Coalition Childhood 2025 continued also during the summer with its advocacy for improving foster care

Foster care is the focus of the advocacy work of Coalition Childhood 2025 because of serious risks to its development for the successful implementation of the Deinstitutionalisation process, namely as an opportunity to support biological parents to overcome crises and to continue caring for their children without abandoning them.

Following the high-level political and expert roundtable held in March, the Coalition continued its advocacy activities related to the implementation of the commitments made by the institutions to overcome the problems facing foster care.

During the months of June, July and August 2024, the Coalition held four working meetings, together with the National Network for Children and (at the last meeting) with representatives from the Social Policy Committee of the National Association of Municipalities of the Republic of Bulgaria. During the meetings our proposals for updating regulations concerning the application, selection and approval of foster families and placement of children in foster care were discussed, as well as urgent problems that put at risk the development of foster care.

After discussions as part of the advocacy plan, it was agreed to prepare and send a letter to the Minister of Labour and Social Policy with a request to hold an urgent meeting. The purpose of the meeting is to obtain clarity on:

• Article 45(4) of the Social Services Act states that "The activities for recruitment, assessment and training of candidates for foster families, mutual adaptation, support and monitoring of the child's upbringing by relatives or close families and foster families shall be financed from the state budget as a social service under a common standard." Is there a plan to continue the work of the regional foster care teams from January 2025 and what are the plans for immediate funding and their long term financial security?
• In 2024, the Agency for Social Protection continued to finance the work of the regional foster care teams in the country with European funding under a new project with a deadline to the end of the year, providing the funds for the salaries and administrative activities of the regional teams. Will the project funding continue in year 2025?
• How far in preparation and regulation are the working contracts for foster parents as per the Social Security Code, in order to guarantee their social rights that have not been provided for all these years?

The meeting is important and necessary because from the answers to these questions it will become clear if there is a political will for a targeted and well-planned investment in foster care, in order to ensure the quality of care for children and any lasting results in the overall deinstitutionalisation policy.