Municipal strategy for child protection – Municipality of Plovdiv 2008-2011

Foundation “For our children”

Municipality of Plovdiv

Bulgarian

English

Local authorities, strategy, protection, child

Legislative document

Policy Makers, Teachers, Researchers, School Directors.

1 - 20 pages

The municipal strategy for child protection has been developed by Foundation “For our children” following a request and order by the Municipality of Plovdiv and with the participation of members of the local authorities and the local community. The strategy includes the following main sections: resume, strategic aim, objectives; beneficiaries; measures for achieving the objectives and expected results with regard to the objectives; topics relevant to all operational objectives – transversal topics; monitoring and evaluation of the implementation; annexes. The annexes include justification of the necessity for the strategy (Child rights convention, UNO 1991, Law on child protection, approved by parliament in 2000, National strategy for child protection 2008-2018), analysis of the situation of rights protection in the municipality of Plovdiv, approach and principles – placing the child in the focus of the work and respecting the child as a holder of rights; respecting the authorities and their structures as main guarantors, responsible before their citizens for protecting the children rights; respecting the role of the parents and family as the main form of care and protection; overcoming of inequality due to gender, class, ethnicity, age; participation of the children and empowerment. The last annexes to the strategy are an operational plan for child protection and a SWOT analysis.

The developed strategy has been developed on the basis of an approach based on the children rights and not on their needs as it is often done in Bulgaria at present. This approach has been used here for the first time in the country, despite the fact that it is an ordinary practice in Europe.
According the authors of the strategy one of the most important moments is the inclusion of the citizens in the practical application of the activities planned within the strategy. One of the planned measures is the establishment of a community council “The children of Plovdiv”, which will be a forum for all institutions, organizations, active citizens and media, which play an important role for the upbringing and education of children. Its main task is going to be the implementation of the strategy, its monitoring and update. This council will have work groups on specific different child problems and its work with be clearly and precisely planned.
The beneficiaries of this strategy are the entire child population of the municipality of Plovdiv, all the families, the professionals, working on issues connected with child care and protection.
This strategy is a document, which could be interesting and useful for decision makers, who would be interested to multiply strategic and political acts of this kind.

http://decaisemeistva-plovdiv.org/documents/STRATEGIA_DEZA.pdf

47_strategy_children_Plovdiv.pdf

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