Тhe first meeting of the newly formed Advisory Council of Experts in the project "Take Me In, 2015", implemented by the Social Assistance Agency took place. Representatives of the central and local government and civil society are involved in the Council's activities. NGOs are represented by the National Foster Care Association, the National Network for Children, the National Association of Municipalities in Bulgaria and UNICEF. The state is represented by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, the State Agency for Child Protection, and the Agency for Social Assistance. Criteria for selection of specific NGOs are the strategic priorities of their activities: initiation and active participation in the implementation of policies aimed at the deinstitutionalization of child care and the development of effective substitute family care for children at risk at а local and national level.

The main activity of the Advisory Council of Experts is to support the planning, implementation and monitoring of the project, which will manage foster care in the country until 2018, in accordance with the state policy on foster care and best European practices. Thus, the Council is an innovative form of inter-institutional cooperation, as in this case NGOs are directly involved in the implementation and monitoring of social policy at a national level.

Among the first tasks of the council is to prepare an analysis of the needs for the development of foster care at a municipal, regional and national level and to develop a short-term plan for the development of the foster care service in the country at local and national level, which will be updated periodically. In fulfilment of this plan a subsequent review of municipalities will be implemented, with an open call for the inclusion of new partners. The leading criterion for participation in the project is the conscious need for the provision and development of foster care.

The project “Take Me In 2015” complements and builds upon the project "I have a family too", completed in late 2015. The aim of the project "“Take Me In 2015”, is to improve and expand the scope of foster care and strengthen its provision locally as an alternative form of raising children at risk in a family environment. Emphasis is placed on developing specialized foster care for children with disabilities; children who are victims of violence and trafficking and unaccompanied refugee children. There is a special focus on the placement of children under 3 years of age, as well as on the measures aimed at improving the quality of foster care through monitoring. Established and current foster parents within the project "I have a family too" will switch to the project "Take Me In, 2015" in order to protect the interests of their charges and avoid the termination of their placement and their return to specialised institutional care. The total budget of the project is 51.6 million BGN and its implementation will continue until July 31, 2018.