The ReFaB (Research on Foster Care in Bulgaria) project

Foster care is a form of family-based alternative care which has a history in Bulgaria dating as far back as the mid-1930s (Tsaneva, E. and Basheva, H., 2019). As a result of the introduction of a legal framework for foster care, (Kriviradeva, B., 2014) and the care reforms which have emerged due to the de-institutionalisation policy, the development of foster care has gained momentum in the last 20 years in particular (ERRC, 2021). Foster care is defined by the Bulgarian Child Protection Act (2020) as the “…raising and educating of a child in a family environment who is placed into a family of its relatives or into a foster family” (Radulova, S., 2021).

Statistics on the placement of children in family-based and family-type care show that children with disabilities face limited opportunities for accessing foster care (Kachaunova et al., 2021). In Bulgaria, the trend exists that residential care is the preferred form of alternative care placement for children with disabilities who are separated from parental care. However, in some areas across the country, children with disabilities are being placed in foster care with successful outcomes.A qualitative research study conducted by Sarah Todorov, a Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham, UK, looked at the existing practices of foster care for children with disabilities in Bulgaria by researching the experiences of foster parents who have cared for children with disabilities. The study asked the following questions:

1. How do foster parents experience caring for children with disabilities in Bulgaria?
2. How do foster parents’ experiences inform suggestions for changes to services and practices in foster care for children with disabilities in Bulgaria?

By better understanding the experiences of foster parents with ‘lived experience’ of fostering children with disabilities, the strengths of the foster care system and the challenges are brought to light. Findings from the study point towards evidence-based actions for the improvement and development of foster care for children with disabilities with regard to training and support of foster parents.

Findings from the study point towards three areas which enable a better understanding of the reality of fostering children with disabilities:

• The personal impact that fostering has on the foster parent, which is both positive and negative;
• The experience of navigating relationships and services related to their role;
• The expertise and commitment to children that foster parents demonstrate.

These findings shed light on: i) the valuable contributions foster parents are making to de-institutionalisation; ii) foster parents’ training and support needs; iii) misconceptions about the role of foster parents and social workers in the practice of foster care; and iv) foster parents’ motivation to foster children with disabilities.

The findings are important for the development of practice relating to foster parents and social workers supervising foster care in Bulgaria. The experiences of participants in this study demonstrate some aspects which are unique to the experience of fostering children with disabilities, and others which are shared by many foster parents due to the nature of the role (e.g. the difficulty of separating from foster children and the resulting personal emotional impact). In addition, these findings have relevance beyond the scope of foster care and identify pertinent issues related to the prevention of separation of children with disabilities from their biological families, and to other Central and Eastern European countries developing family-based alternative care for children with disabilities.

This podcast is focused on creating space for important conversations about the development of foster care in Bulgaria. The podcast is hosted by Dr Sarah Todorov from the University of Birmingham in the UK. Sarah is joined by colleagues who have between them a wide and rich range of experience of foster care and the de-institutionalisation process spanning the last twenty or more years.

In this 4-part series, Sarah and her guests discuss the history of foster care in Bulgaria, ways to effectively support foster families who care for children with disabilities, the importance of family for every child and the importance of increasing access to family-based alternative care for children with disabilities.

Watch on YouTube

Webinar recording

An online seminar was held on 16 February 2023, which presented an up-to-date study of foster care for children brought up in Bulgaria.

In her presentation, Sarah Todorov examined the development of foster care as a form of alternative family-based care in the context of deinstitutionalisation. Data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with foster parents who have practical experience of caring for children with disabilities. Access to them was difficult due to their fear of revealing their identity and their experiences. They shared what it means to them to be foster parents, what their daily life looks like, what support they received, what my support they wanted to receive, what challenges they face, what their relationships with the health and education system are like, what their motivation is in terms of continuing to care for such children, and why in some cases they have given up being foster parents.

The findings presented show that the care that foster parents provide is not only about direct care of children, but also about advocacy. Preparing parents to step into the role of advocates for the rights of the children they care for is something that unites these parents. Some of the foster parents sought additional information themselves to be able to meet the needs of the children in their care. They themselves wanted to become more competent so that they could better respond to both the emotional and educational needs of children. In this way, they are able to reach a level of special competence described as the development of specialised childcare skills. However, these skills which are key to better care are not valued by the social welfare system as having personal value or valuable capacity.

In light of the findings of the study, Sarah shared a number of recommendations for the development of practice in foster care in Bulgaria. The first recommendation is to urgently improve the access of children with returns to foster care through targeted development of foster care as an alternative to group residential care. Family-based care is important for all children, including children with disabilities, and should be promoted, especially in all protection and social services. The second recommendation concerns changing attitudes towards foster care. These are issues that relate to the public and the media, which must recognize the importance of the role of foster parents. The third recommendation concerns the implementation of effective support services for foster parents. The support they receive directly affects the quality of care. This support should be based on a productive interaction with professionals based on the required level of expertise and with peers. Last but not least, foster parents who care for children with disabilities should be seen as a very important part of children's development. The development of their professional skills and emotional support are factors that would prevent this professional burnout.

After Sarah’s presentation, the floor was opened up for questions from the audience. An interesting discussion took place, focusing on current problems related to the care of children with disabilities in Bulgaria. Some issues that were mentioned by the participants included: difficult procedures associated with accessing disability allowances for children, the limited options for people with disabilities to develop an independent life after reaching the age of 18, the lack of access and specialised transport to emergency medical care in small settlements, the need to organise peer support groups between adoptive and biological parents of foster children, and the need to conduct national campaigns to give foster parents of children with disabilities a platform to talk about their experiences.