Burgas social garden awarded for innovation and professionalism

The first Social Garden for the Elderly "Grizhovanik" in Burgas, the country's first, was awarded by the National Association for Social Responsibility (NASO) for successful leadership, innovation and professionalism. The award was presented to the manager of the social service and Home Social Patronage Valentina Stankova by the chairman of NASO Georgi Georgiev during the National Forum of Social Services, held in Zlatni Pyasatsi.

The Social Garden "Grizhovanik" provides full-day stay for adults over 50 years of age with dementia of various origins from 08:00 to 17:00. Under the supervision of specialists and in a pleasant and friendly atmosphere, users will engage in useful activities and will have the opportunity to expand their social contacts. This gives their relatives the opportunity to continue their work activities without worries about the risks that accompany their relatives with dementia.

On the second day of the forum, another successful Burgas practice in the social sphere was presented - the "Expert from Experience" model. The event, which this year was titled "Innovations, Good Practices, Quality for a Better Life", was organized in partnership with the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria, the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities and the Municipality of Varna.

The National Forum provided an opportunity for a meeting and joint work of over 200 representatives of all stakeholders in the social sphere - representatives from state institutions, municipalities, providers, managers and teams of social services, users, non-governmental organizations, qualified lecturers, experts and others. The program included discussions on current topics such as policies for the development and quality of social services, financial standards and innovations.

Among the official guests of the event were also the managers of the Burgas social services, the President of the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD) Jim Crowe, the Regional Governor of Varna Region Andriana Andreeva, the Mayor of Varna Municipality Blаgomir Kotsev, as well as representatives and experts from the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, the Agency for Social Assistance, the Agency for Quality of Social Services, the National Association of Municipalities in Bulgaria and others.