In Ukraine, more than 14,000 children are registered for adoption, most of whom are over 6 years old
There are 14,333 children registered for adoption in Ukraine. Of these, 94% are older than 6 years, nearly 70% have siblings who must not be separated, and 11% are children with disabilities.
The agency notes that it is most difficult to find families for older children, sibling groups, and children with developmental disabilities.
“It is most difficult to place these specific categories—older children, sibling groups, and children with developmental disabilities—into families. At the same time, most children registered for adoption are already being raised in family settings—in foster families, family-type children’s homes, or under guardianship or custody. About 3,000 children remain in institutional care,” the ministry’s statement reads.
According to the data, nearly 70% of the children have siblings who must not be separated, which also complicates their placement in a new family.
The Ministry of Social Policy noted that a mechanism for guardianship prior to adoption has been in effect in Ukraine since last year.
This allows a child to avoid waiting for months in an institutional facility while legal proceedings are underway, and instead to begin life with their prospective parents right away and gradually adapt to their new family and home.
Another important area of the ministry’s work is the return of children who were evacuated outside Ukraine at the start of the full-scale war.
“At that time, 4,811 children were evacuated from institutional facilities, and most have already returned—about 1,340 remain abroad. For those returning, a system is in place that allows a child to be placed with a family immediately,” the statement reads.
The ministry also noted that one in three children currently in care who are eligible for adoption has a disability.
Iryna Tulyakova, head of the Coordination Center for the Development of Family-Based Child Care and Support, emphasized that the reform of the child care system must ensure every child’s right to a family, taking into account their individual needs.
“One of the priorities of the reform of the child care and support system is to ensure every child’s right to a family, taking into account their needs. It is important not only that families be ready to take in such a child, but also that the community be able to provide them with all the necessary support to do so. Educational, medical, rehabilitation, and other necessary services must be available there,” the press service quoted Iryna Tulyakova as saying.
Thus, this is not just about adoption, but also about creating conditions under which families can receive the necessary educational, medical, and rehabilitation support.
This was reported by the Ministry of Social Policy, Family, and Unity.
As a reminder, on International Day of Families, May 15, Ukraine launched a unified national online platform on adoption and alternative family-based care arrangements. This is the first step toward digitizing the system of child care and support.
