The number of children in Hungary that have no families is 21,000, reports 444.hu. These children are either orphans, abandoned by their parents or removed from their home because of neglect or abuse. These children live in foster homes or children’s homes, and only a part of them are up for adoption.
Child services always try to provide these children with the best possible options. Usually the best for them would be growing up with their parents, but in some cases it is the job of child services to remove children from a possibly harmful environment. If the parents are abusing or neglecting their children, or if they have financial troubles that make it impossible for them to raise their children, then the state takes responsibility and finds a children’s home or a foster family for these children in need.
In the past few years the number of children in state care has risen, even though the overall number of children in the country is continuously decreasing.
Technically the country’s aim is to give these children new homes, a family that could adopt them. Last year, the number of children up for adoption was 1972. Also, last year there were 2753 families wanting to adopt a child, and these are only the parents who have passed every possible test. Most of them are married couples, but there are some single parents, too.
But no matter how many people want to adopt, the procedure is still very long and slow-going. In 2014, only 784 adoptions were finalised. In the past few years, there have been some attempts to make the process quicker, and it looks like the number of children who are adopted is getting higher every year. Last year 1025 children found new families. This number is higher than in any other year in the last two decades.
There could be several explanations:
- there are more children in state care
- More parents are wanting to adopt a child
- Rules were modified in 2014 and made the process quicker
- More foreign citizens adopt Hungarian children
Most of the children in state care are not babies. Less than 10% of the children currently in state care are under 3 years old. About 30% of the children are between 3 and 10 years old, but most children are at least 10 years old.
Couples usually want to adopt babies or younger children. Older kids have less chance to find an adoptive parent, and those with disabilities or chronic illnesses are most likely to stay in state care.
In 2017 every third child available for adoption had a chronic illness or a disability.
These children have special needs, and not every couple is capable to give them everything they would need. So most just decide to wait a few more years.
There are two types of adoptions: open and secret adoptions. In a secret adoption, the birth mother chooses to keep her identity private and does not exchange contact information with the adoptive family. The birth mother does not know where her child ends up, and the adoptive family does not know anything about the child’s birth parents. In an open adoption, the birth parents and the adoptive parents know each other and could choose to keep in touch.
But according to the new rule made in 2014, in an open adoption the birth mother has the right to ask for her baby back in the first 6 weeks, in case she changes her mind.
60% of the children that get adopted has spent time in a children’s home or with a foster family. The good news is that these adoptions are usually a success. In 2017 there were only 10 cases when the adoption had been reversed, 4 of these happened when the children turned 18, and their adoptive family cut ties with them.
Source: 444.hu
2 Comments
It’s now 8 months my wife and I have adopted Leila 20 months old at that time. L had the name of her mother and father unknown. Mother had not taken any form of contact for more 6 months, so it would be a closed adoption process. Visited the foster parents for 3 days, day 4 spent a Saturday at our house and day 5 we did not have to bring her back so well she felt with us and we with her. The 30-day trial went perfectly. In the evening with a smile in bed and in the morning with a smile again. Then the final step to definitive adoption and everything goes better than ever before. L is blossoming very fast, becomes 2 years at the end of July and start walking at 26 months. And then in month 5 my wife is been informed by the child service department that a man has submitted an application to the court for recognition as biological father during the month of March, he also visited the child service department in search for more information. His request has been rejected, but in the meantime during the process a judge has given our daughters new name to this person without any form of knowledge, without any form of permission, without any form of (DNA) test. Not difficult to find someone with a Flemish, non-Hungarian name through the social media living in Hungary. The person in question lives less than 5 minutes away from us. L has been born here and we live here because of my work. Meanwhile, the man has appealed and he has already tried to contact my wife and her immediate family. The judge also has already admit her mistake to our lawyer during an informal conversation. Through police we know that the man has a criminal past and is probably looking for financial extras. The adoption and child services cannot, will not and do not give any legal support or advice and only advise us to move, change our name and disappear from the social media. We are currently being sent from the cupboard to the wall. Lawyers say this, police and prosecutors say that. Although everyone is stating we have a huge case. we have not yet found any lawyer who is prepared or able to take this matter to heart. L is and remains the sun in the house, but in the meantime we live with a fear of what if ….. This form of impotence caused by the stupidity of a high placed third party makes me furious. During the adoption process we had to pass so many psychologists, but why don’t they provide any legal support????????? It’s very hard to believe we would be the first that would need this. With this experience I am sure that adoption and child services in Hungary schould provide legal support. No one schould expereince this, it affects your complete life and your entire family relationship.
Since the adoption agency has this guys info. I would be very interested to find out just how this individual could have traced L to this agency. I would be taking the matter to the Police (Renderseg) to investigate the matter. The Police should be able to provide legal and other support if this individual is especially not who he really pretends. Even and if so, the agency made a serious failure and are liable to support to correct. Only the Police if pressed can help here. Lawyers can only take the next step but cannot help determine an outcome. Not their job.
God bless to your future family.