On the ninth and tenth of May, our team was involved with great pleasure in the strategic planning process of the HHC. The meetings were led by Mark Waddington and Stefan Darabush. During these meetings and work in groups revealed the greatest achievements of the Bulgarian program, the place and the significance of the results achieved on a regional and global scale and the challenges we have to deal with.
The top five achievements we’ve united around are:
- Closure of Homes for medical and social care – Up to now, more than half of the homes for babies have been closed and there is a clear vision of ending the work of the rest of them.
- Good teamwork to prevent the placement of babies in institutions and to remove the children already living there through ACTIVE family support. Motivated professionals in children’s politics and trainers with a sense of a supportive and constantly developing knowledge environment that makes people confident. The cause of the organization is also a personal cause for each of the team.
- The children’s participation we develop to listen to the expectations, desires and perspectives of the future. They are our visionaries, a corrective and a motivator.
- Work with coalition partners. We are one of the founders of the Childhood 2025 Coalition, which includes the other NGOs involved in the process of deinstitutionalization.
- District DI Coordination Mechanism. “Hope and Homes for Children – Bulgaria” has created an effective and well-functioning tool for preventing the placement of children in institutions and it operates in 21 districts a the country.
Very emotional and strong was the personal motivation, why children should live in a family environment and how to work more motivated, what policies to develop, how to change the environment and what indicators of success.
Drawing up a development plan by 2027, Bulgaria has the opportunity to become a model for the successful development of child policies and services while completely eliminating institutional care. The Bulgarian program, with its achievements, knowledge and positive example, will be part of the successful development of the processes of de-institutionalization of children in Central and Southern Europe.
