Download a family for every child

PROJECT
‘A FAMILY FOR EVERY CHILD’
Every five hours, a child in Bulgaria is placed with an institution. Each year, an average of 3 000
Bulgarian children are abandoned and institutionalised. They grow up with no chance of adequate
development and family care.
The institutional placement and care of children up to the age of 3 has a lasting negative impact
on their development.
Most parents abandon their children in care facilities for reasons of poverty, housing problems,
financial difficulties or due to their own or the child’s deteriorated health.
Irrespective of this negative trend, the supporting services for families and prevention of child
abandonment are quite underdeveloped in Bulgaria.
GOAL OF THE PROJECT
With the current project, UNICEF intends to bridge one or more areas by setting up a network of
services and measures in support of parents and families with young children and use the
network thereafter to devise a model for closing down the care institution for infants aged
0-3 in Shumen.
With support from the national budget and the European Funds, the model will be applied in a
step-by-step process to close down all infant care institutions in Bulgaria. Financial standards and
methodology tools will be developed and integrated into the legislation to become eligible for
budget funding. UNICEF will suggest a new funding model for social services to the benefit of
children and families.
SERVICES
The services under this project are based on the activities outlined in the Action Plan on the
Government’s Vision of Deinstitutionalisation.
The listed services shall be subject to further specification and adjustment, once a detailed
assessment of the situation and the reasons for child placement become available for the pilot
region. Detailed parent profiles will be elaborated in order to identify the needs and explore the
resources, prior to taking a decision for family reintegration of the child or for seeking an
alternative family (foster care/adoption).
The services will be developed to aid in the work of the Social Service Complex for Children and
Families, which incorporates a Community Support Centre, a Mother-and-Infant Care Unit and a
Regional Foster Care Centre.
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1. Early intervention and infant abandonment prevention
Objective of the service: to provide timely support for pregnant women, mothers and young girls. To
mobilise community resource for early pregnancy prevention, ensure family planning and early
identification of risk pregnancy.
Service description:

Pregnant women will receive support from a psychologist and a children’s doctor, who will get
the mother and her family members prepared for the forthcoming childbirth and infant care.
The objective is to safeguard the mother and family against stressful situations, which might
lead to a decision to abandon the child.

The support will continue in the postnatal period: in the maternity ward, during the first days,
and in the mother’s home, after she leaves the hospital. If the child suffers from any illness,
additional specialists might be included in the team: a social worker, a rehabilitator, a
kinesiotherapist.

In-kind support: materials and supplies will be provided to meet the first needs of the baby.

In the case of premature birth, arrangements will be made for the mother to stay in the
childcare unit so as to continue with the support while preserving the emotional affection
between mother and baby.

Community mobilisation will be sought as a vehicle for early pregnancy prevention, family
planning, early identification of risk pregnancy.
Who will deliver the service: social workers and psychologists; paediatricians, a kinesiotherapist and
a rehabilitator. The team will be mobile and will be based in the Support Centre for Parents of Babies
and Infants.
2. Support Centre for Parents of Babies and Infants
Objective of the service: to provide support for the parents depending on the needs of the family and
the children. Special emphasis is laid on the father’s involvement. The Centre will aim to preserve the
mother-child relationship and prevent the lasting placement of the child outside the family; support
will be provided to parents in difficulty. The parents who attend the Centre are necessarily included
in employment programmes and trainings on parental skills development.
The Centre will also welcome other parents (not in risk), who are in need of information, consulting
or help.
Service description:

Consulting and parenthood support: developing parental skills for establishing communication
with the child; setting up thematic parental groups.

Part-time care within the Centre or the family’s home; ensuring good care for the child. The
service provides and alternative to nurseries and kindergarten when the child is too young to
attend.

In-kind support: all supplies of immediate necessity for taking care of babies and infants.

Accompanying, consulting, advocacy before all institutions, group and individual work with
parents.
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
Emergency aid for parents: ensuring jobs for the parents, support in-kind and possible family
placement. Establishing connection between the systems for social assistance, employment
and child protection.

Rehabilitation and healthcare will be provided in the usual home setting to mothers upbringing
children with disabilities.
Who will deliver the service? The service will be delivered by a multi-disciplinary team of social
workers, psychologists, medical staff.
3. Centre for children’s and mothers’ health
Objective of the service: a regular surveillance of the health condition, physical and psychomotor
development of every nurseling and infant. Prevention of child morbidity, death, negligent attitude
within the family and other early-age risks. The service will address socially disadvantaged parents of
newborns, who are marginalised and have not subscribed for the services of a general practitioner or
fail to visit a medical practice.
Service description:

Measuring the height and weight of the child, head and chest measurement, checking health
condition, adherence to immunisation calendar dates;

Psychomotor development checks and diagnostics (monthly, in the first year; quarterly, in the
second year, every six months in the third year and at the age of 4 and 6);

Consultations in the instance of nourishment disturbances: promotion of breastfeeding,
breastfeeding checks, etc., healthy nutrition training, with respect to age and the child’s
individual needs;

Consultations on sleep: building competence about the psycho-physiological specifics of sleep
for the newborns, nurselings and infants; consultations on sleep disturbance, sleep calendar,
etc.;

Training on massage and gymnastics, stimulation and primary care of nurseling and infant,
fitness procedures;

Child disease prophylactics;

Assistance in GP service subscription.
Who will deliver the service? The service will be delivered by a paediatrician, a paediatric nurse, a
psychologist, a rehabilitator.
Location: Specially equipped premises will be required for measuring weight and height, a table for
babies examination, manipulation kit, etc. This service can be delivered at the Parents Support
Centre. A mobile option will be available also. The team will pay visits to the homes of newborn
babies, nurselings and infants.
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4. Finding alternative families for children at risk (foster care, adoption)
Objective of the service: to find an alternative family for children who are at risk within their
biological family (foster care and adoption). The service precludes the placement of infants and
babies in institutions and provides them with family care.
Service description: Finding, assessment and preparation of foster parents, as well as support for the
child and the family after the placement. Assistance for applicant adoptive parents and support after
the adoption.
Who will deliver the service: the Regional Foster Care Centre.
Other activities:
The following auxiliary activities will be pursued in parallel with the closedown of the care home
for infants aged 0-3:
- Updating the assessment files of the placed children and their families;
- Updating the action and work plans for each child and his/her family;
- Staff assessment;
- Drafting a closure plan for the care institution with an outline of the activities addressing the
children, staff and the building.
TERRITORIAL SCOPE
This project will be implemented in one region of the country, Shumen; and UNICEF is ready to
replicate the model in neighbouring regions.
REQUIRED FUNDING FOR 12 MONTHS
The stated amounts cover the funding for refurbishment and service running costs for a one-year
period.
Early intervention and prevention of baby abandonment: BGN 220 000.
Support Centre for Parents of Babies and Infants (the budget covers reconstruction and
repair works, purchasing technical equipment and furniture): BGN 664 000
Foster care and adoption: BGN 100 000
Total: BGN 984 000
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