Kyiv, 9 September 2022 – Ukrainians wishing to adopt children can now apply to do so online from the convenience and safety of their homes, through a new service on the Diia portal. The project was implemented at the initiative of the Adviser – Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for Children's Rights and Children's Rehabilitation, the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, and the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, with the support of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine, with funding from the Government of Sweden.

Mykhailo Fedorov, Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Digital Transformation, said the Government is now working on digitalizing the adoption process in Ukraine. “We successfully completed the first stage – the application for adoption consultation,” he said. “Now we’re taking the next step – we’ve digitized candidate registration. Previously, this service was only available offline. Ukrainians who want to adopt a child had to collect a lot of paper documents and stand in queues. In Diia, this service will be available simply and conveniently, without excessive bureaucracy.”

Daria Herasymchuk, Adviser – Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for Children's Rights and Children's Rehabilitation, stressed that digitalization of the adoption sphere would contribute to the eradication of orphanhood in Ukraine. “A place of institutional care is definitely not one where a child should grow up. The set of services developed for adoption – from applying for candidate status, which we're launching today, to receiving counselling, which was previously presented – will help ensure children's right to a family more simply and easily. We will continue to work on the digitization of the last set of alternative family care services. This will allow even more children and parents to find each other,” she said.

Oksana Zholnovych, Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine, said the adoption process is much simpler and less bureaucratic now. “Every Ukrainian child should have the opportunity to grow up in a family and have a happy childhood,” she said. “Now, thanks to this new service, you can apply to register to become an adoptive parent online. This is an important step towards adopting a child, and the new service makes this procedure more convenient and accessible to every Ukrainian,” she said.

Tobias Thyberg, Ambassador of Sweden to Ukraine, said Sweden consistently supports the digitization of the public sector in Ukraine and is continuing these efforts at this time of Russian invasion. “We’re convinced the transfer of public services to an electronic format leads to greater transparency and effectiveness in their provision. Today we’re happy to welcome the digitization of the adoption sphere,” he said. “The new online service will facilitate and encourage the adoption process, which is especially important at this time, when Russia is waging an illegal war on Ukraine.”

Veera Mendonca, Deputy Representative UNICEF Ukraine, said that education in the family is the most important thing in every child's life, therefore UNICEF's goal is zero children in residential institutions by 2030 in Ukraine. “Reforming the child care system and streamlining the adoption process is a very important milestone on this journey,” she said. “Digitalization will simplify and synchronize various systems, and online applications will speed up the national adoption process, making it more transparent and user friendly. UNICEF and the responsible ministries are continuing to work hand-in-hand to strengthen the national child care system for children in Ukraine.”

Manal Fouani, acting UNDP Resident Representative in Ukraine, welcomed the efforts of the Government of Ukraine and the Ministry to improve adoption services, thus enhancing the provision of social services. “Since the beginning of the war, the government has been making significant efforts to support Ukrainians,” Fouani said. “The launch of a new online service to facilitate the adoption process will allow the government to protect children left without parents, who are among the most vulnerable groups in these difficult times,” she said. “The creation of such digital mechanisms is yet another confirmation that by combining the efforts of international partners and the government, it is possible to quickly and effectively work on solving complex problems that the war can further exacerbate.”

How to apply for the status of candidate for adoptive parent:

1. Register or log in on the Diia portal;
2. Select the “Adoption: registration as a candidate” service from the list;
3. Fill in the basic data about your marriage and spouse, actual place of residence and about the children you wish to adopt: gender, age, etc.;
4. Wait to receive data from registers – up to 15 minutes;
5. Continue filling out the application – upload the necessary documents, the list of which is determined by the filled-in information and data obtained from the registers;
6. Sign the application with an electronic signature and send it for processing.

The service is free. Submitting an application takes no more than 30 minutes. Within five working days after the verification of documents, the children's affairs service conducts an examination of the applicant's living conditions and makes a decision on sending the applicant to study for the purpose of further registration as a candidate to become an adoptive parent.

Background

The digitalized adoption services were developed within the framework of the Digital, Inclusive, Accessible: Support to Digitalisation of Public Services in Ukraine Project (DIA Support Project), which UNDP in Ukraine is implementing with financial support from Sweden. The project, which was launched in 2021, aims to bridge the digital divide between generations and various social groups. Its main goal is to increase the accessibility of new digital solutions, so that every man and woman in Ukraine can use electronic services, and no one is left behind. It is also possible to submit an application to have a consultation on the adoption of a child on the Diia portal. The Ministry of Digital Transformation developed the service with the assistance of the DIA Support project, which UNDP is implementing in Ukraine with the financial support of Sweden.

UNICEF is working on updating the subsystems of the Unified Information System of the Social Sphere (UEISSS) in to integrate them with the Unified Information Analytical System (EIAS) “Children” and the Diia portal, and is also implementing tasks to finalize the EIAS “Children” by adding functionality for registering candidates for adoptive parents and other forms of family education. These tasks are being implemented within the framework of the UNICEF project “Monitoring needs and support for children in conditions of war,” the purpose of which is to analyze the situation regarding orphans, children deprived of parental care, and those left behind and separated from their families, in order to identify their needs and provide for them – including placement in alternative forms of family type. The purpose behind the initiative is to help ensure that children have a family where they are cared for, loved and respected.

Media inquiries

Yuliia Samus, Communications Team Leader, UNDP in Ukraine, Yuliia.Samus@undp.org