Today, Oct. 2, 2017, a working meeting with subject "Current status of the international adoption work" was held at the Ministry of Justice. It was attended by representatives of the Bulgarian accredited organizations, the Deputy Minister of Justice - Mr. E.Stoyanov, the Director of the Directorate "Intercountry Legal Child Protection and Intercountry Adoptions" - Ms. M. Parvanova, an expert from the Ministry of Justice - Mr. A. Pepelanov, the Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policy - Ms. R.Dimitrova, an expert from the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy - Ms. Chicheva and an expert from the Agency for Social Policy - Ms. Kotevska.
During the meeting the following issues were discussed: the impeded inscription in the register of children placed for upbringing in Centers for Family Type Accommodation and foster care (about 6,189 children at present), the wrong practice of the local social services for implementing the requirements set in the Family Code, the poor quality of the foster care provided to the children in Bulgaria and the negatives that resulted from the governmental program for deinstitutionalisation of the children, introduced in 2007.
The reaction of the Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policy, to the many issues voiced by the Bulgarian accredited organizations was positive. Mrs. Dimitrova admitted the presence of the issues and expressed her gratitude for the many specific examples provided during the meeting. She also promised to have a meeting with the Regional Directorates for Social Assistance organized very soon, at which meeting she intends to request being provided with specific reporting, as well as to issue instructions for different inspections to be carried out on the spot. Ms. Dimitrova reassured the participants in the meeting in her readiness for different measures to be undertaken so as to have the issues resolved.
The meeting was useful and it ended with the participants reassurances of their readiness to have such contacts between the competent state institutions and the Bulgarian accredited organizations organized periodically.