The action aims at increasing the professional capacity and improving the treatment of children involved in legal procedures, so as to answer the requirements of the international and European child protection legislation,

and contribute to the priorities of the NSRF and OP Administrative Capacity in respect to their sections Judicial System and Civil Society.

  The main target group of the project are the specialists working with children in the following institutions and organizations - Police, Prosecution, Investigation, Court, Social Assistance Directorate and the Child Protection Departments, Local Commission for Fighting the Anti-Social Acts of Infants and Adolescents, Complex for Social Services to Children and Families, and other non-governmental social service providers - at regional and at national level. The project foresees more profound direct work at a regional level in order to provide for substantial improvement of practices, try what is possible and effective and develop a pilot model to serve as an example for the entire country. At national level the project involves dissemination of information and provision of methodological materials and good practices to the professionals from the target institutions, bodies, and organizations.

  The Polish expert Maria Keller-Hamela who has taken active part in the recent implementation of a similar reform in the pre-trial and trial practices to children in Poland participates in building the professional capacity of the institutions and NGOs in Bulgaria. The action introduces effective European good practices in that field and provides methodological guidelines and informational materials to the professional communities in the country. In addition, the action offers systematic training and cooperation building activities to the institutions and NGOs in the Shoumen region and guarantees the dissemination of the achievements on national level. Great support to the positive impact of the project in the judicial system in Bulgaria is the collaboration of our partner the Bulgarian Judges Association.