Round table "112-Foster Care" (programme)

Type:Advocacy

Organization:Coalition Childhood 2025

Authors:Coalition Childhood 2025

Year:2024

Summary:Over the last 12 years, more than 40 million BGN have been invested in foster care through EU funding, but its development continues to be looked upon only as a project activity, without a long-term vision and strategy for development, without ensuring sustainability and security, professional development and support for foster parents and those involved in this process. This leads to their discouragement and the reduction of the scope of foster care observed in the last two years. These trends put at risk the implementation of the recommendations of the European Child Guarantee; the Deinstitutionalisation policies and the closure of the last 4 Institutions for Medicalised Social Care; the successful prevention of family separation and finding an alternative to placing children in residential care. On the basis of this, the Childhood 2025 Coalition decided to hold a round table, to which were invited representatives of the state institutions responsible for child care and protection - MLSP, ASP, SACP, AQSS, and deputies from the Committee on Labour, Social and Demographic Policy.

Purpose:The main goal of the round table is to ensure urgent access of children with disabilities to foster care, as well as ensuring its long-term sustainability and professional standards.