Nearly 15,000 children and families in Bulgaria use community social services, deputy labour and social policy minister Lilia Stoyanovich said at the opening of a national conference on the mental health of children and young people. UNICEF organised the conference.
There are 199 support centres in municipalities as of August, and they look after nearly 11,000 children a year. Another 4,000 children and families use rehabilitation and integration centres.
Stoyanovich said every bit of support counts, and the ministry has worked for years to bring services closer to people and make them better known. "The state is trying to create services and support close to where people live, but probably something is still missing," she told BTA.
Money is not the problem, the deputy minister said, as it comes from the state budget and EU funds. The ministry also wants to hear young people's views.
The forum aims to get the institutions that support children and families to talk and work together, and to turn the dialogue into concrete steps for stronger policies and services.
Health minister Katya Ivkova sent a greeting to the participants. She believes mental health cannot be separated from the overall development of every child.
Ivkova said children need early prevention and joint efforts by institutions to grow up calm, safe and protected. "It is our duty to provide an environment in which young people feel protected and supported," the minister wrote in her greeting.