The "Family Children's Home" Experiment ‒ an Alternative to Institutional Care (1984 ‒ 1992)
The "Family Children's Home" Experiment ‒ an Alternative to Institutional Care (1984 ‒ 1992)

Summary/Abstract: Caring for children in need is a global issue and cause. Every country seeks effective models to implement and adapt in its social environment. An example of such an effort in Bulgaria is the creation and implementation of Family Children's Homes. This was a social experiment aimed at placing children in need within a family environment. The first of these homes was established in 1987 in Pernik, followed by additional homes in Sofia and Pleven. Inspired by foreign practices, the experiment began with the preparation and placement of children in "Family Children's Homes". Before in-troducing this alternative to institutional care in Bulgaria, the traditions of family orphanages in Czechoslovakia and Poland were studied. The concept of the experi-ment is closely resembling modern social service and protective measures such as fos-ter care. The paper examines the emergence of family orphanages in the twentieth century as an alternative form of institutional care. It focuses on the experiment’s development, set against the background of the general concept and organization of institutional care in Bulgaria. The research is grounded in fieldwork in the city of Pernik and the diary book "Hungry for Love" by Tsvetana Doneva, the director of the "First Family Children's Home" in Bulgaria.

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