site.bta91% of Parents Find State Policy for Families Ineffective, Study Shows

91% of Parents Find State Policy for Families Ineffective, Study Shows

Sofia, October 5 (BTA) - Ninety-one per cent of parents, who took part in a study conducted by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS), believe that the state policy for families in Bulgaria is ineffective, said Associate Professor Elitsa Dimitrova of the Institute for Population and Human Studies (IPHS) with BAS.

She explained that the study was conducted as part of a project for stimulating the development and acceptance of a state policy, aimed at parents and families and having clear objectives, measures and activities in all areas affecting children's well being. The project is conducted by the Child and Space Association, the National Network for Children and BAS's IPHS.

The study covers parents with a single child, those with two or more children, parents of children with disabilities, single parents and parents from the Roma community. Seventy per cent of respondents believe that all children should be eligible for state allowances, regardless of their parents' income level. Seventy-four per cent of parents reject the idea that child allowances should only be granted to parents who have at least secondary education. Thirty-two per cent of respondents assess the quality of care offered by State creches as low or average, while 35 give the same assessments to the care offered by State kindergartens.

According to the study, Bulgarian families spend a lot on additional lessons and sports for their children. The conclusions are that the problems of parents from smaller settlements are related to their low income levels, while those of parents living in the large cities are related to the difficulty accessing kindergartens.