National association of foster care conceded a meeting with the vice-minister of Labor and social politics Lazar Lazarov.

During the meeting the chairman of NAFC Miroslav Dolapchiev, an acting foster parent, put a focus on the priority of the problems with improving the dialogue between the foster parents and the social services. He pointed out, that more often can be seen cases in which towards foster parents is approached administratively and with all the law’s weight while lacking care and support from the social workers. For example Miroslav Dolapchiev pointed a note from The National agency of child protection to a social service’s director in the country ordering more support for foster parents to be guaranteed in a region with acting foster care for more than three years now.

As a second serious problem Miroslav Dolapchiev pointed the mass practice in the country- children to be booked in registries for adoption or to be returned to their families without trying to achieve the child’s best interest. NAFC had sent signals to the authorities for several cases in which children are taken out of foster families and brought back into environment, not able to meet their needs.

The chairman of NAFC said also that in the country are many approved and still approving foster parents, increasing the number of overall foster families but in many of them aren’t any children settled. The reasons are that it lacks clear and understandable information to the community about what kind of foster families does a region need and also which children needs this kind of caring. On the other side- it’s not working for and rethinking about the motivation of the foster parents and informing them how to take care of a different child than what they applied for.

NAFC welcomes the initiative of significant groups of foster parents to be guaranteed signing professional job contracts with the suppliers of the service “foster care”. For the association it is clear that the current regulations are versatile– it obligates the suppliers to sign contracts for professional foster care without naming the kind of the contract. To be guaranteed for foster parents to have compensations for illness or terminating the contract the association suggests to change the regulations, making the foster parents able to sign labor (not civil) contract. This way foster parents will be able to provide services to their employer (social services, non-governmental organization, the city etc.). The content of the labor contract is the same as any other type of contract but also including how the job can be assigned and reported, the costs for the working place and how they’ll get paid (for example, can and how the employer cover the costs of heating, electricity, etc.)

By the hypothesis of signing this kind of contract to work from home, the foster parents will be obliged to ensure access to the employer and the supervisors/inspectors into their home which is also a working place. Foster parents working from home will be able to define themselves the beginning, the end and the organization of the working hours (as the law frames) and the rests during the working day, in-between days and weekly rest. Signing the home-labor contract foster parents don’t have the right to do extra labor, or to sign clauses for irregular working time.

NAFC suggested the Social ministry to sign job contracts for the service “foster care” at the homes of the foster parents on the condition of going towards more professional about foster caring itself.

The Association suggests labor contracts to be signed only with foster parents who went through the mandatory training about the profession “foster parent” lasting 660 hours or graduated university in the areas of pedagogic, psychology or social services. This kind of a contract may be also signed by citizens, approved from the commissions of foster care but also having qualifications in one of the professions -„associate in social services”, „assistant – educator“. This way foster parents will be equal to all other citizens practicing a profession– they apply professional and personal qualities and knowledge to an employer and receiving a secure job.

NAFC suggests another two requirements for foster parents, wanting to sign such a contract.  

First: To drop out the profiling of foster parents wanting to work on labor contracts. The employer has to have the right to assign to the parent a different child to take care of, from the one he prefers, guaranteeing the parent education and extra qualification depending on the child’s needs. This suggests social workers and evaluators to research carefully the motivation on the future parents and their willingness to take care of different children in risk.

Second: Foster parents who are pensioners to not have the option of signing these contracts.

Besides- NAFC proposes for parents on the labor contract to receive higher pay than the ones on civil contract.

NAFC also brings attention to the problem with discriminating some couples. According to the laws at the moment- married couples can’t sign individually a civil contract. But couples without marriage have this right. The proposition is for the regulations to change and to become equal for everyone.