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:

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

Child welfare reform in 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

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

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; Social Activities and Practices Institute,

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

The Complex for Social Services 1)Sector Family Support; 2)Sector Child support and services 3) 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.

The Complex for Social Services Sector Child support and services 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 Services 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 Sector Family Support;

Community Work sector 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 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 Sector Community work. The Complex for Social Services

Services for: children at risk and their parents Sending: CPD, LCFASAMA, Parents request, Child CPD LCFASAMA, Court CSSCF Signal, informing - school, … Social Activities and Practices Institute,

Individualized service Investigation – at least 2 interviews, the social situation, other sources Specialized assessment Accepted by MT – Case manager, CPD Shared with the client 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 Duration 7days/14 days Social Activities and Practices Institute,

OUR success

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

When the provider is an NGO? Cooperation with the local authority – Project Management Council Council of the clients Care for the teams 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

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.

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