Deputy Minister: 8,000 Children in Bulgaria Depend on Social Care

Around eight thousand children in Bulgaria are directly dependent on the care of social workers, municipal employees, and foster families, announced Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policy Ivan Krastev during a session of the parliamentary committee on labor and social policy. This startling figure sheds light on the scale of the problems facing the child protection system and highlights the need for urgent measures.

During the discussions in the National Assembly, which took place in a hushed atmosphere, Krastev did not hide the weight of the challenges. He emphasized that one of the biggest difficulties is filling the staff positions in child protection departments. The "nightmarishly high" turnover of staff, especially in Sofia, is striking. The Deputy Minister painted a worrying picture of departments where all employees leave within just a month and a half.

Main Problems in the Child Protection System

The main reason for this exodus of specialists is the enormous workload of social workers and the lack of adequate and timely prevention against professional "burnout". As part of the efforts to solve the problem, a supervision project for employees who work with children and people with disabilities is about to be implemented. Although some steps have been taken in recent years to increase salaries in the sector, they remain among the lowest in the public sector. This financial imbalance leads to the outflow of trained specialists from the social assistance system to pre-school and school education. Deputy Minister Krastev expressed hope that during the debates on the 2026 budget, the work of social workers will receive a well-deserved recognition.

Ivan Krastev also emphasized the need to work on the root causes why parents abandon their children. He pointed to the financial situation of families as a key factor and highlighted the importance of adequate support and case follow-up until the child completes secondary education. Another essential aspect is working with parents and providing psychological assistance.

In the context of the same discussions, Krastev defined parental conflicts as a "huge problem" for the work of social workers, adding that the phenomenon has acquired "enormous" proportions in the country. According to him, disputes over children that follow a parental separation, in most cases, have a lasting adverse effect on children's health and overall development. The Deputy Minister expressed hope that proposals for legislative changes will be provided soon, as "these children cannot be left without the appropriate support".