Lumos’ recommendations to the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU: Protecting the most vulnerable children, inside and outside of Europe

The ambitious and extensive deinstitutionalisation reform that Bulgaria embarked on in 2009 has improved the lives of thousands of children and is likely to improve the lives of thousands more. Bulgaria’s experience provides a positive example of how to prioritise and deliver deinstitutionalisation on a national scale, to which other EU Member States, as well as countries in the wider European region and indeed the world, can look for inspiration. It also demonstrates how EU funding can be used to facilitate the transition from an institutional system to one centred on family- and community-based care. For the first time ever, the European Commission’s DG Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion and DG Regional Policy pooled their funds when they decided to support the reform in Bulgaria. Lumos has worked closely with both the EC and the Bulgarian Government to contribute towards this transformation.