bulgarIAN POST-PLACEMENT REPORTS

 

The Bulgarian legislation requires regular post-placement supervisory reports by a social worker. 4 reports are required; one report every 6 months for two years, at 6 12, 18, and 24 months after the adoption finalization date.

Note: According to the Bulgarian government under Bulgarian law, an adopted child remains a citizen after adoption.

 

Q & A 

 
Q.  WHERE DO I GET POST-PLACEMENT FILING INFORMATION?

A.  Here are some links to information:

Q.  When are post-placement reports due?

A.  4 reports are required; one report every 6 months for two years, at 6 12, 18, and 24 months after the adoption finalization date.

 

Q.  DO I need to hire a social worker to do my post-placement REPORT?

A. Yes, a social worker must complete your post-placement reports. These reports are to be completed by the home study agency that prepared the original home study. If the family has moved, they will need to find another home study agency to perform these reports.

      Aside from that, many states and/or adoption agencies requrie post placement supervision. The purpose of the supervision visits is to ensure that all is going well with the child and family and to answer any questions or concerns you may have. After each visit the social worker writes a report which may be then submitted to the court, country and/or placing agency (based on your adoption specifics). Your adoption agency may be able to help you with this process and/or provide you with more specific guidelines.

     Additionally, some home study agencies or states may have additional post-placement requirements. Please check with your home study agency to determine if there are any additional requirements.

 

Q.  do we have to submit annual family reports until our child is 18 years old?

A.  Unlike many of the ex-Soviet countries Bulgaria no longer requires annual reports after the initial two years of supervised reporting is completed as above.

 

Q.  WHAT do I include in my report?

A.  These post-placement reports address your child(ren)'s bonding with the family, physical health development, social development, educational development and plans, and extended family relationships. Your home study agency should be familiar with these requirements.

     If your agency is unable to help you with this, or no longer has an active Bulgarian program, the Joint Council on International Services suggests that families in this situation contact them for guidance.

     In Fall 2006, the following advice was obtained by Karen's Adopiton Links for all families who needed to file their own Post Placement Reports (to be completed by a home study provider):

1.  Use a Licensed Social Worker to do the Post Placement Report

2.  Translate report with a Certified Translator.

3.  Get the Post Placement Report apostilled.

4.  Include 5 pictures

5.  Suggested Sample form 

6.  Send directly by DHL or FedEx to the Minister of Education in the country or region of adoption.

     Each post-placement report, prepared by a state-licensed home study agency, should include at least 4-5 photographs of your child. All original post-placement reports should be submitted to FTIA for submission to the foreign adoption officials (with photos, notarized and apostilled,

 

Q.  how do i file my post-placement REPORT?

A.   Your home study agency will do the filing and should be familiar with the requirements.  If your agency is unable to help you with this, or no longer has an active Bulgarian program, the Joint Council on International Services suggests that families in this situation contact them for guidance.

 

Q.  WHAT will happen if i do not file a post-placement report?

A.  We strongly urge you to comply with the wish of Bulgaria and complete all post-adoption requirements in a timely manner. Your cooperation will contribute to Russia's history of positive experiences with American parents.

     Failure to complete post-placement reports in a timely manner is a violation of the terms of our adoption agreements.  When we adopted, we all signed an adoption agreement with our children's birth country that includes the provision that we will file these reports.  If we do not file them on the schedule specified by our children's birth countries, we are out of compliance with our adoption agreement.

     While the U.S. State Department has requested that adoptive parents comply with any agreements they made with their children's countries of origin, the State Department says on its Web-site that it is true that "The U.S. Government does not have the legal authority to compel U.S. citizens to comply with foreign laws. No U.S. official is going to come to your home and force you to send in your post-placement reports. Nor is any Ukrainian official going to take your child away if you don't."

     However, it cannot be emphasized how very important it is that we all abide by the agreements we made. These post-placement reports are vital.

  • They directly affect the future of inter-country adoption from the countries of our children's birth.  Inter-country adoption programs from these countries can, and have been terminated and/or put on hold because of non-compliance with post-adoption report requirements. 

  • They deliver information that will likely reach the caregivers at the "Social Homes" in which our children lived, which the staff usually recieve with great happiness and anticipation, and ultimately encourages heightened investment in the good care of their charges. 

  • They help to create the total picture of inter-country adoption, dispelling rumors. 

  • They can prepare birth countries for the truth about international adoption. 

  • They let us share the joys and triumphs, but also the challenges and concerns that can come with raising children who have experienced the early childhood trauma and institutional environments.

Q.  Does Bulgaria require consular registration upon return to the Usa?

A.  Bulgaria does not require registraiton at the Bulgarian Embassy or Consular.  However children adopted from Bulgaria continue to have dual citizenship with Bulgaria unless that citizenship is petitioned for termination by the adopted person as an adult. Bulgarian passports can be renewed through the Bulgarian Embassy.

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