The ratio between the number of adoptive parents in Bulgaria and the number of children abandoned by their parents has remained virtually unchanged over the years and this is a signal that time for change has come in the selection system for families applying to become adoptive parents. The conclusion is drawn from the long-standing practice of NGOs that are providers of social services. That is why they invited representatives of state institutions to participate in a discussion forum on the topic of "Voice of Adopted Children." The major topic of the discussion were challenges and difficulties related to raising adopted children, which are underestimated in the beginning and after years often cause disappointment and even rejection of adoption.

According to unofficial data in mid-2019, there were 1814 children in the adoption lists, while families wishing to adopt a child were 1533. Some 500-516 children are adopted annually and the number of children waiting for adoption remains higher than the number of families wishing to become adoptive parents. 923 children with disabilities are also awaiting adoption, but last year only 23 of them were adopted and by the middle of 2019 just 8 were adopted. The data are from a study initiated by the Social Services Complex of the city of Plovdiv and the Bulgarian Association “Adopted and Adopters“.

"We do not claim that our data are representative, but they do show trends and open the path for a thorough analysis of problems plaguing adoption in Bulgaria," says Nedka Petrova, expert coordinator at the National Alliance for Social Responsibility. Experts said that the most painful topic that can cause lasting traumas in a person's life is the procedure for ending adoption - a topic that requires serious debate and administrative actions.

"It is important to say that in fact we, the adults, are entering the life of the child and the adoptive parents and candidate adoptive parents are those who have to accept the child with his or her abilities, identity, behavior and accept that this is their child forever, without the possibility to give up if something goes wrong,” Nedka Petrova says. “This is a child who already has experience, including some traumas and it is our duty to take care of the child so that we can treat these traumas and create conditions for a happy childhood. According to the law, with the end of adoption the child regains his or her birth identity and inherits his or her biological parents again. Most often this happens in the most difficult age - 15 - 16 years. It turns out that a teenager who has barely established as a person loses identity again with the change of name. Imagine a child adopted at the age of 5 who has to change his or her name at the age of 16 in the middle of the school year. These are very serious problems that we have to deal with, so we are looking for the best solution for the child in this case."

The issue of training and preparing applicants for becoming adoptive parents is also important. The common opinion is that this training is not enough in volume and quality. Better theoretical and practical training is also needed for the specialists involved in the assessment of the candidates in order to be able to make quality selection. According to the social workers who completed the survey, the assessment of these families should be done through the eyes of the child in need of parental care.

Last but not least, the age limit of families applying for becoming adoptive parents is also important. According to respondents, most of the problems occur when the age difference between the adoptive parents and adopted children is very big.

English: Alexander Markov