Support to Children in Mogilino - FINAL REPORT
Support to Children in Mogilino - FINAL REPORT
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I. The issue
The British documentary Bulgaria's Abandoned Children was broadcast by the BBC and revealed the deplorable situation of mentally disabled children and young people residing in the social care home in the village of Mogilino. The Government of the Republic of Bulgaria drafted an Action Plan with the final goal of closing down the care institution in Mogilino and placing the children and youths in alternative care. The Action Plan aims to ensure a decent life for the disabled children from the social care home and to design a working model for their successful and effective deinstitutionalisation.
II. Our response
Upon request from the Bulgarian government to support the Action Plan, UNICEF launched the Children First Project. It aims at improving the quality of care for children placed with the Mogilino institution by demonstrating a well managed closure model and substituting the institution's function with community-based service.
In its activities associated with the last objective on the list, UNICEF received support from the bTV show The Magnificent Six, which raised the necessary funding. As a result of the children's needs assessment, several types of alternative care were identified, including the construction of a number of Little Houses to accommodate them after the exit from the Mogilino institution.
What is a 'Little House' (small family-type home)?
The small family-type home (SFTH) for children is a novel social service for the country, addressing the need of children to receive care outside their family, which was piloted within the Mogilino children project. SFTH provides a living environment for the full development and upbringing of children aged 3-18, who are deprived of parental care and have no chance of reunion with their family, nor of placement with kinsfolk, friends or a foster family. The Centre offers a family-like environment, where children receive individual care and support for their personal development, so as to acquire the skills to live an independent life. The Centre can host 6 to 8 children.
III. Outputs
1. The first Little House (SFTH) in Ruse started operating in September, 2008. It accommodates three girls and four boys from the age of 7 to 18. The team of UNICEF trainees, which takes care of them, consists of a manager, two social workers, four nurses and two child attendants. The assessment reveals that children adapt quite successfully to their new environment, all of them have advanced in their physical development and some had started to walk. One child attends a specialised cooking class at a local technical school as an observer, two children were enrolled in the first grade of mainstream schools and receive tuition by an assistant teacher, three were enrolled in an SLN school, with individual curricula. Three children have resumed contact with their families. Children attend additional social services to develop their resources.
By the end of June this year, the SFTH was managed by the ECIP Foundation (Effective Community Care and Inclusion Programmes). After holding a contest, the Municipality of Ruse signed a new contract with the Equilibrium Foundation.
Project funding was used to construct an elevator platform and a children's playground at the Centre, which have become operational as of June, 2009. Since September 2009, the Centre acquired its own minivan, with an allocation from the project.
opened in September 2009. It accommodates 7 children from the Mogilino care home (2 girls and four boys aged from 7 to 17) and one child (a 6-year old girl), who left the medical and social care home in Ruse. They are entrusted to a team of a manager and four child attendants. Two of the children were enrolled in a specialised nursery school and four attend auxiliary social services to enhance their potential development. Two children have resumed contact with their families. SFTH 2 is managed by the Child and Space Foundation under a contract with the Ruse Municipality.
Both of the Little Houses in Ruse already receive subsidies from the national budget, which ensures for project sustainability and for the high effectiveness of the invested funds. However, the amount of the 2009 subsidy was much lower than what is required to ensure the children's desired inclusion. Unfortunately, the Government approved lower financial standards for 2010, which poses a risk for maintaining quality care. The total investment for the two Little Houses in Ruse amounts to BGN 455 000.
3. The SFTH building in the village of Glozhene, Teteven municipality, was officially opened in May 2010.
UNICEF invested BGN 343 000 for building the Little House (a family-type placement centre). Construction and refurbishment works were carried out, including the assembly of additional equipment and an elevator adapted for the needs of disabled individuals. Further investments were made to train the staff, which cares for the young people. A total of 10 people work in the Little House. The building can accommodate 12 young residents. Currently, 10 youths have been placed (5 girls and 5 boys). The house is in immediate proximity to a healthcare centre and ensures access to the necessary medical services.
4. The fourth Little House in Varna was placed in service in early June, 2010.
Supported by bTV, UNICEF invested BGN 400 000 to build the Little House in Varna, which welcomed 7 children from Mogilino. Construction and repair works were conducted, including the assembly of additional equipment and an elevator adapted for the needs of disabled individuals. Further investments were made to train the staff, which cares for the children and provides them with individual attention and the best conditions to develop. A total of 10 people work in the Little House. The building can accommodate 12 children. The house is in immediate proximity to healthcare, social and educational facilities, which will aid the children's integration.
The Varna Municipality signed a contract with the National Centre for Social Rehabilitation.
5. An SFTH started operating in the municipality of Dve Mogili. The facility accommodates 15 young people (12 from the Mogilino institution). The total investment of about BGN 342 000 covered the installation of a heating system, an elevator, a vertical lifting platform for people with disabilities and surrounding landscape redesign. The municipality of Dve Mogili recruited most of the staff in the Centre. Some of the team members come from the St. Petka social care home in Mogilino. The team was trained with support from UNICEF.
6. A Little House was designed, reconstructed and furnished in Sofia at a total cost of BGN 300 000. The building has a heating system and a lift for disabled people. The Centre was officially opened on 31 August, 2010 and the ceremony was attended by representatives of bTV, UNICEF and the Sofia Municipality, in the person of Ms. Yordanka Fandakova, Mayor of Sofia.
After mid-October 2010, when the procedure of staff recruitment and training is complete, 6 children and young people from the care institution in Mogilino will be transferred in the facility (which has a total capacity of 8). A team of 6 professionals will take care of the children.
7. The pilot monitoring of the methodology for the SFTH (Little House for Children) was finalised. The results demonstrated the applicability of the document and served as a foundation for further improvements. On 12 December 2010, the SFTH methodology was approved by the SACP (State Agency for Child Protection). The model for closing down the care institution in Mogilino will be used for the step-by-step closure of all facilities for disabled children in Bulgaria, whereby a total of 1386 children will be transferred to alternative care with funding from the national budget.
8. The St. Petka social care home was officially closed down by the Social Assistance Agency on 1 October 2009. The same close-down model will be applied by the Government in its National Deinstitutionalisation Programme.
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