Hague Countries 
ADOPTION AUTHORITY NOTICE RE: BULGARIA - 21 DECEMBER, 2011
The Adoption Authority of Ireland decided on 8 February 2011, pursuant to Sections 126 and 127 of the Adoption Act 2010, to grant accreditation to ARC Adoption Ltd., to carry out the activities outlined in Section 4 (a,b,c,d) of the Adoption Act 2010.
On 3 May 2011, pursuant to Article 22 of the ‘1993 Convention on Protection of Children and Co-Operation in respect of Intercountry Adoption’, the Adoption Authority decided to delegate its functions under A15, A16 and A17* to ARC Adoption Ltd. with regard to adoptions from Bulgaria.
*(save for a decision on an Article 17 placement approval notice being issued. This is a reserved function of the Adoption Authority of Ireland)
This means that –
- Article 15 (Report by Central Authority of receiving State on the applicants) must be sent to Bulgaria via ARC Adoptions Ltd.
- Article 16 (Report by Central Authority of State of origin on the child) must be received in Ireland via ARC Adoptions Ltd.
- Article 17 (When State of origin may entrust child to prospective adoptive parents) Report must be transmitted to Bulgaria via ARC Adoptions Ltd.
ADOPTION AUTHORITY NOTICE RE: BULGARIA - 15 JUNE, 2011
Prospective Adoptive Parents should note that Bulgaria has ratified the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-Operation in respect of Intercountry Adoption.
Furthermore, those applicants whose country of choice is Bulgaria should be aware that the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI), pursuant to Article 22 of the Convention, has delegated the activities outlined in Article 15 (2) of the Convention, i.e. the transmission of the applicants’ dossiers (home study report etc) to:
ARC Adoptions Ltd.
Ground Floor,
Suite 21
Beacon Mall
Dublin 18
Ireland. Ph: 01 2939406
In practice, when applicants receive their Declaration of Eligibility & Suitability, their assessment report (Home Study) will be returned to them with their Declaration. Applicants should then contact ARC at the above address and ARC will advise on the documentation required for Bulgaria. They will assist applicants in completing dossiers and will transmit the completed dossiers to the appropriate body in Bulgaria.
Applicants wishing to adopt in Bulgaria should also be aware that the AAI has received information from the Bulgarian Central Authority which indicates that many of the children available for adoption are older children and that the average age of children available for adoption is 5. It should be borne in mind that the Bulgarian Central Authority has indicated that those wishing to adopt younger children will have the longest waiting time. Applicants should therefore consider all of the above information when deciding upon the age range of the child they wish to adopt. Applicants should take this into account when completing the assessment procedure with their Social Worker.
Finally, applicants should be familiar with the requirements for all Hague Countries in terms of procedures. Please see separate advisory on all Hague Countries on the website www.aai.gov.ie
NOTICE - BULGARIA – 1ST APRIL 2011
Representatives of the Adoption Authority of Ireland met with the Bulgarian Central Authority in the Bulgarian capital Sofia on 24th March 2011. The Bulgarian Central Authority (known as the ‘Bulgarian Adoption Council’) is a part of the Ministry of Justice.
Bulgaria ratified the Hague Convention in 2003. The national population of Bulgaria is approximately 7 million. There are about 750 domestic adoptions annually, many of these being family/relative adoptions. There are also some 250 or so intercountry adoptions effected under the Hague Convention. Children of marriage may under certain defined circumstances be eligible for adoption in Bulgaria.
The Bulgarian Adoption Council operates within the Ministry of Justice and holds two adoption registers – the first is essentially a comprehensive national register of all children available for adoption. When a child has not secured an adoption following referrals to three Bulgarian families, he/she may then be placed on a separate register for a potential intercountry adoption.
Children are placed on the national adoption register about six months after first contact with the municipal social services who must satisfy themselves that the mother/parents are unable to care for the child. Consents can only be taken at least four weeks after the birth. Birth parents’ consents can be withdrawn by them at any time up to the making of the adoption order.
The age profile of those children available for intercountry adoption is broadly similar to that in most other Hague Convention ‘countries of origin’. None of the children are under one year old. Generally, they are over 3 years old and mostly aged around about 5 years. However, a considerable number of children are older and in the range up to 8 years and 11 years old. These children may have special needs in terms of their age, education, institutionalisation, ethnicity and some quite significant health issues.
There is an apparent disparity between the profile of these Bulgarian children and the traditional expectations of Irish applicants. The Bulgarian authorities require home assessment reports with in-depth analysis of the prospective parents’ capacities in relation to children with special needs. Prospective adoptive parents, therefore, will need to view the profiles of the available children and assess their expectations in a realistic manner.
In line with best practice and the terms of the Hague Convention, the Bulgarian authorities approve matches initially through the Bulgarian Adoption Council in order to ensure that all matches are in the children’s best interests. This also serves to eliminate the practice of prospective adopters meeting children prior to matching.
The Bulgarian Central Authority require that prospective adoptive parents inform them officially each year, by written commitment, as to whether they wish to remain on the waiting list, or alternatively if they no longer wish to be on the Bulgarian waiting list i.e. the applicants may have decided to move to another country or may have already adopted a child in a different country. This requirement prevents the situation arising where a child is being matched with applicants who are now no longer in a position to adopt the child.