With regard to media publications, related to the quality of foster care, the National Foster Care Association, which unites more than 500 foster parents in Bulgaria, recalls its repeatedly declared position, namely:

There is a trend towards lowering the criteria for recruitment of foster parents. Something more: the enrolment of people, who have reached retirement age or people with low educational attainment. Unfortunately, these candidates form the face of foster care and our explanation is that these are handy people that are far easier to work with. A few months ago we saw that foster care is offered as livelihood to entire villages that are mostly in relationships with social workers or employees, on whom the approval of the candidates depends. This calls into question the motivation of the people, to whom children are entrusted, as well of the social workers, involved in the assessment and training of soon-to-be foster parents.

For years the National Foster Care Association has been insisting on raising the criteria, related to the quality of foster care. Our multiple proposals to set a requirement for educational attainment and to define the necessary age for foster parents, were rejected on the grounds that it is discriminatory. The fact is that for far less responsible positions educational qualification is required and this is not accepted as discrimination. On the other hand, for work, related to responsibilities for the life, health and development of children, such qualification is not needed. We would like to make it clear that the inappropriate foster parents enter the system as a result of poor training and assessment by social workers. Undoubtedly, for NFCA it is alarming that social workers, responsible for children and foster families, in most cases have completed secondary education, and on local level one can become a social worker thanks to political lobbying.

Another worrying trend is the reintegration of children from foster families in their biological families, without change in circumstances in this environment. Usually this process causes irreversible stress in children, and this is not the best decision for them. Unfortunately, there are no social workers who have born responsibility for children's suffering and for the unsuccessful return of children to their native families. The explanation that the social workers are overburdened and poorly paid and unsupported, is just an excuse and should not become a problem for children and their safe childhood.

We from NFCA would require the employees who approve, place and take out children from foster families and return them to their biological families, to provide solid reasons for their actions and to take full criminal responsibility for wrong decisions. We consider the conducting of politics, businesses or simply providing a livelihood in return for failed children's lives as the highest form of bureaucratic cynicism. In this case, the weight should be placed on the motivation of social workers, in whose hands children in foster care are entrusted, as well as foster parents, who often become victims of personal retribution. Being a professional social worker, does not mean that one can hide behind a convenient administrative cover and that the guilt rests solely with the foster parents.

The National Foster Care Association is willing and is able to participate in the change in foster care. As of December 25, 2015, NFCA is part of the Advisory Council of Experts of the Social Assistance Agency, which manages the project "Foster Me 2015". It will develop foster care in Bulgaria until 2018. We encourage the country's efforts to "bring order" to foster care with the adoption of criteria in the recruitment process and the quality of foster care. We, as participants in the change, will insist on the same actions to be taken towards social workers, in order be sure that we have foster parents and professionals in foster care with the right motivation, abilities for support and the necessary knowledge and skills to care for children in trouble. At its last meeting, the Advisory Expert Council decided to establish an independent expert group of NGOs, that shall offer support and solutions for more complex cases in foster care nationwide.

At the end of 2016 the children in foster families within the project "Foster Me 2015" in 139 municipalities partners are 2076. The total number of foster families, involved in the project "Foster Me 2015" at the end of 2016, is 2220 (2206 professional and 14 voluntary). According to the Social Assistance Agency, in 2016 foster care was terminated in 1139 cases, 700 of which resulted with the adoption of children.