[size=55:jbhwzcu9]BNR 12 October 2010

Foster Parenting as a life choice

Bulgaria is one of the EU countries with the highest number of children being raised in state institutions. The only chance for normal life that these children have is either adoption or foster care, which would provide them with the love and attention they need. “We believe that children can grow and progress best only if surrounded by love, care and affection, things they can receive only in a family environment – either their own or a foster family. Children cannot and must not be raised in the huge bleak buildings we are used to call social care homes or institutions, and society must do its best to provide them with foster parents”, says Bulgaria’s Social Minister Totyu Mladenov:

“Despite all our efforts, there are still 137 specialized institutions for parentless children in Bulgaria, with almost 8 thousand children being raised in them now. In March 2010, the Council of Ministers adopted a national strategy for deinstitutionalization of such children. The strategy includes two stages: firstly, reducing the number of children ending up in such institutions and, secondly, the step-by-step closing down of all such institutions over a period of 15 years. Planned measures include preventing the abandonment of children in the first place by supporting families and offering better social services. Another important measure is promoting the practice of foster parenting. We are working on a project for setting up district centers for foster care in nine regions in the country. The project is implemented along with partners from the non-governmental sector, the International Social Service of Bulgaria, the Institute for Social Activities and Samaritans Association. District teams on foster care train and offer support to applicants for foster parents and to the already approved foster families”, Social Minister Totyu Mladenov says.

Bulgarians have an overall positive attitude to foster care. More than 50 per cent say they would gladly become foster parents if they can’t have their own children or their own children are already grown up, the data from a nationwide survey on foster parenting conducted by Gallop International shows. The majority of polled citizens report they would rather choose professional foster care, which means they have to sign a labor contract and will receive payment. Most people report that foster parents should be paid at least 200 euro per month. Currently, however, this payment is rather low and amounts to 120 euro monthly, given that foster parent have to sign a labor contract and are not allowed to have another job. The survey shows that women and residents of small-sized towns are more likely to become foster parents.
Yet, there is some controversy over the status of foster parents related to the fact that they provide only a family environment for children. Biological parents might turn up any moment and claim they want to have their children back. Yet, the people who have decided to become foster parents are usually driven by “the purely humane desire to help which is stronger than all fears”, as foster parent Jordanka Dukova says and adds:

“I am already old enough to have grandchildren, so I imagine these are my own grandchildren. Just like all grandparents feel that their grandchildren are a gift to them and their task is to look after, thus we are ready to return the child to its biological parents at any time. However, the love for the child will always remain in our hearts. We will continue seeing the child, take it for the vacations and spend time together, so this is not a real separation. This little person brings warmth and joy into our home. My husband and I felt young again. Our house is full of life again.”

Another foster parent, 58-year-old Petranka Hristova, explains why she decided to take up this serious endeavor:

“It’s not that I don’t have my own children and grandchildren. Quite on the contrary, I have three children and 6 grandchildren of my own. I took this decision after a meeting dedicated to foster care where I felt tremendously moved by the goal of these people. I told myself that I did everything I could to raise my children and that now I could help another child”.

Here is how 45-year-old Svetlozar Georgiev views the vocation of foster parents:

“Foster parents are there to take care of a child temporarily and perhaps one day return it to its biological parents. My wife and I became foster parents in 2007. We were one of the first couples who joined the Foster Care project. Our experience gives us reasons to believe that we have managed to provide these children with the good model of a family environment that they need to know. Things are not always running smoothly but when there is a will, there is a way”, Svetlozar Georgiev concludes.