site.btaVarna Discussion Calls for Greater Stability and Support for Foster Care

Varna Deputy Mayor Snezhana Apostolova said foster parents should be able to choose whether to work under a civil or an employment contract. Speaking at a discussion at BTA's National Press Club in Varna, she said this would allow foster parents to build up length of service. Apostolova also called for higher remuneration for foster parents and social workers and greater long-term security for projects such as Foster Me.

The Foster Me national campaign is organized by BTA and the Social Assistance Agency.

Izabela Ivanova, Head of the Social Policy Directorate at Varna Municipality, said the policy of moving children out of institutions had produced positive results over the past 12 years and improved the quality of care. In recent years, however, the number of foster parents in Bulgaria has been declining. Ivanova said discussions like the one initiated by BTA help highlight problems and identify difficulties, which could improve services under future projects. Ivanova noted that Varna has the highest number of foster families in Bulgaria but said that more work was needed. She called for foster care to become a state-delegated activity to ensure greater stability and incentives for foster parents. Ivanova stressed the need for state-level measures to support children from foster families after they turn 18, saying care should continue into adulthood.

Snezhana Borisova, Head of the Varna Regional Foster Care Team, said Bulgarian society had become accustomed to foster care and adoption, and the stigma surrounding them had largely faded. She said foster care was not a cure-all but provided significant help to children in need, while more social services were needed, including day centres supporting children and parents.

Social worker Todorka Borisova said it was hardest to recruit foster parents for special needs children. She said that prospective carers were concerned about the challenges and that available support services were insufficient. She thanked the Karin Dom day care centre in Varna and the Usmivka and Aksakovo social welfare centres, stressing that more centres were needed. More services are needed, including psychological support for foster carers, particularly when children with special needs or behavioural problems are placed in their care, she said.

Foster parent Bozhanka Dimitrova from the village of Izvorsko said foster care was a major responsibility, but the satisfaction of giving a child security, love and peace made the difficulties worthwhile. She said that all the challenges of foster parenting can be overcome with the right support. She works four hours a day in addition to being a foster parent, but says foster care is central to both her professional and personal fulfilment.

Foster parent Ilka Rashkova from Varna said caring for another person's child involved greater responsibility and anxiety. Although parting with children she had cared for was difficult, knowing they had been adopted and given a chance to succeed in life made the worries worthwhile. Rashkova rejected the notion that foster parents "make a lot of money", saying foster care is not a conventional job: "When you care for a child, you are committed 24 hours a day, with no days off, and you are responsible for their health, upbringing, peace, security - absolutely everything."