Information on Bulgarian Children and Families
Bulgaria has re-opened adoption to the international community. These children currently reside in orphanages, and have not been adopted by Bulgarian families.
The Children
• Children over the age of two, however, most children being referred currently are six or older
• Both boys and girls
• Mainly children of Roma or Turkish descent
• Children with a wide range of special needs
• Children who have been on the Ministry of Justice’s national child registry for six months and have been declined by three Bulgarian prospective adoptive families are eligible to be considered for international adoption.
With the exception of some teenagers, all of the children are in orphanages. The quality of care provided in the orphanages ranges from adequate to outstanding. The orphanages are based upon a medical model; so, the children tend to receive good medical care and often have access to medical interventions such as physical and occupational therapy. The medical records provided with the child referrals, however, do not always reflect the degree of progress that the child has made as a result of these interventions and children often still carry the terms of their initial diagnoses.
The Bulgarian government’s first priority at the current time is to place children having special needs with loving families. Their long-range plan is to open up the full range of children available for adoption to families adopting internationally. Children with special needs often have muscular problems such as mild to moderate cerebral palsy, strabismus, etc. Most children in orphanages have developmental delays due to lack of stimulation and personal attention.
Matching Child & Family
Once the Ministry of Justice approves your dossier, your name, the type of child that you are open to, and the date your dossier is registered will be entered into the adoptive family registry. When a child is identified as available for international adoption, the child will be placed on the registry of children available for adoption. Children and families will be matched based upon the dates that the child and you were entered in your respective registries and how well the description of the child who you are open to considering fits with the characteristics of the child for whom a family is being sought.
Once a referral is sent, you will have time to consult with professionals (international adoption specialists), family, and friends before making a decision to either proceed with the process or decline the referral. If you express your intent to proceed with the referral, you will travel to Bulgaria to meet the child. You will then make a final decision concerning moving forward with the adoption.
Because of the Bulgarian government’s commitment to finding homes for children with special needs, the Ministry of Justice officials are currently making time-limited, exclusive referrals of children to accredited agencies for child-specific recruitment of families.
Referrals of Waiting Children
Return to Info on Bulgarian International Adoption
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