Bulgarian Government receives higher score for its childcare policies this year

Eurochild member NNC (National Network for Children) released its Report Card 2024, which highlighted both progress and ongoing challenges in childcare and family welfare in Bulgaria, emphasizing the need for continued efforts and reforms, with the state receiving a score of 3.59 out of 6.

This marks the first time since 2012 that institutions have “moved” from average to good performance for all 13 editions of the NNC’s annual monitoring “Report Card – What is the Average Government Score for Childcare?”.

The annual report assesses the progress of state institutions in child care in 9 areas – Child participation, Child Welfare, Family Environment and Alternative care, Protection from all forms of Violence, Child Justice, Early Childhood Development, Child Health, Education, Sport, Culture and Leisure. Only the scores for “Child Welfare” and “Early Childhood Development” are lower than the previous year, all other scores are now higher and, with the exception of “Child Health”, moved from “Average” to “Good”.

The survey is based on data from more than 25 national state and municipal institutions, the analysis and evaluations of 41 authors and 7 external evaluators, as well as the opinions of more than 3 200 children, youth and adults who participated in this year’s surveys. 

Specific Areas of Concern

• Family Environment and Alternative Care: Ineffectiveness in supporting parents and children in family and alternative care.
• Protection from all forms of Violence: Insufficient capacity and resources to address cases of violence against children.
• Child Justice: Lack of uniform standards and reforms in dealing with juvenile offenders.
• Child Health: Persistent challenges in maternal and child health, shortage of health personnel, and lack of combined health and social services for children with addictions and mental health problems.
• Education: Urgent need for reforms in quality and equity of access to education, with high educational inequalities observed.

Further information

• Read the full analysys (in English)
• Read the full report (in Bulgarian)