Preparing Assessment of Parental Capacity, including of the extended Family of Residents at Institutions for Medico-social Care for Children, Ages 0 -3 Years

The activities are carried out under the UNICEF project "A Family for Every Child". The services are provided by Shumen Municipality, in partnership with the Social Activities and Practices Institute, at the "Mother and Baby" Unit and the Centre for Social Support within the Complex for social services for children and families in the city of Shumen.

Major goal is to prepare an in-depth analysis of the situation of children and their families, aiming to prepare for reintegration, foster care and / or other social services, directed at securing family-type care for the children, who currently reside in the medico-social care institution in Shumen.

The Project consists of 2 components:

- Preparing assessments for parental capacity of the families of children living in the medico-social care institution in Shumen, including extended family

- Early prevention of abandonment of babies and work with communities

This project opens a service for early prevention of abandonment of babies and work with communities. The services includes: prevention of risk communities; prevention of abandonment in medical institutions specializing in child-birth; family-consulting and support of families, who have abandoned their child; family planning and consulting of pregnant mothers at risk of abandoning their children.

Time span of the project – 3 months

A specialized assessment of the children is carried out by the team of Association "Child and Space" (http://www.childspace-bg.org/).

More information on the project can be obtained at the UNICEF website in Bulgaria: http://www.unicef.bg/bg