Apply to the Children’s Service for a consultation.

How to apply:

• Online — via the DIIA state service portal
• In person — with the children’s service at your place of residence

Outcome of Step 1: Attend a consultation to understand the differences between family-based care options for children who are orphaned or deprived of parental care, such as adoption, large foster family (FTCH), guardianship, custody, foster care, etc. Decide on providing care through guardianship or custody and proceed to the next step.

Collect the required documents for becoming a guardian or custodian.

Please note: while the state of emergency or martial law is in effect in Ukraine, there is a reduced package of documents if the applicant is the child’s blood relative or has a family relationship with the child (including godparents). The applicant must submit the following documents to the children’s service at their place of residence:

• a copy of their Ukrainian passport;
• documents demonstrating family and blood relationship with the child;
• statement of non-registration with the addiction specialist and psychiatrist;
• a criminal record extract.

Checklist for Guardians and Custodians

Apply to the Children’s service to submit documents.

How to apply:

• online — via DIIA state service portal. For the application and documents to be submitted via the DIIA state service portal, documents not included in the state registers need to be prepared in advance, including:
  • the health statement
  • the pay statement for the last six months,
  • documents on the right to use the residential premises (such as a lease agreement),
  • and spousal consent.

These documents need to be uploaded when the application is submitted, and the original copies must be shown to the officer of the Children’s Service later (e.g. during the assessment). If you have not received feedback for five business days following submission of the documents via the DIIA portal, you should contact the Children’s Service and ask about the progress of your application.

• in Person — to the Children’s Service at your place of residence

Assessment

You will interact with professionals from the Children’s Service. If you have filed the full package of documents and meet the requirements set for guardians and custodians, professionals from the Children’s Service will visit your home to assess the suitability of your housing (for example, there is enough space for the child or children to live comfortably). Housing can be owned, leased or used by the guardian or custodian.

During the assessment, professionals from the Children’s Service may ask questions about your reasons for wanting to be a guardian/custodian, your willingness to strengthen your parental skills, and how you communicate with other members of the household.

After the assessment, the professionals from the Children’s Service will prepare a report and transfer the information to the regional social service centre which trains candidates.

Participate in the training course for guardians and custodians

The training course prepares you to raise children, helping participants understand the needs and emotions of children who have lost the opportunity to be raised by their parents.

Trainers will assess your parenting competence and readiness to strengthen your parenting skills. Psychologists will observe and may provide individual consultations.

The purpose of the training is to enhance candidates’ competence in caring for and raising the child, ensure the protection of a child’s best interests, and assist candidates in making a informed and thoughtful decision to be a guardian/custodian.

Once the training course is successfully completed, candidates are issued a certificate of completion. The certificate is in effect for 24 months.

Note: Training can be omitted by a blood relative or family member, including godparents.

Get Registered as a Guardian or Custodian

After completing the training, you will receive a certificate of completion and recommendations from the oblast social service centre. A copy of the certificate and recommendations will also be sent to the Children’s Service. You should proactively send a copy of the certificate and recommendations to a professional from the Children’s Service.

After receiving the certificate and recommendations, the Children’s Service will enter your information into the log of potential guardians, custodians, and foster parents.

Matching of the Family and the Child, and Establish Contact with the Child (unless you are the child’s relative)

Matching is conducted at this stage. This process can be long and requires patience, focus and proactivity.

The Children’s Service you are registered with will provide information on the children registered with the service. You do not have to wait for professionals of the Children’s Service to provide information. You can monitor online resources that collect data on the children in need of family care.

Online resources provide basic information on the child: name, age, photo or video profile, sex, region of location; contact details of the children’s service the child is registered with; siblings; any disabilities. Information can be found on the website of the Ministry of Social Policy as well as with certain charitable organisations.

If you are interested in a child whose information you have found online, you can call the contact numbers specified in the profile and receive additional basic data: whether this child is still available, which form of care (institutional or family one) they are in, how long they have been there, and whether a visit can be arranged to receive more detailed information on the child.

You may receive full information on the child’s social history, including the circumstances under which they were deprived of parental care, reasons for separation from biological parents, existence of blood relatives, and the child’s health status.

Obtain the Guardianship and Custody Authority’s Approval

The Guardianship and Custody Authorities are raion, city district state administrations in Kyiv and Sevastopol, executive bodies of the city, city district, village and urban-type settlement councils.

Once your care has been offered to the child and the child has accepted, the professionals from the Children’s Service will prepare the following:

• a report on the meeting with the child, which confirms the establishment of contact;
• a statement of the child’s consent to placement in the family.

You must then file a statement of intention to be granted guardianship or custody over the child or children with the Guardianship and Custody Authority. The Children’s Service will submit an opinion on the suitability of granting guardianship or custodianship and designate you as the guardian or custodian to the guardianship and custody authority. The Guardianship and Custody Authority issues an ordinance based on this opinion.

The ordinance granting guardianship or custody is a legal document that authorises you to take the child home.