Fwd: The Hungarian Adoption System | Örökbe.hu

ADOPTION SYSTEM IN HUNGARY

Statistics:

700-800 adoptions per year

100 stepparent adoption

150-200 open adoption by NGO's (newborn infants)

400-500 closed adoptions from which

- 40-60 by former foster parent

- 250-300 by Hungarian families

- 100-200 international (Italy, Spain, US, Norway, Netherlands)

21,500 children live in foster care and residential homes

Requirements for adoption

Terms:

singles and married couples are allowed. Married couples are preferred.

at most 45 years older than the child

at least 2 years age difference between the children

siblings allowed to be adopted together

a child can go abroad, if no domestic applicant is found

“We search the ideal parent for the child, not the ideal child for the parents”

Children:

Strict rules for the children eligible for adoption

placed in a baby-box (3-10 children per year)

birth parents gave up for adoption: open (150-200) and closed (150)

death of parents (10)

parents did not show up for 6 months (260)

court terminated parental rights (70)

Society problems in the background: extreme poverty

Parents:

Application for adoption: 2000-2200 prospective parents waiting at a time

The usual reason for adoption is infertility. Adoption for charity is rare.

Application process:

psychological examination

medical examination

home study

salary check

preparation course for prospective parents (40 hours). Main message: the child must know from a young age that she is adopted!

Failing the process is really rare, but the waiting time for the child can be long. Average waiting time: 3-4 years (strongly depends on the age, health, etc. of the child wanted and the parent's situation)

Most wanted: healthy infants with white skin. Girls are preferred to boys.

Not really wanted: older children, children with disabilities, roma / gipsy origin, larger sibling groups

Children with no chance to adopt (even internationally): children over 10 years, children with multiple disabilities, sibling groups with 4-5 or more children.

The adoption process is practically free.

Matching process:

state system for closed adoptions, a team chooses from the list of applicants

open adoption: 7 NGOs with their own waiting list and criteria

Children wait too long before the adoption, specially older and not-so-wanted children (roma boys over 2-3 years)

Forming a new family: a bonding process takes place - one to several weeks (older children usually live in foster care, rarely in a residential home).

The adoption becomes official one month after taking the child home.

Compulsory follow-up for one year (2 times)

Clubs and organizations exist for adoptive parents, as well as for adult adoptees.

Adult adoptees are allowed to seek for their birth parents and siblings officially with the help of the custodian office. Birth parents may not search. But the internet makes it quicker.

Terminating the adoption is possible through court, annually 5-20 cases, but the rate of unsuccessful adoptions is higher.

Social acceptance for adoption

Still regarded as a peculiarity.

Prejudices, stereotypes about adoptive parents and birth parents.

Bad experiences in the previous generations: secrets and lies. (Preparation course is mandatory only for the last 12 years, before that adoption was kept a secret in front of the children.)

Adoption is not part of the teacher's curriculum, hard to deal with in school situations.

Being a birth mother is a taboo, no official help exists for them.