Nelly Petrova-Dimitrova, Chairperson Social Activities and Practices Institute

1. Interaction between state and private social service providers of community-based services for children and families at risk Nelly Petrova-Dimitrova, Chairperson Social Activities and Practices Institute Bulgaria, Sofia1606, 22 Lulin planina str., Tel./fаx:+359 2 8524713 sapi@sapibg.org, www.sapibg.org

2. Child welfare reformin Bulgaria • The priorities : • individualization of interventions, • work within a network (networking), • improving the quality of all activities and services through introduction of a new work methodology • deinstitutionalization of care and development of new community-based services • focusing on the needs of the client,

3. Child welfare reformin Bulgaria • State – new legislation, to secure access to social services for all citizens, standards for social services (financing and quality); licensing providers;monitoring and control over the services provision; child protection responsibility and gradually delegating services. • Local authorities – decentralization of services and part of the child care; needs analysis, development of own services, state support in the financing of certain new services; service provider or delegating services to private providers • NGO – service provider

4. Child welfare reform MLSP SACP The results Child Protection Departments Child at risk Residential Care Relatives Foster family care The municipality The biological family Community-based Services NGO

5. Social Activities and Practices Institute, sapi@sapibg.org, www.sapibg.org • Registered at SAA and licensed by SACP for social services provision; • Training programs for professionals from the helping professions, professional consultation and supervision; (NAVET license for professional training); • Methodological guidelines – case assessment framework; frameworks for specialized evaluations, plan documentation, plan review and outcome evaluation; • Developed specialized programs for individual and group work with children and families;

6. Service provision experience of SAPI • 2003-2005:Family support center (the first Mother and Baby Unit in Bulgaria) – at present it is managed by the municipality of Gabrovo; • 2004-2006: Centre for youth probation and social activity – at present it is managed by the municipality of Gabrovo; • 2005-2010:CSSCF in Shumen; • 2006-2011:CSSCF in Pazardjik; • 2007:Social Support Center at P. Slaveikov orphanage, Sofia • 2006-2008: Support to NGO social service providers in 3 towns in Northern Bulgaria;

7. The Complex for Social Services • Sector “Family Support”; • Sector “Child support and services” • Sector “Community work”. These sectors cover the activities in the following directions: prevention, reintegration and direct work with the clients, community-based services, as well as empowering and mobilising the local community in provision of services for children and families.

8. Crisis admission for children Intervention and individual work with children victims of abuse Work with institutionalized children for reintegration into family environment Sheltered house for children who have left institutions Counselling of children with deviant behaviour Day centre at the CSC for street children and drop-out children Organizing extra-curricular forms of support and occupations for children Training and preparation of children leaving institutions for independent life School support to children on specific subjects The Complex for Social ServicesSector “Child support and services

9. The Complex for Social Services Sector “Family Support”; Family Services and Support sector • Family counselling • Groups for self-help of pregnant women and girls • Inter-agency mediation • Mother and Baby Unit – provision of shelter, counselling, mediation between the institutions • Family group conference • Training, counselling and group work with applicant foster families and adopters; • Support to parents victims of abuse • Work with families whose children are at institutions – reintegration

10. The Complex for Social Services “Community Work” sector • Sector “Community work”. • Mobile social work • Work with volunteers (campaigns, recruitment, allocation of tasks and responsibilities) • Public discussions with representatives of the professional circles working with children • Hot telephone line • Public campaigns for foster families and adopters; against violence, substance abuse and smoking; for enhancing the public sensitivity towards the problems of children • Prevention of school drop-out

11. Social Activities and Practices Institute, sapi@sapibg.org, www.sapibg.org Sending: CPD,LCFASAMA, Parents’ request, Services for: children at risk and their parents CPD LCFASAMA, Court Child CSSCF Signal, informing - school, …

12. Social Activities and Practices Institute, sapi@sapibg.org, www.sapibg.org Investigation– at least 2 interviews, the social situation, other sources Individualizedservice Specialized assessment Accepted by MT – Case manager, CPD Shared with the client Duration 7days/14 days Individual plan for the service Accepted by MT Developed together with the client Plan review - MT (assessment of the achieved) Assessment of the results - MT

13. OUR success

14. Buildings …

15. OUR biggest client

16. How do we help? Individualization – investigation, evaluation, individual work plan for the client Team work – multidisciplinary team and a team on the case WORK METHODOLOGY Professional documentation – Regulation, Ethical code, Agreement forms, declarations, etc. Supervision

17. When the provider is an NGO? Cooperation with the local authority – Project Management Council Council of the clients Care for the team’s competence – training and supervision Cooperation with CPD • Achievements: • Clear legislative framework –requirements for licenses, contracts, methodology description, etc. • Good practices of cooperation mechanism in case work (directions, MT, Plan review, etc.) • Development of common professional jargon, attitudes, and values in the work with clients • Increased capacity for support to the clients

18. When the provider is an NGO? Cooperation with CPD • Difficulties in the work with CPD: • Still unclear roles in the case management and confusion of functions – at the case management and service provision • Difficulties in the link between the different providers • Discrepancy in the level of methodological capacity of NGO and CPD – evaluation, relations with clients, etc.

19. When the provider is the local authority? • Confusion of roles and risk of conflict of interest • Lack of capacity • Inequality between the state and private service providers • Absence of possibility for an NGO to have further influence over the service provision that it has started in a project – after the project completion, all is at the will of the municipality