Balgarianovinite.com Representatives of state and local authorities, social services, the Vidin Metropolitanate, and the foster care community gathered at the BTA National Press Club in Vidin on Monday to emphasize the need for broader public support for foster care during a discussion organized by BTA and the Social Assistance Agency .
Prolet Georgieva, Deputy Regional Governor of Vidin, said foster care should be at the forefront of public attention because every child deserves a safe family environment, support, and an opportunity to build a better future. She traced the development of the system in the region from six specialized institutions and only two foster families at the start of the deinstitutionalization process to its current state.
Borislava Borisova, Deputy Mayor of Vidin, described foster care as a shared social responsibility. She noted that the municipality has provided the service since 2012 and established a regional foster care team in 2015. The municipality continues to support young people after they leave foster care by offering municipal housing, initiatives for high school graduates, and training for professionals and foster parents, Borisova added.
Representing the Vidin Metropolitanate, Archimandrite Samuil underscored the spiritual dimension of foster care. He said the greatest gift an adult can offer a child is love and described caring for children deprived of parental care as an act of love and self-sacrifice. He added that the Bulgarian Orthodox Church supports such initiatives because they benefit both children and society.
Desislava Nikolova, chief expert for child protection at the Regional Directorate for Social Assistance in Vidin, said the region currently has 78 professional foster parents caring for 87 at-risk children. She identified expanding access to social services outside the regional centre as one of the main challenges.
Margarita Markova, head of the Social Assistance Directorate in Vidin, described foster care as a proven success and called for it to be permanently established as a state-delegated activity. She recalled that even though more than two decades ago the model seemed difficult to introduce in Bulgaria, its results have proven its effectiveness.
Maya Petkova, head of the Child Protection Department at the Social Assistance Directorate in Dimovo, pointed to the challenges of providing foster care in smaller communities. She said the region’s large geographical area, combined with limited access to healthcare, transportation, and specialized services, often requires foster parents to take on multiple roles to meet children’s needs.
Valentina Todorova, Director of the Complex for Social Services for Children and Families in Vidin, said the Complex has provided foster care services to the municipality and the wider region for the past 15 years and has participated in the Foster Me project since 2012. She noted that following the establishment of regional foster care teams, the focus has shifted toward preparing, and supporting foster parents, while also providing training and individual and group supervision for children involved in the adoption process.
During the discussion, Valya Angelova, the first child to be raised by a foster family in the Vidin region, shared her personal story. Now an X-ray technician at Vidin Hospital, she said the support of her foster family enabled her to complete higher education and build a successful career. She also thanked Vidin Municipality for providing her with municipal housing, which she described as essential to allowing her to remain in her hometown to live and work.
Participants in the discussion agreed that the continued development of foster care depends on cooperation among institutions, local authorities, social workers, foster parents, and the wider community to ensure that every child deprived of parental care has the opportunity to grow up in a safe and supportive family environment. Participants in Foster Care Discussion in Vidin Emphasize Need for Broader Public Support 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-06-29 18:04:42 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law