As 2017 came to a close, we were excited about the number of referrals and children who had come in our Bulgaria program. It was our best year to date serving children in need of families and the families in the program! Until this year! Since the beginning of 2018, seven children have been matched with families and four families have already brought their children home from Bulgaria!
We are thankful that most of these referrals are for our longest waiting families, indicating that the Ministry of Justice in Bulgaria, who matches children with families, is prioritizing matching families whose dossiers have been registered for the longest period of time. A family’s wait time to be matched with a child depends on several things: the other families who have been waiting, the characteristics of the child the family hopes to be matched with and the children in need of families at any given time. Currently, families in our Bulgaria program are experiencing wait times of 18-36 months from dossier submission to referral, in the traditional referral process. As you can see below, our estimated wait times are proving to be pretty accurate.
- Female Child, 1.5 years old – 40 month wait
- Male Child, 2 years old – 30 months
- Male Child, 2.5 years old – 33 months
- Female Child, 1.5 years old – 58 month wait (This family transferred into our program and was matched within 1 year of the dossier being updated.)
Instead of pursuing the adopting of a child from Bulgaria the traditional way, families can adopt a waiting child. We have one family matched with children off of the Waiting Child List, and several others pursuing adoptions of Waiting Children. Children may be on the Waiting Child List because they’re over the age of eight years old, part of a sibling group and/or because they have diagnosed medical needs. Social and medical background information is shared with families prior to them moving forward with the child(ren)’s adoption. Instead of waiting 18-36 months, families are usually matched within 1-4 months of dossier submission.
- Sibling group, Female 8 years old, male 7 years old, male 6 years old – 3 month wait
To date, X children have joined families through MLJ Adoptions’ Bulgaria program! We are hopeful that even more will join their forever families by the end of 2018. If you’re interested in adopting from Bulgaria, contact us.
Caitlin Snyder
Caitlin Snyder works as the Director of Marketing and Outreach for MLJ Adoptions. Working in international adoption has given Caitlin the unique opportunity to pursue both a passion to advocate on behalf of vulnerable people and a profession at the same time.
Caitlin Snyder
Caitlin Snyder works as the Director of Marketing and Outreach for MLJ Adoptions. Working in international adoption has given Caitlin the unique opportunity to pursue both a passion to advocate on behalf of vulnerable people and a profession at the same time.