical conditions permitting to waive the one-year requirement of being registered on the federal database for orphaned children. There are also different levels of handicap in Ukraine. When we think of handicap, we immediately imagine serious special needs such as Cerebral palsy, missing limbs, Down’s syndrome, etc. However, as you well know, the medical system in Ukraine drastically differs from Western medicine. The definitions of special needs and/or handicap in Ukraine may include diagnoses one familiar with Western medicine would not expect to find. The question is what special needs are considered “handicap” according to Ukrainian government.
The bottom line is that the answers to these questions are more complicated than it seems from the first glimpse. Without doubts, the political and social-economical tensions around international adoptions in Ukraine and in the whole country in general play the central role in this situation.
Please be assured that we are carefully assessing the situation in Ukraine before drawing conclusions. While we are researching the information, we remain optimistic that we will be able to successfully help the families adopt from Ukraine and that our Ukraine program will continue to develop.
Sincerely,
Commonwealth Adoptions International, Inc. Staff
_____________________________________________
ANNOUNCING UKRAINE ADOPTION PROGRAM
Commonwealth Adoptions International is very happy to announce that we now accept application for our Ukraine Program! Our Ukraine program allows families to adopt children 18 months old and up. Since January 2007, Ukraine has been accepting dossiers from American families, and the adoptions in Ukraine have been moving forward.
Please consider these great things about our Ukraine Program:
Without any doubts, international adoption can be challenging and sometimes unpredictable, no matter what country you are adopting from. But adoptions are happening in Ukraine right now and children are finding their forever families. Is it possible that your little one is waiting for you in the country of Ukraine?
If you are interested in our Ukraine program, please do not hesitate to contact one of our wonderful adoption consultants.
country
Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe and is located between Poland and Russia. It is slightly smaller than the state of Texas. Much of the southeastern part of the country borders the Black Sea. Ukraine has a population of about 47 million people. An estimated 68 % of Ukrainians live in urban areas, with over three million inhabitants in the capital Kiev, the largest city. Ukrainians make up more than three-fourths of the population; there is a significant minority of Russians (around 22%). The official language is Ukrainian. Many speak Russian as a first or second language. Although Ukraine has a long relationship with Russia and the former Soviet Union, it claimed its independence from Russia in 1991. With great natural beauty, a rich culture and warm and hospitable people, Ukraine is a wonderful place to visit.
adoption
The Ukraine adoption process is unique and different from the adoption process of Russia. The State Department for Adoptions and Protection of Rights of the Child (SDAPRC), a part of the Ministry of Family, Youth and Sports, is the only legal Ukrainian authority for adoptions. It maintains the database of adoptable children available for both domestic and international adoptions. The SDAPRC is involved in the international adoption process from the moment prospective parents apply for registration until an adoption hearing is held in court.time frames
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After you submit your dossier to Commonwealth, we send it on to our Ukraine associate, who will present it to the State Department for Adoptions and Protection of Rights of the Child (SDAPRC), the legal Ukrainian authority for adoptions. In about 6 to 12 months, you will receive an invitation to visit the SDAPRC. When you arrive in Ukraine, you will be presented with profiles of child(ren) available for international adoption within the age range you specified. Our families will be matched with the child(ren) of the age they desire.
You then travel to the region where the child(ren) reside(s). Our facilitator will accompany you on your travel to the region and provide all the guidance and support until your adoption process is completed.
While at the orphanage, you will be presented with the child(ren)¡¦s medical history. If you would like to get more details on the child(ren)'s health condition, you may arrange to have a western trained physician from the American Medical Center in Kiev travel to evaluate the child(ren). Our associate will gladly help to make these arrangements.
After you make your commitment to adopt the child(ren), the file for your case is presented to a judge. The judge must establish that you can parent the child(ren) emotionally, financially, and morally, and that you are healthy enough to care for the child(ren). The judge's decision is announced and issued the day of the hearing, but it does not take effect for 10 days. Once the decision takes effect, you will be granted parental rights and legal responsibility for the child(ren).
requirements
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Commonwealth has many families who adopted in Ukraine who are happy to speak with new families considering a Ukraine adoption. Many of our families adopted two or more children during their trip. Adopting from Ukraine is, by some standards, a process fraught with uncertainties. We are pleased to report that our families found their experiences to be enriching and wholly supported by Commonwealth staff.children
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Under Ukrainian law, Ukrainian officials may not disclose information on adoptable children to agencies or other private citizens, but only to approved adoptive parents during their appointment with a SDAPRC official. Ukrainian children who have been registered with the SDAPRC for one year are available for international adoption.
Ukraine policy on international adoption permits children to be exempted from the one-year waiting requirement if they have medical conditions that warrant surgery or treatment, including tumors, bladder disease, anatomic defects, sensory impairments or joint anomalies.
travel
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Your travel time in Ukraine varies, depending upon the region and specific circumstances of your adoption. Most families remain in Ukraine for 6 to 8 weeks. Families complete their adoption in Kiev to secure the child's immigrant visa by meeting with a consular officer at the U.S. Embassy.
