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Centre for early diagnosis of infants and Foster care centre are going to be created in the municipality of Plovdiv in the next three years - agreed Slavcho Atanasov, Mayor of Plovdiv and Ivanka Shalapatova - Director of “For Our Children" Foundation during their meeting in Plovdiv city-hall. The foundation presented its new priorities for development till 2012 to the mayor of Plovdiv.

On the press conference after the meeting Krasimir Angelov Vice – mayor in Social Policy and Ivanka Shalapatova presented the joint objectives. On behalf of the Plovdiv Krasimir Angelov highlighted that the “For Our Children" Foundation is an important strategic partner for the municipality.

The main goal of “For Our Children" Foundation and Plovdiv Municipality is to place infants in a family environment instead of social homes. This process has being prepared for years by the Foundation experts, personnel of the institutions for infants and the municipality. A plan for reforming the institutions was elaborated in 2007. The document has envisaged transforming the home for babies in Plovdiv into a support centre for parents at risk and newborns with special needs.

In the next three years the municipality and the Foundation will focus their joint efforts in creating a centre for early intervention and diagnosis, where doctors, psychologists, social workers, rehabilitation therapists will help parents who experience difficulties in caring of their infants, especially those with disabilities. The provided assistance in the centre will help many parents who have newborn with disabilities oThat will reduce the number of abandoned kids, which due to parental fear and worries of the growing risk of social housing in the home.

The Centre in Plovdiv will help mainly infants from the home for babies to find their new foster families. The Foundation experts will organize local initiatives for foster carers recruitment and will assist in returning children back to their biological families when it is possible.
 

The Foundation has developed social services for children and families for 18 years. In 1992 at the municipality was implemented a humanitarian program that for several years involved 1000 children. Later on, the first social divisions for children and families were created in the Plovdiv municipality. In one of the Plovdiv housing estates - Komatevo was built the first small group home for children at risk in Bulgaria. Plovdiv Municipality has contributed to the introduction of professional foster care, reintegration and prevention of child abandonment.

The municipality and the foundation will work together to improve interaction between health and social systems that are directly involved in finding the best solution of child’s problems. Currently, the practice shows that medical and social workers rarely unite to overcome the risks for the newborns.

Next year the Foundation will invest resources in changing the environment in the large maternity wards, so that the hospitals to obtain the status of “Child-friendly Hospital” .

After the meeting with the media Ivanka Shalapatova awarded Mr Krasimir Angelov for his contribution to solving the problems of the children at risk in Plovdiv with a thanks diploma.