Bill to promote domestic institution of child adoptions submitted to State Duma

February 26, 2013 / interfax

A bill entitled "On amending certain legislative acts of the Russian Federation that regulate adoptions of orphaned children and children left without parental care" was submitted by the government to the State Duma, the lower chamber of parliament, on Tuesday.

The bill says the cabinet-proposed measures are aimed at promoting the institution of child adoptions inside the country.

The bill increases the size of a lump-sum allowance to be paid to individuals adopting a disabled child, a child older than 7, or siblings to 100,000 rubles per each such child. If the bill is enacted, this regulation would apply to all adoptions that have taken place since January 1, 2013.

The bill also invalidates the regulation that there should be a certain difference in age between an unmarried adoptive parent and the child being adopted, stipulating that a court would be entitled to make decisions on this matter in each particular case.

Under the bill, individuals who already had or have children under their guardianship or in their custody would not have to submit documents to a court on having undergone a special training course for individuals wishing to adopt an orphaned child.

The bill reduces the timeframe within which an appeal can be filed against a court ruling on adoption to 10 days from one month.

The bill adjusts the powers of guardianship and custody authorities in providing assistance to guardians and custodians, including in exercising and protecting the rights of children under their guardianship or in their custody and in receiving social, medical, psychological and pedagogical assistance.

The bill increases the time for which a child is to be placed under preliminary guardianship or in custody to six months and stipulates that this time can be extended to eight months (currently, this time is one month and two months).

Adoptive parents would not have to provide guardianship and custody authorities with documents confirming expenditures for food, living essentials and other small everyday necessities of an adopted child, which they are supposed to do now.