site.btaBulgaria Closes All Institutions for Disabled Children

Bulgaria Closes All Institutions for Disabled Children

Sofia, February 18 (BTA) - Bulgaria's last remaining social care home for disabled children, in the south-central village of Ilakov Rut, has been closed down, the Social Assistance Agency said Thursday.

The Agency recalls that all institutions for disabled children were shut down in keeping with a national strategy for deinstituionalization adopted in 2010.

Even since then, Bulgaria has taken steps to allow the closure of all its 25 institutions for disabled children while ensuring adequate care for the children and opportunities for development of their full potential, said the Agency.

In a project entitled Childhood for All and funded by the EU-supported Operational Programme Human Resources Development, local communities started providing 154 services designed for children with mental disabilities, and these are being used by 2,099 children.