Our news and views
Bulgarian Delegation Visits UK
5 October 2011
Last month, Lumos facilitated a visit by a delegation of senior government officials and policy makers from Bulgaria, to inform and improve the Deinstitutionalisation process in Bulgaria.
The extremely busy programme included visits to a variety of services - children's centres, integrated services for disabled children, foster and residential care and short breaks, as well as inclusive education. The delegates also enjoyed presentations from key Deinstitutionalisation experts, including Trustee Sir Roger Singleton and Lumos' CEO, Georgette Mulheir. They also had the opportunity to hear more about inspection systems and standards and met with Change, an organisation which raises awareness of the rights of people with disabilities and accessibility of information.
The four-day long visit was rounded off with a lunch hosted by our founder and chair J.K. Rowling. She said that she was delighted with the progress of our vital work in Bulgaria and the difference the programmes are making to the lives of vulnerable children in institutions. After thanking the delegates for their motivation and hard work, she joked that if she was ever to write another Harry Potter book, Bulgaria would definitely triumph in the Quidditch World Cup!
Mrs Valya Simeonova, Bulgarian Deputy Minister for Labour and Social Policy said: "I found the visit very helpful and will go back to Bulgaria with lots of fresh ideas, which I will be implementing in the social care reform process. The Lumos team have been really supportive along the way."
Mrs Nadya Shabani, Chairperson of the State Agency for Child Protection, which leads on a project to close 24 institutions for disabled children by 2014, said that it was important to strengthen the multi-disciplinary work in Bulgaria and the visit provided an insight into UK good practice.
The Head of the Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister's cabinet, Ms Desislava Zamfirova, stressed that seeing how the services in the UK work together for the welfare of children has impressed and inspired her and she will feed back her thoughts and findings to the Prime Minister.
Lumos' Chief Executive, Georgette Mulheir, added: "Lumos is delighted to support the Government in this way, providing opportunities for Bulgarian policy makers and practitioners to meet their counterparts in the UK to share ideas, experience, challenges and best practices in providing support for children and families.
