The Know-How Centre for Alternative Care for Children shared these 2 videos from the International Conference "Deinstitutionalization of Childcare: Investing in Change" which was held between 5th - 8th November 2019 in Sofia, Bulgaria.
In the first video Marie-Anne Paraskevas (Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusions, EC) talks about the plan for the provisions and conditions of the 2021 - 2027 EU funds distribution. She mentions that deinstitutionalization will remain on top of the agenda and will be a necessary condition for all member states. During the new period there will also be a higher focus on tackling child poverty as well as on civil society organizations and other stakeholders. She also notes that DI doesn't mean solely dismantling institutions but also preventing institutionalization by supporting families in keeping their children and caring for them at home. It also means creating conditions for community services in order to address the individual needs of the children and that these children will have access to mainstream services easily. Marie-Anne Paraskevas adds that the successfull cooperation between the variety of the stakeholders and their inclusion in the discussions linked to the transitional process from institutional to community-based services will also be emphasized.
The second video is dedicated to Eurochild and their partnership with the Know-How Centre in organizing this conference. Jana Hainsworth, the Secretary General of Eurochild, talks about the crucial timing of the development of the new EU funds aimed at supporting deinstitutionalisation reforms in the future. She points out that Bulgaria has been in the spotlight regarding DI because of its prioritization of deinstitutionalization reforms as a major beheficiary of EU funding with the purpose of supporting these processes.