Balgarianovinite.com Varna Deputy Mayor Snezhana Apostolova said foster parents should be able to choose whether to work under a civil or an employment contract. Speaking at a discussion at BTA’s National Press Club in Varna, she said this would allow foster parents to build up length of service. Apostolova also called for higher remuneration for foster parents and social workers and greater long-term security for projects such as Foster Me.
The Foster Me national campaign is organized by BTA and the Social Assistance Agency.
Izabela Ivanova, Head of the Social Policy Directorate at Varna Municipality, said the policy of moving children out of institutions had produced positive results over the past 12 years and improved the quality of care. In recent years, however, the number of foster parents in Bulgaria has been declining. Ivanova said discussions like the one initiated by BTA help highlight problems and identify difficulties, which could improve services under future projects. Ivanova noted that Varna has the highest number of foster families in Bulgaria but said that more work was needed. She called for foster care to become a state-delegated activity to ensure greater stability and incentives for foster parents. Ivanova stressed the need for state-level measures to support children from foster families after they turn 18, saying care should continue into adulthood.
Snezhana Borisova, Head of the Varna Regional Foster Care Team, said Bulgarian society had become accustomed to foster care and adoption, and the stigma surrounding them had largely faded. She said foster care was not a cure-all but provided significant help to children in need, while more social services were needed, including day centres supporting children and parents.
Social worker Todorka Borisova said it was hardest to recruit foster parents for special needs children. She said that prospective carers were concerned about the challenges and that available support services were insufficient. She thanked the Karin Dom day care centre in Varna and the Usmivka and Aksakovo social welfare centres, stressing that more centres were needed. More services are needed, including psychological support for foster carers, particularly when children with special needs or behavioural problems are placed in their care, she said.
Foster parent Bozhanka Dimitrova from the village of Izvorsko said foster care was a major responsibility, but the satisfaction of giving a child security, love and peace made the difficulties worthwhile. She said that all the challenges of foster parenting can be overcome with the right support. She works four hours a day in addition to being a foster parent, but says foster care is central to both her professional and personal fulfilment.
Foster parent Ilka Rashkova from Varna said caring for another person’s child involved greater responsibility and anxiety. Although parting with children she had cared for was difficult, knowing they had been adopted and given a chance to succeed in life made the worries worthwhile. Rashkova rejected the notion that foster parents “make a lot of money”, saying foster care is not a conventional job: “When you care for a child, you are committed 24 hours a day, with no days off, and you are responsible for their health, upbringing, peace, security – absolutely everything.” Varna Discussion Calls for Greater Stability and Support for Foster Care 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-08-17 14:20:00 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