Amount of those willing to adopt a child has increased in Ukraine: Oksana Zholnovych

The amount of citizens willing to adopt a child has increased in Ukraine. Minister of Social Policy Oksana Zholnovych said this on the air of the United News National Marathon. According to her, there are currently 2,100 registered candidates for adoption in Ukraine. Before the full-scale invasion, there were an average of 1,600 candidates registered per year.

"Every Ukrainian child should have a family - either a birth family or a foster family. After all, the most natural way to grow up is in a family environment, when there are people who surround you with love, when you have the opportunity to learn everyday things. My parents and I used to bake, cook, and make things together when we were kids. These are the skills that children learn in the family. This is a very important preparation for independent living," said the Minister of Social Policy.

Oksana Zholnovych also stressed that the Ministry of Social Policy had intensified training for candidates who want to adopt a child - the number of trainers and groups has increased, and training is available in different parts of Ukraine. This allows potential parents to receive the necessary training at a convenient time.

Meanwhile, the adoption process takes up to a year. And at the training stage, trainers aim to assess people's readiness to become parents and their intentions.

As a result, almost 5,000 children are in institutions waiting for their parents. To support people who want to adopt a child into their family, we have created the Ukraine for Every Child platform at dity.gov.ua. It is the only state platform that contains detailed information on adoption, family-based care and foster care. There is also a care line available to call and get advice.