site.btaSocial Policy Minister Attends Launch of Global Charter for Reform in Child Care in New York

Minister of Labor and Social Policy Borislav Gutsanov participated in the official launch of the Global Charter for Reform in Child Care at the UN General Assembly headquarters in New York, US, on September 24, the press center of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy announced on Thursday. The initiative, launched by UK Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Justice David Lammy, aims to remove children from institutions and place them in family environments.

Bulgaria was cited as a good example of comprehensive reform in child care, the Ministry added. "In Bulgaria, this process is almost complete. Of the 137 specialized institutions, 135 have been closed, and over the past 15 years, more than 7,500 children have been removed from institutions and placed in a family or family-like environment - foster families, family-type accommodation centers, or with relatives and close friends," the press release states.

Gutsanov argued that "the complete change in the way children are cared for in Bulgaria" got 7,500 children out of institutions. The Minister discussed with David Lammy the future of child care and the initiative.

"The charter, which aims to promote the Bulgarian approach to child care, has already been signed by 26 countries," the press centre added. During its presentation, young people who were raised outside their families talked about how this affected their lives.

At the beginning of the year, a global campaign was launched in Sofia, focused on the right of every child to grow up in a family environment. It is being implemented on the initiative of the UK government, and Bulgaria was chosen as its starting point because of its successful experience in deinstitutionalizing child care.