The children in need of families from each country are quite different. No child is more or less worthy of a family, but it is also important to understand how the need for adoptive families varies from country to country. Depending on the information known about a child or the procedures for completing the child’s abandonment, sibling groups can be more common in some countries as compared to others. If your family is interested in adopting a sibling group of two or three biological siblings, you may want to look into adopting from Bulgaria.
There is a need for families to adopt sibling groups from Bulgaria because the Ministry of Justice, the central authority in Bulgaria responsible for matching children with families, does not split up sibling groups. It is not uncommon to see sibling groups of three or four children become waiting children because the size of the sibling group or the ages of the children prevent them from being matched with families currently waiting on referrals.
Since 2010, 38% of our adoptions from Bulgaria have been sibling groups. The sibling sets have ranged from two children, ages three and under, up to the age of 13 years old. Families hoping to adopt children of all age ranges can consider adopting more than one child at the same time, but just like adopting a single child as young as possible is what most families desire, most families open to adopting a sibling group are hoping to adopt two children as young as possible. In 2015, four families brought home sibling groups. In almost all of these cases, the children lived in the same orphanage or foster family. Regardless, families who adopt sibling groups speak of the comfort that the children are able to provide one another during the transition to a new country, home and school. Having a sibling who speaks the same language and shares your experience can go a long way to help during the adjustment period.
While adopting a sibling group is a huge undertaking, there are several benefits, including, usually, a shorter wait time to referral. Families interested in adopting a sibling group of two have waited an average of 13.5 months from dossier submission to referral. Further, families open to adopting a sibling group of three have waited an average of under ten months from dossier submission to referral.
While Bulgaria is not our only country program where the adoption of sibling groups is a possibility, it is the program where we have seen the greatest success in placing sibling groups.
If you’re interested in learning more about adopting from Bulgaria or adopting a sibling group, please 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.