Analysis of the National Network for Children
On 26.07. the Council of Ministers adopted an 18-month Programme for the Governance of the Republic of Bulgaria from June 2023 to December 2024. The Programme contains more than 20 measures that the National Network for Children (NNC) has been fighting for for years in the areas of child health, education, social policies and family support. On 7 June, NNC sent an open letter “18 urgent tasks of the Government for the children of Bulgaria” to the Government led by Prime-minister Nikolay Denkov. In the Government Programme, the most numerous and key measures for children are set out in the areas of education and social policies, while measures in health care are partial.
A huge victory for children in Bulgaria is the state’s intention to create a body with real powers to be responsible for children’s policies. This is provided for by the envisaged reform of the State Agency for Child Protection into the State Agency for Child Rights as the first-ranking authorising officer and the possibility of a legislative initiative by the end of 2024. The implementation of this reform would solve one of the main problems facing children’s policies in Bulgaria – namely, the Bulgarian state should have an institution responsible for children’s policies.
Finally, the state also envisages the creation of a plan to describe its actions to support families and manage child policies. This will be done by developing a National Strategy for the Child and the Family. Such a step will help Bulgaria step aside from the situation in which the state itself has been violating its own legislation for the fourth year in a row and will clearly outline the obligations and deadlines of the institutions towards children and families in Bulgaria.
Early childhood development
The Governance Programme provides for the establishment of a policy and standard for early childhood development. Encouraging is the measure to streamline the requirements for the construction of new kindergartens, but also the establishment of childcare centres and cooperatives for children. Measures are also envisaged to monitor early childhood development and identify developmental problems early and refer to specialists. More funds are earmarked for nutrition in kindergartens.
Education
The Government aims to move towards single-shift education in schools and to address the shortage of places in kindergartens and nurseries.
Of utmost importance is the envisaged development of a quality standard for school education which takes into account all the main elements of the educational process – material environment, teacher qualifications, teaching methods, organisation and coordination of processes, performance indicators, etc.
The programme foresees updating the curricula and relieving them of unnecessary factuality by November 2024, and focusing education on competency development. Textbooks are to be developed with more exercises as well as digital content. Measures for vocational training and early career guidance are foreseen.
Changes are also envisaged in assessment – instead of testing knowledge, skills will be measured. Of particular interest is the planned analysis of the results of the National External Assessment over the last three years and a broad public debate on how to improve the assessment systems.
The Governance Programme confirms the continuation of the work of education mediators in schools and kindergartens to facilitate access to education for children who find this challenging and a means for inclusive education. Additional language training is provided for pupils whose mother tongue is different from Bulgarian. Alongside this, the launch of a reintegration programme for children and young people of compulsory school age arriving from foreign education systems is envisaged.
The Programme also provides for a reduction in the administrative burden on teachers and principals and more freedom for schools to determine how to achieve educational goals. Teacher training includes more practical training in a real classroom environment to acquire teaching qualifications and improving the system of further teacher training. The rules for competitions for the election of school and kindergarten principals are to be changed so that principals are selected on the basis of competence, avoiding party influence. It is also envisaged that the activities of the PDEs will be changed and that their objectives and functions will be made public.
Social policy
Alongside the key changes in the area of governance, coordination and planning of child and family policies, other measures envisaged in the area relate to social services. A National Social Services Map is to be adopted by March 2024 to plan for a sufficient number of places where children and parents can seek support and help. Another long-awaited measure is the creation of a Human Resources Strategy for Social Services, which will plan how to have sufficient numbers and training of social workers, psychologists and other professionals to support children and families.
For the first time, it is envisaged to identify a link between family benefits and social work with an underlying measurement of the social impact of family benefits for children, on the basis of which statutory amendments to the Child Benefit Act will be proposed.An annual plan to promote early childhood development through access to social, health, education and integrated services is also envisaged to reduce negative trends in child poverty and improve the quality of life of young children – June 2024.
Health
Significant attention is given in the management programme to the establishment of the National Children’s Hospital, with steps and timelines outlined until the design is commissioned. The programme foresees the commissioning of a design brief to meet modern global standards by March 2024 and the procurement of a design based on the brief in June 2024. In the meantime, the establishment of a Public Council, which has already been established in July 2023, is envisaged and will closely monitor the process. By describing this partial plan, the fulfilled demands of the National Citizens’ Initiative for a Real Children’s Hospital become four.
An important measure is the intention to re-establish a Maternal and Child Health Unit to monitor and coordinate policies in the area. However, there are no measures to introduce childhood prevention programmes. One key measure is an exception in some respects: that relating to ensuring follow-up of every pregnancy, regardless of the mother’s health insurance status. The measure includes awareness-raising activities, but also an analysis of the current arrangements in place and how they might be changed to ensure access to health care for every unborn child.
By December 2024, a minimum of 10 pediatric clinics and wards in hospital care facilities are to be equipped with modern medical equipment. Another measure of direct relevance to children, although not explicitly aimed at them, is the intention to open outpatient clinics in small settlements.
Sadly missing from the Programme is the provision of access to medical food for all those in need, a measure that is both badly needed and extremely urgent. Measures in the area of children’s mental health are not included. No measures are included on the prevention of smoking and drug use, or the creation of health and social services for children who use drugs. Health education is also lacking.
Culture, sport and leisure
In the area of culture, there is a plan to expand access to culture for children by including it as a significant part of the education process with the update of the 2023/2024 education curricula. Joint programmes will be established between the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Culture related to the activities of museums, libraries, community centres, etc.
In the field of sport, the creation of a National Strategy for the Development of Physical Activity, Physical Education and Sport is envisaged, as well as amendments to the Law on Physical Education and Sport, the objectives of which, however, are not described. A programme to stimulate and promote school and student sport is also envisaged.
What is missing
Children victims of violence and children in conflict with the law are practically missing from the Programme. The only measure in the area of Justice concerning children is the intention to amend the Code of Criminal Procedure concerning procedural guarantees for children who are suspects or accused in criminal proceedings. Unfortunately, there are no planned measures aimed at reforming the juvenile justice system and ending the confinement of children in institutions close to prison for offences such as running away from home, drug use and even prostitution. Unaccompanied refugee children are also not on the agenda.
Measures aimed at promoting children’s participation are also lacking in the Management Programme.
It is likely that some of these gaps are related to the short-term horizon of the Management Programme. However, we at the National Network for Children will continue to press for Government focus on some urgent, unresolved issues.
Despite the gaps, however, the Governance Agenda has a strong focus on children. The changes set out to create an institution responsible for children with real powers and a plan, are giving hope that children will be a priority not just on paper.
NNC will be watching to see if this happens.