‘Parents are very enthusiastic, but when it comes time for work – they pull back’

Information

The main aim of the presentation is to review the key challenges in effectively delivering family services to vulnerable families in Bulgaria.The analysis is based on a mix-method survey that includes:

  1. Online survey with 40 organizations (NGOs) providers of services with a focus on family support services in Bulgaria;
  2. Interviews with 15 professionals from these organizations;
  3. In-depth group discussion with the services providers from the Community Center for Early Childhood Development and Parental Support "Nadezhda" in the town of Burgas.

The main topics of the survey and the focus group discussion concern users’ level of information and access to services, ways of services’ implementation, including case management, participant responsiveness, barriers encountered by professionals in providing services to families of vulnerable groups and way of integration between delivery organizations and local institutions. The main barriers encountered by the service providers include: financial difficulties for families who have to pay for part of the service (incl. transport); discrimination against the needs of vulnerable families by state (municipal officers); and cultural specificities of families. Understanding the barriers and difficulties that prevent families from accessing and actively engaging in family services is the basis to develop strategies to improve and scale up services in order to assess a wide range of needy children and their parents.

Output type
Conference presentation
Year
2022
Authors
Krasimira Mineva, Milen Baltov