Some 287 Bulgarian children were adopted by foreign citizens in 2011

Some 287 consents for adoption were granted last year by the Minister of Justice, Milena Parvanova, head of the Directorate for Intercountry Adoptions at the Ministry of Justice, said in an interview for BTA. Overall, more than 300 children found foster parents last year, according to official data from the agency. The biggest share of consents went to Italian citizens, with other applicants coming from countries like the US, Germany and France, Parvanova said. Many of the prospective parents state their preferences for the gender, age and appearance of the child. Some even require a specific colour of the eyes and hair, Parvanova added. Being the most logical consideration, the child's age is always a subject of discussions. In some cases, the social workers
give their expert opinion on the most suitable age of the child to be adopted by a given couple. The aim is to ascertain the level of responsibility the adoptive family can take on, Parvanova explained. The question for the biological parents' background is almost always discussed in intercountry adoptions.

Public attitudes toward the adoption process are more conservative in Bulgaria, compared to some other countries. Social workers can play a significant role in overcoming this while the couple is still waiting for their adoptee.

Parvanova said the registry of prospective adopters contains files of all families waiting for the adoption procedure to begin. The registry is updated daily to include new applications or remove details of the couples who are near the end of their procedure. Currently, around 2,000 adopters are at various stages of the process, Parvanova said. The waiting period is different for every family and it can go on from a few months to several years. Children above the age of 8 or 9 are the hardest to find a home for.

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