Representatives of civil organisations working with and for young people and children leaving social institutions met on 28-29 April in Sofia. They represented 17 organisation from 13 cities and town around Bulgaria that have implement programmes and activities aimed at the adaptation of the children and young people to their new and independent life outside the institutions. Representatives of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, the Agency for Social Support and the State Agency for Child Protection also took part in the meeting.
A special guest of the meeting was Ms. Jaroslava Jones, director of Kaleidoscope Foundation, Prague, who shared the experience of the Czech NGOs working on similar issues. The main activities of Kaleidoscope Foundation are aimed at systematic work with young people about to leave social institutions or have already done that as well as other civil organisation in the Czech Republic working with children and youngsters leaving social institutions. In the Czech Republic the children living in social care are about 11000 the total number of the population being 11 million. Those who leave social institutions because they have either reached the age limit or have graduated their secondary education have the opportunity to apply and live for a year in halfway houses where they can adapt to life in the community and the responsibilities ahead of them. There are about 20 halfway houses initiated and run by NGOs in the Czech Republic.
During the meeting the participants focused on the variety of activities and services for children and young people leaving social institutions offered by civil organisations in different parts of the country – social contacts, vocational training, individual support, protected space and protected houses, consultations with specialists, self-help groups. The participation of state and local authorities was also discussed. The discussions provided a good opportunity to exchange good practices and ideas for involving the young people in the planning of future activities and their implementation. The participants shared their experience in cooperation with the management of the social institutions and the different approaches that can be used for working with the young people while they are still living in the institution. Protected housing as a new form of social service within the community was presented as one of the possibilities for alternative forms of work and support for the you8ng people leaving social institutions. The difficulties that psychologists and social workers face in their direct work with the young people as well as the restrictions and discrepancies in the existing support system were also discussed. Another interesting topic discussed by the participants was the effective use of the existing state support programmes for employment and housing.
In the end of the meeting the participants discussed various possibilities for cooperation and exchange of experience among them and with other governmental and non-governmental organisations working in the same sphere in order to provide efficient support to the young people in this transition to independent life. Among these possibilities they mentioned systematic exchange of information, working visits, involving the young people as much as possible in the planning of the activities attracting more civil organisations and agencies to the future meetings, etc.
List of the organisations with a brief summary of their activities will be presented on the web site of Tulip Foundation (www.tulipfoundation.net). Any organisation that wishes to be included in the list and to participate in future working meetings and exchange of experience is invited to fill out an information form and send it to Tulip Foundation by e-mail or ordinary mail.
