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International Forum Varna 2019
With high expectations and a strong interest over 200 participants from Bulgaria and Europe took part in the traditional forum in Varna, held this year at international level and as part of a series of events in the NASO programme related to the organization’s 10th anniversary. The International Forum ‘Partnership for Better Social Services, Employment and Development’ and its accompanying events took place at the International Hotel in Golden Sands Resort on 13–14 June 2019. The event was organized by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disability (EASPD), the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria, the National Alliance for Social Responsibility and Varna Municipality.
NASO President Mr Georgi Georgiev opened the forum and highlighted the most important milestones in creating and developing an organization such as NASO, an idea that was thought up 20 years ago. These 20 years cover a period of 10 years of national and European partnership before the Alliance’s foundation and another period of 10 years after its legal registration. A brief outline of its major achievements and ongoing projects was given and its partners and members who contributed significantly to the NASO establishment and successful operation were mentioned.
Welcome speeches and congratulations on the NASO’s 10th anniversary were given by Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy Dr Sultanka Petrova, EASPD Secretary General Mr Luk Zelderloo, President of the State Agency for Child Protection Dr Eleanora Lilova, CEO of the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria Ms Silvia Georgieva, Deputy Executive Director of the Agency for Social Assistance Ms Maya Vasileva, Mayor of Varna Municipality Mr Ivan Portnih.
At the opening ceremony Mr Georgiev bestowed NASO’s 10th anniversary awards on the official guests; among this year’s recipients were several state institutions. The Grand Award in Municipalities category was given to the Varna Municipality.
Awards in NGOs category were bestowed on the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disability (EASPD), the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria and the Agency for Social Development Vision.
Expressing their deep appreciation to the president and all members of NASO and marking the Alliance’s 10th anniversary, Dr Eleonora Lilova gave Mr Georgiev a SACP Honorary Medal.
Several panels were on the forum’s agenda presenting and discussing important and hot topics related to social sector development in Bulgaria and Europe. The implementation of new laws on social services, personal assistance and people with disabilities were of great interest, and the presentations on these topics provided the audience with further details.
An in-depth discussion took place among the participants – representatives of ASA and its structures, representatives of municipalities, social services providers, etc. – on the need to find correct solutions when drafting and adopting regulations related to the implementation of new laws. A heavy emphasis was put on the state and municipal responsibility for implementing the law on personal assistance, and the next steps to finding the best solutions were specified.
The forum’s second day started with the exchange of good practices across Europe and Bulgaria. The panel moderator was Luk Zelderloo, EASPD secretary general, who presented the latest aspects of social policies development in Europe.
Dr Karin Astegger, research and development officer at Lebenshilfe Salzburg, summed up the situation in Austria, what objectives and approaches had been pursued, what results had been achieved, and challenges faced in implementing inclusive employment for people with intellectual disabilities.
Akoš Pordan, president of Hand in Hand Foundation, acquainted the forum’s attendees with employment services for people with disabilities in Hungary, the activities of Hand in Hand Foundation and its outcomes achieved with successful European partnership in particular.
Zhaneta Georgieva presented Vision Agency – a social service provider. One of its services – a social assistant for children with SEN attending classes in mainstream schools and kindergartens – is unique in Bulgaria and financed by Varna Municipality funds. The organization has been providing this service for more than 10 years, and given its extremely positive social effect, it could be provided in other Bulgarian cities, as it was suggested in the presentation.
The presentation of Maya Doneva, executive director of Karin Dom Foundation, also aroused interest showing some interesting points of view on the intersections between social innovation, social entrepreneurship and social services.
This provoked a discussion involving Deputy Minister Petrova and Mr Georgi Georgiev, and they agreed to pay more attention to the link between social entrepreneurship and social services at the NASO national forum to be held in Albena Resort on September 26 and 27, 2019.
Another topic of interest on the forum's agenda was how social service providers, cultural professionals, educational institutions and other stakeholders can successfully collaborate in facilitating the integration of people with disabilities by arts and culture.
Samah Ben Abdallah, project manager, talked about the work of LADAPT (France) and the ways to build a network of partnerships based on culture and arts-related activities to overcome social exclusion and promote the social inclusion of persons with disabilities.
Sydney von Ihering, events & communications officer, presented the EASPD experience in bridging the gap between arts and service providers, as well as the activities of EASPD Interest Group on Arts and Culture providing a platform for the exchange of information and good practices in supporting the participation in cultural life and access to arts.
Other examples of good practices in integrating persons with disabilities by culture and arts-based activities were provided by Anelia Atanasova, social affairs specialist, who presented the NASO’s work in this field, and Deputy Mayor of Kardzhali Municipality Veselina Tihomirova who emphasized the positive results from putting creative energy in favour of social inclusion and satisfaction of people with disabilities.
With the final presentation NASO President Georgi Georgiev drew the participants’ attention to the need to support the work opportunities for persons with disabilities in the open labour market and forge partnerships between social services, employers, local and state authorities and all stakeholders to achieve this goal. Mr Georgiev presented a two-year project on which NASO is working to promote inclusive employment for people with disabilities in Bulgaria, and given the importance of these matters, he suggested them as a topic for the next forum in June 2020.
The forum’s agenda included a workshop on social inclusion of people with special needs by arts.
Once again, the forum in Varna provided a platform for bringing up and discussing important topics, challenges and needs in the social sector. The participants had the opportunity to exchange information, learn about latest trends in social development in Bulgaria and Europe, share good practices. The forum’s attendees pointed out that one of the main advantages of the event was the opportunity to broadly discuss problems, solutions and development strategies in the social services sector involving all stakeholders, including representatives of social services, employers, cultural professionals and organizations, municipalities and public institutions.
NASO run a workshop on Field Aperture: Inclusion in Society by the Arts (ISA) Project in Varna as part of the project dissemination plan. Over 30 people from Bulgaria and Europe, including persons with disabilities, took part in the event.
Anelia Atanasova (NASO) outlined the project goals and the results achieved, the mission and vision of people involved and introduced the workshop participants.
Ivan Tsvetanov, manager of Phoenix Theatre Group, talked about the pleasure of performing on stage and the way this helped in making friends. Samah Ben Abdallah, project manager at LADAPT, presented...
During the Varna International Forum’s gala dinner, the NASO Annual National Awards ceremony was held. This year the forum’s topic was the NASO’s 10th anniversary and the Board decided to give jubilee awards ‘10 years of partnership for social responsibility’. To acknowledge the importance of founders, members and partners, the Board expanded the circle of this year’s award recipients.
The members, founders, social service providers and NGOs received their awards during the General Assembly meeting on 13 June 2019.
The forum’s official guests were given...
During the Varna Forum days, NASO met with representatives of social service providers from the northeast region and other Bulgarian cities. The meeting was held under ‘Partnership for a better life’ project implementation focusing on the role of social services in supporting disability employment. Georgi Georgiev, project coordinator, presented the situation of disability employment in Bulgaria and Europe and the project tasks and activities. The presentation and the ensuing discussion focused on extremely high unemployment rate among people with disabilities in Bulgaria, the need for...
NASO – 10 years of partnership for social responsibility
The National Alliance for Social Responsibility together with partners and friends celebrated its 10th anniversary in Varna on 13 June 2019. Among the event’s guests were Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy Dr Sultanka Petrova, EASPD Secretary General Mr Luk Zelderloo, President of the State Agency for Child Protection Dr Eleanora Lilova, CEO of the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria Ms Silvia Georgieva, Deputy Executive Director of the Agency for Social Assistance Ms Maya Vasileva,...With high expectations and a strong interest over 200 participants from Bulgaria and Europe took part in the traditional forum in Varna, held this year at international level and as part of a series of events in the NASO programme related to the organization’s 10th anniversary. The International Forum ‘Partnership for Better Social Services, Employment and Development’ and its accompanying events took place at the International Hotel in Golden Sands Resort on 13–14 June 2019. The event was organized by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, the European Association of...
The NASO Annual General Assembly was held at the International Hotel in Golden Sands Resort on 13 June 2019. Within the meeting’s agenda, the Board chair presented the Board’s activity report, the NASO financial statements 2018 and the draft budget 2019 and suggested discussing the strategic objectives 2019–2020. In recent years, the organization has significantly expanded its network and already has over 2,000 members across Bulgaria, and the number of its national and European partnerships has grown resulting in better support for members and taking on more commitments to...
The fourth partner meeting of Field Aperture: Inclusion in Society by the Arts (ISA) Project, hosted by NASO, was held in Varna on 13 June 2019. It was attended by representatives of the project coordinator LADAPT (France) and the partner organizations Hand in Hand (Hungary), EASPD (Belgium) and NASO (Bulgaria). A representative of Cope Foundation (Ireland) took part in the meeting online.
An overview of the partners' ongoing activities was provided, and EASPD presented a set of good practices in inclusion in society by arts aimed at the integration of people with disabilities, which was drawn up...
A NASO Board meeting was held on June 12, a day before the Varna International Forum, which was the main topic for discussion along with other issues relating to the Alliance’s ongoing activities and tasks. The other items on the agenda were related to the outcomes of NASO’s work done during the first five months of the year and its commitments until the end of 2019, as well as the organization of two upcoming national forums – in Burgas on 4–5 July and in Dobrich on 26–27 September. The Board also paid attention to the NASO national and European partnerships and its...
During the European Conference Varna 2018 Gala Dinner the NASO Annual National Awards ceremony 2018 was held. After announcing the NASO Board decision, the following guests and representatives of the organisations coordinating and hosting the European conference took part in the award ceremony: Ms Svetlana Angelova, MP, Ms Sultanka Petrova, deputy minister of labour and social policy, Mr James Crowe, EASPD president, Mr Luk Zelderloo, EASPD Secretary General, Ms Donka Mihaylova, vice-chair of the NAMRB Board, Dr Lidia Marinova, vice-chair of Varna City Council, Ms Tanya Vasileva, director of...
The European conference Varna 2018 ended with NASO President Georgi Georgiev announcing and presenting the starting of a new national organisation – National Organisation of Socially Responsible Employers (NASO R) registered during the days of the conference with the support of NASO.
The creation of the new organisation is conditioned by the pressing national needs for support and cooperation with employers so they could be motivated, supported and prepared to hire people with disabilities and people in need of support as an important part of the human and labour resources of Bulgaria. By...
An EASPD General Assembly meeting was held in Varna on 16 June 2018. Reports on the EASPD work done in 2017 and work plans for 2018 and 2019 to be discussed were on the agenda. The meeting attendees were informed about the EASPD's wide-ranging activity at European and national level and its work on a large number of projects.
To fill the open position within the EASPD Board, the Board members elected a new Board member – Jose Maria Solé I Chavero, General Director of Girona (FTCG) from Spain. The participants in the General Assembly commended highly NASO for its work on the...An EASPD Board meeting was held in Varna on 15 June 2018, which was attended by NASO President Georgi Georgiev in his capacity as a regular member. Items on the agenda to be discussed were an annual report and a financial report for 2017, an update on the financial plan for 2018, a work plan for 2019, admission of new members, preparation for a European conference in Barcelona, adoption decisions on internal organisational issues.
The Board members commended highly NASO for hosting the conference, thanked its president Mr Georgiev and congratulated NASO on the scope and significance of its...
Within the European conference in Varna EASPD held a meeting of its Interest Groups and Standing Committees. In its capacity as a regular member NASO took part in the Interest Group on Arts and Culture and in the Standing Committee on Employment. NASO received thanks for effective organisation of the conference and for providing the participants with good working conditions. Opportunities were discussed for working on current and future projects.
The NASO management met with its representations from across the country at the International Hotel in Golden Sands Resort on 13 June 2018. Mr Georgiev, NASO President, laid out the changes in the organisational structure and the work that had been done by the representations since the beginning of 2018, as well as the current topics to be addressed, especially after the European conference. Ms Atanaska Boneva, the expert coordinator responsible for the NASO members and representations, explained and specified the tasks, the rules and the responsibilities devolved on the representations in the new...
The NASO Annual General Assembly was held at the International Hotel in Golden Sands Resort on 13 June 2018. The items on the agenda were the adoption of a report and the NASO budget for 2017, the budget adoption for 2018, and updates on the NASO tasks by 2020. All the items on the agenda were delivered by NASO President Georgi Georgiev. Details were given of the organisation’s rapid and successful development, high but binding status achieved at national and European level, as well as the members’ satisfaction at the important responsibilities assumed and the support they provided. It...
On 13 June 2018 NASO held its next Board meeting focused on the NASO Annual General Assembly and the European conference in Varna. NASO President Georgi Georgiev gave details of the documents to be used in the General Assembly and expressed a readiness to hold the European conference.
The Board unanimously accepted the documents to be presented to the General Assembly. The information about the conference preparation was approved, as well as the winners of the NASO Awards 2018. The Board also took decisions on the admission of new members and the update on NASO's Action Plan in the second half of...
A training workshop on project development was held by EASPD at the International Hotel in Golden Sands Resort on 13 June 2018, which was an important event for the Bulgarian experts. The EASPD experts together with social services specialists from Europe and Bulgaria discussed, interpreted and worked on various social projects. NASO and EASPD conducted this kind of training workshop on project development for the first time in Bulgaria. What is interesting and useful in this format is that part of the ideas considered during the workshop are subsequently developed and turned into real projects...
Just before the opening session of the European conference Varna 2018 Minister Biser Petkov and MPs Hasan Ademov, chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Labour and Social Policy, and Svetlana Angelova, vice-chair of the Committee, met with the EASPD and NASO managements. The meeting was attended by Deputy Minister Sultanka Petrova, EASPD President James Crow and Secretary General Luk Zelderloo, the EASPD Executive Committee members, NASO President Georgi Georgiev and part of the NASO team.
In an atmosphere of partnership and friendship their discussion centred on the current topics and tasks on...
The European conference featured an exhibition showcasing social enterprise products and social services. The exhibition was announced and presented by the conference moderator Mr Franz Wolfmayer. There were 28 exhibition stands from Bulgaria and Europe. Following the presentation of the conference moderator, the exhibition was seen by all guests and participants. The following organisations took part in the exhibition: Maria's World Foundation, Sofia; ASSIST – Assistive Technologies Foundation, Sofia; Day Care Centre for Adults with Disabilities, Kubrat; Care Home for Adults with...
The European conference held on June 13–16 in Golden Sands Resort in Varna was of great interest to over 400 participants from Bulgaria and European countries that worked together on “Social Economy as an Effective Model for Social Inclusion – Social Entrepreneurship, Social Services, Employment”. The conference started with the awesome music of the Bulgarian bagpipes performed in the spacious Bellini Hall of the International Hotel and was opened by high-level leaders and coordinators from Bulgaria and Europe.
Mr Georgi Georgiev, president of the host organisation NASO...
Photo: Participants from the NASO Network
The European Social Entrepreneurship Forum was held at EFE Exhibition Hall of Marinela Hotel in Sofia from 16 to 18 April 2018. 22 organisations from the NASO Network took part in the event. More than 100 exhibition stands belonging to social enterprises, specialized cooperatives and social services providers from Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, France, England, Greece and Turkey offered goods and services. The event was part of the programme of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The award for attractive...
On 16 and 17 April 2018 NASO took part in an international conference on “Social Economy – for an economically sustainable and socially inclusive EU” that was held in Sofia. The conference was part of the programme of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU and was attended by over 100 European delegates involved in the topic. EU policymakers and those from enlargement countries, as well as representatives of international organisations, social partners and civil society organisations, exchanged views and offered experience on the role of social economy in tackling...
The first meeting of the Public Council of the Ministry of Tourism was held in Sofia on 27 March 2018 where NASO President Georgi Georgiev took part in his capacity as a regular member. It is a new consultative body to support the ministry in its working under the Tourism Act and other related regulatory documents.
The National Alliance and its partner – the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD) have extensive experience in accessible tourism and related issues. By taking part in the new consultative body, NASO will be able to develop its...A meeting between NASO President Georgi Georgiev and Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy Sultanka Petrova was held at the MLSP on 4 January 2018.
Two main topics were discussed at the meeting:
– the organisation of the European Conference on Social Economy as an Effective Model for Social Inclusion in Varna in June this year and the steps in its planning related to the partnership between NASO and the MLSP;
– the NASO proposals on a draft of the Social Entrepreneurship Act.
Specific arrangements over both the topics were agreed.
A meeting of the National Council on Social Inclusion to the Council of Ministers was held at the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy on 4 January 2018, where NASO took part as a member. The meeting was chaired by Mr Biser Petkov, Minister of Labour and Social Policy. The Draft Action Plan 2018-2021 for implementation of the National Long-Term Care Strategy was reviewed, and some parts of its text were defined more precisely; then it was unanimously approved.
On 2 December 2017 a NASO Board meeting was held in Hisar where an evaluation of the NASO work done in 2017 was adopted and the priorities, objectives, tasks and events for 2018 were outlined.
The first draft of the NASO Action Plan 2018 was adopted at the meeting.
An annual meeting of NASO Representations was held in Hisar on 1 December 2017. The meeting was attended by the NASO Board members and NASO teams. The items on the agenda were related to the work done by NASO during the past year and the conclusions drawn and the assessments and recommendations made for improving the NASO activities in the next year. A meaningful and in-depth discussion took place focusing on the NASO draft agenda planned for 2018. Many suggestions were made as to different topics, approaches, issues, events related to the NASO work in the next year.
High priorities were placed...
On the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (3 December) a round-table discussion on Policies for Children and Adults with Disabilities in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities took place in the National Assembly building on 1 December 2017. The meeting was attended by the Chair of the National Assembly, the Chair and the Deputy Chair of the Labour, Social and Demographic Policy Commission, the Deputy Ministers of Labour and Social Policy, the Deputy Minister of Education and Science, representatives of the Ombudsman, the Ministry of...
Mr Georgi Georgiev, NASO President, met with the new CEO of the Agency for Social Assistance in Sofia on 30 November 2017. He congratulated Ms Rumyana Petkova on her new position and wished her success to which NASO would also contribute within the framework of the partnership between NASO and ASA. Mr Georgiev presented the NASO network and its scope of work, structures, objectives and tasks as a social services organisation operating in Bulgaria and supporting the tasks and activities of the Agency for Social Assistance. Attention was paid to the NASO's European and national partnerships, its...
A meeting of the National Council for Integration of People with Disabilities, dedicated to the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, with the participation of NASO was held at the MLSP on 30 November. The meeting was chaired by Mr Biser Petkov, Minister of Labour and Social Policy.
Following its agenda, the NCIPD expressed support for the adoption of an Action Plan 2018-2021 for implementation of the National Long-Term Care Strategy and paid attention to the MLSP report on work done regarding the preparation for changes in assistive technical devices.
On 30 November 2017 Bulgarian President Rumen Radev met with national disability-related organisations at the Presidency Building. The President said that the meeting dedicated to the International Day of Persons with Disabilities aimed to discuss the problems the persons with disabilities face and the need for collective actions to achieve better results in improving their lives in Bulgaria.The attendees had the opportunity to share their views on the problems accompanying the lives of persons with disabilities and the reality they face.
Mr Georgi Georgiev, NASO President, invited Mr Radev to...
The first municipal social services forum targeted at managers and specialists from Belene and their colleagues from Nikopol, Svishtov and Levski was held in Belene on 28 November 2017. The event, hosted by Belene Municipality, was coordinated by the Centre for Public Support in Belene, a NASO member. The topic for discussion was Partnership between Institutions as a Guarantee for Quality Social Services.
The participants expressed their satisfaction with the meeting and the benefit of creating new connections and exchanging experience. They shared their desire to be involved in other such events...
A forum on Deinstitutionalization – Good Practices and Future Development was held in Lovech on 23 November 2017, organized by Citizens' Initiatives – Lovech Association, NASO Representation in the region, together with NASO and Lovech Municipality. The meeting initiated the ongoing debate on the shift from the social services system towards the full inclusion of social service users in society achieving their own developmental potential, social progress and self-realization in the open labour market.
A working meeting on Social Services Administration and Management: Legal Framework and Reality – Problems and Challenges took place in Sredets on 23-24 November 2017, organized by Sredets Municipality and the National Alliance for Social Responsibility. The meeting, the first of its kind for this year, was targeted at social service managers. The participants expressed their satisfaction with the event and said that there was need for such meetings.
A forum on Current Aspects of Ageing-Friendly Social Policies – Partnership Mechanisms, Support and Development Opportunities was held in the Yambol on 22 November 2017, organized by the National Alliance for Social Responsibility and Yambol Regional Administration.
Presentations were given on the following topics:
- Ageing-friendly social policies and services. Deinstitutionalization.
- Social services system development. Launching new services. Requirements for social service providers.
- Social services for older adults and persons with disabilities in the context of...
On 22 November 2017 NASO President Georgi Georgiev met with Ms Rositsa Dimitrova, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy, and they discussed key topics within the partnership between NASO and the MLSP and the necessary joint actions in the short and long term.
They talked over their joint actions on human resources development in the social services sector after the conference in Targovishte. Steps in planning and organizing the European Conference on Social Entrepreneurship in Varna in June 2018 and some aspects of the work of the National Council for Integration of People with Disabilities...
A National Forum on Human Resources in Social Services Sector, organized by NASO, Targovishte Municipality and the NASO Representation in Targovishte Mental Health Association, was held in Targovishte on 8 November 2017. The event moderator was Mr Georgi Georgiev, NASO President. More than 120 attendees took part in the forum.
Initiated by social sector workers, the forum was aimed at discussing the issues concerning the future of social services personnel, such as their career development and motivation, problems, interests and development opportunities in the social sector, and at providing...
A meeting of EASPD Interest Group on Arts and Culture was held in Podgorica, Montenegro, on 28 October 2017. On behalf of Bulgaria Mr Georgi Georgiev, NASO President, and Ms Anelia Atanasova, representative of Agency for Social Development Vision, took part in the event.
The meeting took place within the EASPD General Assembly and it aimed to discuss the Association's new strategy. EASPD presented several good practices from Europe, including the experience and activities of Art House at Agency for Social Development Vision.A proposal was put forward to organize an exhibition of arts and...
NASO President Georgi Georgiev attended an EASPD Standing Committee on Employment meeting held within the EASPD General Assembly in Podgorica, Montenegro, on 28 October 2017.
The discussion of the new EASPD Strategy 2018-2021 was the main focus of attention at the meeting. It was decided that social economy should be include in the Committee's future work, a topic that will be the focus of the next EASPD conference in Varna in June 2018.
The results generated by the poll asking the Committee's participants about topics for drafting project proposals were also discussed. The main objective was to...
An EASPD General Assembly meeting within this year's conference on Flourishing Lives – Supportive Communities and Sustainable Development was held in Podgorica, Montenegro, on 27-28 October 2017, which was attended by NASO representatives and other Bulgarian organisations. Following the EASPD Strategy 2018-2021, for the first time a full-day GA meeting was organized in small group discussion work sessions. The Board members played a key role in facilitating the group work and confining the discussions to the four objectives of the strategy defining what EASPD should be: 1. a core service...
A board meeting of the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD) was held in Podgorica, Montenegro, on 25 October 2017, in which NASO President Georgi Georgiev took part in his capacity as a regular member. The key topic for discussion at the meeting was the EASPD Strategy 2018-2021 submitted by the General Assembly. Besides this, the Board members also discussed new proposals to improve the GA work and the role of the EASPD Board and the EASPD Executive Committee in enhancing the Association's effectiveness and development.
They decided upon the adoption of...
An international conference on Flourishing Lives – Supportive Communities and Sustainable Development was held by EASPD together with its representative for Bulgaria NASO and the National Authorities of Montenegro in Podgorica (Montenegro) on 26–27 October 2017. The two-day event was attended by more than 200 representatives of EASPD member organisations from across Europe. NASO President Georgi Georgiev took part in the conference in his capacity as a main representative of EASPD for Bulgaria and a member of EASPD Board. Other Bulgarian members and representatives of EASPD also were...
The first national meeting of social and health care experts to the municipalities took place in Stara Zagora 25 to 27 October 2017. The event was organized by NAMRB, NASO, and Stara Zagora Municipality. This was the second major forum in the NASO calendar for 2017 after the one held in Varna in June. Traditionally, one of NASO's annual forums is targeted at municipalities, taking place in the municipality which has received the NASO last major award for contribution to social development in Bulgaria. The 2016 winner was Stara Zagora Municipality.
More than 140 experts to large and medium and...
An off-site meeting of the National Council for Child Protection was held in Plovdiv on 27-28 October 2017 in Plovdiv.
The National Alliance for Social Responsibility took part in the National Council in its capacity as a regular member.
The Chairperson of the State Agency for Child Protection, Ms Ophelia Kaneva, chaired the meeting and focused the attention of the NCCP members on the important events and measures that would be taken in pursuance of the state policy in this sphere. The highlights of the meeting were the mid-term review of the National Child Protection Programme, information on...
A meeting of the Ministry's Working Group for consultations on long-term care was held at the MLSP on 20 October 2017. NASO took part in the meeting as a regular member of the Group. A draft of the first action plan for implementation of the 2018-2021 National Long-Term Care Strategy was presented.
The first meeting of the Ministry’s Working Group for consultations on Social Services Act was held at the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy on 19 October 2017 after the group’s membership and activity on this topic was renewed. The task of the Working Group was to propose a draft of Social Services Act to the Minister of Labour and Social Policy by 15 October 2018.
NASO took part in the meeting as a regular member of the Working Group. The Working Group’s membership includes a wide range of representatives of social services organisations, as well as representatives of NGOs,...
The 12th Annual Meeting of the Bulgarian Local Authorities, including mayors, chairs of city councils and councillors, secretaries and experts to municipal administrations, was held. in Albena Resort 15 to 17 October 2017. More than 1,100 participants attended the meeting, including 120 representatives of businesses and partner organisations, and about 60 representatives of the central executive.
The meeting was also attended by Georgi Georgiev, NASO President.
The participants debated main items on the municipal agenda in parallel forums held jointly with four ministries.
A meeting was held between EASPD Secretary General Luk Zelderloo and NASO President Georgi Georgiev, in his capacity as an EASPD Board member, in Sofia on 10 October 2017. The meeting was part of the official visit programme of Mr Zelderloo to Bulgaria on the occasion of the organisation of a European conference of EASPD the following year.
Mr Zelderloo confirmed his positive impression of NASO's work as a representative of the European Association for Bulgaria, emphasizing its full cooperation with partner institutions, municipalities and NGOs in relation to social services provision and...
A meeting was held between NSSI Governor Ivaylo Ivanov, EASPD Secretary General Luk Zelderloo, and NASO President Georgi Georgiev at the National Social Security Institute on 10 October 2017. The meeting, initiated by NASO, was part of the two-day official visit of Mr Zelderloo to Bulgaria. Mr Zelderloo and Mr Georgiev congratulated Mr Ivanov on taking up the post of NSSI Governor and on the confidence in him expressed through the great parliamentary support because of which he was elected to the post. On the behalf of their organisations they expressed their satisfaction with the fact that a post...
A meeting was held between Minister of Labour and Social Policy Biser Petkov, EASPD Secretary General Luk Zelderloo, NASO President Georgi Georgiev, and Deputy Minister Zornitsa Rusinova at the MLSP on 10 October 2017.
The meeting, initiated by NASO and held in the context of the NASO’s social sector priorities and its partnership with the MLSP, was focused on the main issues, proposals and conclusions drawn from this year’s NASO National Forum and the joint European conference in Bulgaria in 2018.
Minister Petkov welcomed Luk Zelderloo and expressed his satisfaction of meeting him,...
A NASO Open Board Meeting was held at the NASO National Office on 9 October 2017, involving Mr Luk Zelderloo, Secretary General of the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD). The meeting was part of the the two-day visit programme of Mr Zelderloo to Bulgaria at the invitation of the National Alliance. Mr Zelderloo highlighted the successful partnership between NASO and EASPD over the years and EASPD’s great trust in NASO and its President, Georgi Georgiev. He congratulated NASO on its responsible and active work for people with disabilities and social...
A meeting between EASPD, NASO, and Aurubis Bulgaria AD was held in Pirdop on 9 October 2017, which was attended by Mr Luk Zelderloo, EASPD Secretary General, Mr Georgi Georgiev, NASO President, Mr Ivaylo Georgiev, Director of Public Affairs and Communications at Aurubis Bulgaria, Ms Anelia Dimova, Director of Human Resources for South-East Europe at Aurubis Bulgaria, and Ms Draga Sapundzhieva, Coordinator of Social Projects and Information Services at Aurubis Bulgaria.
Mr Zelderlooo and Mr Georgiev presented the partnership of EASPD and NASO and their work in the social sector aiming at...
The Social Services Days were organized by Dimitrovgrad Municipality for third consecutive year. The event, which took place on September 26—27 this year, has an innovative approach and a high social significance and efficiency; it enables the regional social service providers to share their experience, creates conditions for dialogue and discussion on important topics involving all stakeholders, and contributes to the social services sector development against the backdrop of active and effective social policies in the region.
The programme included an exhibition and activities involving...
A round table on Innovative Social Services for the Elderly at Social Risk was held in Varna Hall, Varna Municipality, on 17 September 2017. During the event programme presentations were given by Ms Zornitsa Rusinova, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy, Mr Kosta Bazitov, Deputy Mayor of Varna Municipality, and others. Representatives of a wide range of state bodies and institutions, NGOs, and other structures also took part in the discussion held.
In his address, Mr Georgi Georgiev, NASO President, stressed the importance of the topic discussed and defined service and support provision...
A meeting was held between representatives of the Strategic Planning and Demographic Policy Directorate, NASO, and other interested organisations at the MLSP on 20 September 2017. They discussed the details of the events to be organized by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy under the Bulgarian presidency of the Council of the EU.
In this context, they also went into the priorities, aims and commitments of the Ministry, as well as the opportunities for cooperation and contribution offered to the partner organisations of the MLSP participating in the meeting. The areas of interaction and...
A regular meeting of the Commission on Interaction with NGOs and Citizens' Complaints to the National Assembly was held on 14 September 2017, which was attended by NGOs, among which NASO, having expressed interest in and been approved of forming a Public Council of the Commission.The Council’s membership was approved, and Iva Taralezhkova from Citizen Participation Forum was elected Chair. 19 members of the Council were elected, and two more were to be added. The Council’s members have different spheres of competence. NASO competence is in Social Affairs and Labour Market. All aspects...
A regular meeting of the National Council for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities (NCIPD) to the Council of Ministers was held at the MLSP on 14 September 2017, chaired by Minister of Labour and Social Policy Biser Petkov, and attended by Deputy Ministers Zornitsa Rusinova and Rositsa Dimitrova, and others.
The main items on the agenda were the amendments and supplements to the Law on the Integration of People with Disabilities, the amendments to its Implementing Rules, and the proposed new social needs assessment method in compliance with Act. 12, para. 1 of the Law on the Integration...
The NASO good experience and long-standing practice in conducting annual forums for social service providers, teams, managers and social service specialists are included in the Council of Europe Awareness-raising on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Study that aims to contribute to the Council of Europe Disability Strategy 2017-2023.
The NASO experience and activities come into the category of successful examples of awareness-raising via policy and practice. Good practices in Belgium and Hungary are also mentioned.
Emphasis is placed on the NASO effective approach to bringing together...
A meeting of the Corporate Social Responsibility Advisory Council of the Minister of Labour and Social Policy was held at the MLSP on 13 September 2017. The meeting was chaired by Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy Sultanka Petrova.
Mr Alexey Andreev, Director of the EU Affairs and International Cooperation Directorate to the MLSP, outlined the priorities given to employment and social policy by the forthcoming Bulgarian presidency of the EU Council. Key among them are entrepreneurship development and new jobs creation, the ESF support opportunities after the Programming Period...
Civil Association Alternative 55, a NASO Representation in Stara Zagora, and ASSIST — Assistive Technologies Foundation, a NASO member, are working together on introducing eye-gaze control technology into the services run by the Association. An eye-operated assistive technology device with software was purchased under the Association’s project, funded by ContourGlobal Maritsa East 3. The good partnership between Civil Association Alternative 55 and Stara Zagora Municipality contributed to full realization of the project. The municipality furthered the necessary training programmes...
The Third Nesebar with No Limits International Disability Festival was held in Nesebar from 30 August to 1 September 2017, organized by Nesebar Municipality, Bulgarian-Kazakh Association for Support and Integration of People with Disabilities, and Centre for Rehabilitation of People with Disabilities (Karaganda, Kazakhstan). More than 120 participants from Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Russia and Tajikistan joined the event, as well as members and representatives of NASO from across the country.
The festival was opened by the mayor of Nesebar Municipality, Nikolay Dimitrov. who stressed that the festival...
We are looking for workshop speakers for the Conference "Flourishing Lives. Supportive communities and sustainable development" which will take place the in Podgorica (Montenegro) on the 26-27 October 2017.The speakers should present innovative projects and/or activities in the field of community-based support and sustainable development.To apply please read the Terms and conditions, fill the Submission form send it to Ms Sabrina Ferraina, EASPD Policy Manager before 31 August 2017.More about the conference here
Would you like to win a conference fee waiver for the 2017 EASPD Conference in Montenegro? Then complete and submit our survey below by September 1st, 2017!EASPD invites service providers for persons with disabilities within its membership and beyond to participate in a 10-15-minute survey with the aim to gather information about workforce and staffing issues in the disability sector. There is not much information available about workforce in social care and support services at European level. Help us gain a better understanding on the social care workforce and the job creation potential of the...
The European Association of Service providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD) in cooperation with the Foundation Petrović Njegoš and the Centre de la Gabrielle is organising an international conference in Podgorica (Montenegro) on the 26-27 October 2017 on Supportive communities and sustainable development.The conference will answer the following questionsHow can communities provide support meeting sustainable development goals?How can support be provided to persons with different needs in a context of changing communities and changing needs?How can sustainable development fully...
Dear EASPD members and friends,With summer approaching, and policymakers and institutions reducing their pace of work, EASPD has space to breath, look back and evaluate our work and prepare ourselves for what’s to come.And I am very satisfied with what we achieved. We have had a real impact over the last 6 months…Let’s start with our work in financing of services: we launched our flagship website www.socialinvestment.eu with information on how the EU Investment Plan can help the social sector get access to better loans. Through it we are educating not only socials services, but...The first meeting of the Corporate Social Responsibility Advisory Council of the Minister of Labour and Social Policy, in which NASO is a member, was held at the MLSP on 20 July 2017. The meeting was chaired by Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy Sultanka Petrova. All members of the CSR Advisory Council were introduced and they shared their work and attitude on corporate social responsibility.NASO President Georgi Georgiev presented the NASO operational activities and its national and European partnerships. The National Alliance places a high priority on social policies and services in...
A meeting of the HRD OP 2014-2020 Subcommittee on Social Inclusion was held at the MLSP on 20 July 2017 where NASO President Georgi Georgiev took part in his capacity as a member. Within the agenda a discussion took place on the Operation: Continuing Support for Deinstitutionalization of Children and Young People — Stage 2: Provision of Integrated Healthcare and Social Services to Children and Families, as well as on the changes to the proposed operation, resulting from the comments made at the previous meeting at the end of May 2017.
An international training course for learning and support assistants and social service specialists working with children with disabilities was held in Gleisdorf, Austria, which was part of the IMAS project, coordinated by the Austrian disability-related organisation Chance B in partnership with five organisations from Austria, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Slovakia and Bulgaria.
The main project objective is to build a framework for the work, career and conditions of learning and support assistants helping children with disabilities in the partner countries to meet the requirements of the UN...
A meeting of the Interdepartmental Working Group on Social Economy was held at the MLSP in July 2017 where NASO took part in its capacity as a member. The meeting was chaired by Deputy Minister Sultanka Petrova and Teodora Todorova, State Expert at the Strategic Planning and Demographic Policy Directorate. The attendees were introduced to the first proposals submitted for the 2018-2019 Social Economy Action Plan. The call for proposals is open until the beginning of September, when all the suggestions offered will be discussed by the Working Group’s members. The schedule for drafting and...
The second regular meeting of the National Council on Social Inclusion to the Council of Ministers was held at the MLSP on 13 July 2017, in which NASO took part in its capacity as a member. The meeting was chaired by Minister of Labour and Social Policy Biser Petkov. A report on the Poverty Reduction and Promotion of Social Inclusion Action Plan for 2015-2016 and the new plan for 2017-2018 were discussed and adopted. Opportunities were discussed for improving the mechanism for planning and refining the indicators for reporting the activities under the current Action Plan.
The second regular meeting of the National Council for Child Protection was held in the Council of Ministers building on 11 July 2017 where NASO President Georgi Georgiev took part in his capacity as a regular member. The meeting was chaired by Ophelia Kaneva, Head of the State Agency for Child Protection. Mariana Nikolova, Head of the cabinet of Deputy Prime Minister Valeri Simeonov, greeted the meeting’s attendees on his behalf. Among the topics discussed were the working with foreign children in Bulgaria, a conceptual framework project for creating specialized services for placement of...
A meeting between NASO President Georgi Georgiev and Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy Rositsa Dimitrova was held on 11 July 2017 focusing on the drafting and adoption of a Social Services Bill and the possible options for determining the place of the state and municipalities in the draft bill and the future development of social services in Bulgaria. A discussion took place about the need to adopt more effective and practical measures to support people with disabilities, and a strong emphasis was placed on the need to devote more attention, efforts and resources to provide employment...
A meeting between NASO President Georgi Georgiev and Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy Zornitsa Rusinova was held at the MLSP on 11 July 2017 aimed at discussing the opportunities for organizing a European Conference on Social Economy and Employment in Bulgaria in June 2018 as part of the events related to the Bulgarian presidency of the Council of the EU next year. A meeting was agreed with EASPD Secretary General Luk Zelderloo about the conference location and holding during the Bulgarian presidency.
A meeting between NASO President Georgi Georgiev and Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy Sultanka Petrova was held at the MLSP on 10 July 2017. They discussed the collaboration between NASO and the MLSP so far and their future partnership to enhance social economy development and corporate social responsibility in Bulgaria, as well as the need to accelerate work on the draft of the Social Economy Bill. Attention was paid to the possibility of planning follow-up actions and partnership with the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD) and arranging a...
A meeting of the National Council for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities (NCIPD) to the Council of Ministers was held at the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy on 10 July 2017 in which NASO took part in its capacity as a member. Biser Petkov, Minister of LSP, chaired the meeting. The main topics for discussion were the Bill on Amendments to the Pre-school and School Education Act, the amendments to the Ordinance on the Conditions and the Procedure for Implementing the Measures for Providing Assistive Devices for Persons with Disabilities, and the amendments to the Ordinance on...
NASO President Georgi Georgiev met with Sabrina Ferraina, EASPD Policy Officer, on 27 June 2017 to discuss in detail the agenda of the next EASPD conference in Bulgaria scheduled for June 2018. The EASPD Board took the decision to hold the forum in Bulgaria and elected NASO as its coordinator. Ms Ferraina and Mr Georgiev discussed the state of play of the social sector in Europe and Bulgaria and exchanged views on key topics and issues.The international conference will be held in Varna in June 2018, along with the NASO Annual Forum. The event is expected to take place during the first week of the...
A meeting of the Working Group on Social Economy was held at the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy on 16 June 16, 2017, where NASO is invited to participate as an observer on a regular basis. This was the Group's first gathering after expanding its membership with new permanent members, including the National Alliance for Social Responsibility. For the first time the meeting was chaired by Deputy Minister Sultanka Petrova, who will be responsible for the social economy sector in the current government’s mandate.The tasks of the Working Group to be performed by the end of the year were...
An EASPD General Assembly meeting was held in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 17 June 2017 which was attended by Georgi Georgiev, President of the National Alliance for Social Responsibility, and Zhaneta Georgieva, President of Agency for Social Development Vision.Some items on the agenda were the introduction of new EASPD members, the presentation of the EASPD Financial Report and the EASPD Annual Report for 2016, and the debate on the new EASPD development strategy which is due to be discussed further at the General Assembly during the EASPD conference in Montenegro 25 to 28 October 2017.The...
An EASPD Standing Committee on Employment meeting took place in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 17 June 2017, in which NASO President Georgi Georgiev took part. The event aimed to set up two new Task and Finish Groups (T&F Groups) focusing on research projects and the supported employment strategy.The attendees discussed various ideas for developing project proposals aimed at supported employment for people with disabilities. The proposals should follow the new EASPD strategy based on three key pillars: Information, Innovation, Impact. The NASO President suggested one of the project proposals to...
An EASPD Closed Board meeting was held in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 16 June 2017, in which Georgi Georgiev, President of the National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO), took part in his capacity as a Board member.The meeting began with a discussion and with all attendees expressing their satisfaction with their participation in the conference. Mr Georgiev put forward a suggestion for more active involvement of employers by giving broader visibility to the economic impact of supported employment not only on the business sector but also on society as a whole. Recommendations were made as...
A meeting of the members of EASPD Interest Group on Arts and Culture was held in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 16 June 2017. Agency for Social Development Vision, a member of NASO, took part in the event.
An organisation from Northern Ireland presented good practices of people with disabilities engaged in cultural and arts based activities. A representative of Centre de la Gabrielle (France) was elected as a co-chair of the Interest Group. Funding programmes and projects on arts and culture were presented, and a review of the regulatory framework and the trends for development of inclusive arts...
The final seminar of D-LoT project, coordinated by the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD), took place within the 1st World Conference on Supported Employment: “Employment for All — A Global Perspective” in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 16 June 2017. The seminar was attended by representatives of the 15 CEE partner countries.The project participants aimed to share their experience in the project implementation, discuss the results achieved, and exchange ideas about how to build on the outcomes in the future. A suggestion was made to...
The 1st World Conference on Supported Employment: “Employment for All — A Global Perspective” took place in Belfast, Northern Ireland, 14 to 16 June 2017, hosted by the European Union of Supported Employment (EUSE) and the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD). The conference was attended by over 700 social service providers, NGOs, representatives of the business sector and the education sector, as well as persons with disabilities from Canada, Australia, China, and countries across Europe. The programme included presentations, panel...
An off-site reception hall of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy was held on 7 June 2017 as part of the programme of the National Forum & Exhibition on Social Services, Employment, Development, organized by NASO together with EASPD, the MLSP, the NAMRB and Varna Municipality.On behalf of the MLSP, Deputy Ministers Rositsa Dimitrova and Ivaylo Ivanov took part in the meeting which was of great interest to the participants in the forum who asked questions and put forward proposals for changes in the social sector regulatory framework.Questions were brought up about the need for...
As part of the programme of the National Forum & Exhibition on Social Services, Employment, Development, organized by NASO together with EASPD, the MLSP, the NAMRB and Varna Municipality, an exhibition was held at Golden Sands Resort on 7 June 2017 showing products made by social service users and specialists as part of their occupational and art therapies and other activities developing their personal and social skills and boosting their personal development by means of culture and arts. Over 22 social service providers from across the country, including a social enterprise from Dimitrovgrad,...
The National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) held a meeting of the NASO General Assembly within the National Forum & Exhibition on Social Services, Employment, Development on 8 June 2017.NASO President Georgi Georgiev opened the meeting giving a report on the 2016 NASO activities and outlining its vision and goals to be achieved during the 2017-2020 period.Mr. Georgiev put emphasis on the leading role of NASO regional representations in organizing local and regional events and enhancing the partnerships with the ASA, the SACP and municipal structures, and pointed out that the...
The NASO Annual Awards for contribution to the social development in Bulgaria were given at a gala dinner within the National Forum & Exhibition on Social Services, Employment, Development on 7 June 2017. The winners of the Grand Award for contribution to the social development in Bulgaria were Vratsa Municipality in Municipalities category and Agency for Social Development Vision in NGOs category. The gala dinner celebrated the 20th anniversary of Agency Vision, the founder of NASO and the first Bulgarian member organisation of the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with...
NASO President Georgi Georgiev met with MLSP Minister Biser Petkov and representatives of NGOs working in the sector of social services and children's rights protection at the MLSP in June. The agenda was aimed at discussing the forthcoming reforms in this area. The meeting was attended by a wide range of NGOs to which Minister Petkov introduced his new team.On behalf of the NASO members Mr. Georgiev expressed hope that the work on the new social services bill would be resumed and accelerated and that the new law would help differentiate the responsibilities and place of social services among the...
A meeting of the participants in training sessions under the D-LoT project, coordinated by the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD), was held at the International Hotel, Golden Sands, on 8 June 2017 aimed at sharing comments and impressions about their working with the e-learning platform. EASPD President James Crowe took part in the event.The main focus of attention at the meeting was the further dissemination of the e-learning platform among the social service providers in Bulgaria and the ways to supplement to it useful information on best practices of...
The second partnership meeting of the New Skills for Customized Accessible Tourism Project (NEWSCAT) took place at Golden Sands Resort on 8-9 June 2017 as part of the programme of the National Forum & Exhibition. The project is aimed at increasing the competencies of professionals of the tourist sector to provide accessible tourism services for clients with special needs.
The meeting was moderated by Ibon Garmendia Ansola from Fundacion Emplea (Spain), the project coordinator, and hosted by NASO. Representatives of the other project partners — Mestieri Lombardia (Italy), NHTV...
The annual meeting of the NASO Representations was held at Golden Sands Resort on 6 June as part of the programme of the National Forum & Exhibition on Social Services, Employment, Development, organized by NASO together with EASPD, the MLSP, the NAMRB and Varna Municipality.Mr. Georgiev, NASO President, opened the meeting presenting the work of NASO representations, their activities and their interaction. He underlined their key role in the umbrella organization’s active collaboration with state institutions at various levels and their participation in discussions on regulatory changes...
Over 200 social service providers, managers, social service specialists from across the country, as well as members and partners of NASO took part in the National Forum & Exhibition on Social Services, Employment, Development which took place at Golden Sands Resort on 6-9 June. The forum was organized by the National Alliance for Social Responsibility, together with the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disability (EASPD), the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria and Varna Municipality.The four-day...
On 17-18 May 2017 the Targovishte Society of Mental Health held a training focused on emotional intelligence of support specialists working in social sector, how to manage your emotions and understand the feelings of the others, and how to develop strategies for coping with "difficult" users. The training was of lively interest to all of the attendees, namely social workers, psychologists, occupational therapists, child carers, social services managers across the country, students and teachers from Shumen University. Mr. Georgi Georgiev, NASO President, thanked the team of the Targovishte Society...
On 16 May 2017 NASO in its capacity as regular member attended the second meeting of the Interdepartmental Working Group to the National Council for Child Protection aiming to develop a set of rules for operating on child protection cases involving foreign children in Bulgaria. A discussion was held on the proposed set of rules for operating and the specific responsibilities assigned to bodies and stakeholders. The next meeting is at the end of the month.
The Minister of Labour and Social Policy Biser Petkov and his team met with representatives of national disability-related organisations at the MLSP on 16 May 2017. The topic for discussion was the reform in the medical expertise of people with disabilities and the related proposals submitted by the national disability-related organisations. Minister Petkov introduced his team, consisting of Deputy Ministers Zornitsa Rusinova, Ivaylo Ivanov, Rositsa Dimitrova, Sultanka Petrova, and outlined the main priorities in their future work. Briefly, the representatives of national disability-related...
EASPD has announced the launch of a research platform aimed to enhance social services development and improve community and social wellbeing. This is a joint initiative of EASPD and prominent European researchers of social development. The aim is to bring research and practice closer together by joining together researchers, disability-related organisations and social service providers. The task is to analyse and work on key issues in the social sector looking for empirically grounded solutions, explained Mr Luk Zelderloo, EASPD Secretary General.
The NASO President Georgi Georgiev took part in the eighth congress of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria on 2 May 2017. The NASO’s invitation to participate is a continuation of the dialogue and partner relations initiated between both the organisations. The congratulatory address of the National Alliance to CITUB emphasized the goals common to both the organisations, namely enabling more Bulgarian citizens, including people with disabilities, to find a job on the open labour market, ensuring that people working in the social sector receive fair pay and career...
A seminar on Consumer-Driven Social Entrepreneurship, part of an international project under the Erasmus Programme, was held in Burgas on 2-3 May. The event coordinator is Social Centre — Bourgas Association, NASO representation. The seminar was attended by representatives of institutions, social service structures, NGOs, as well as teachers and students. Ms. Teodora Todorova, State Expert at Living Standard, Labour Income and Social Economy Department to the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, gave a presentation on Social Entrepreneurship: Realities and Perspectives. On the second...
On 26 April 2017 a workshop on Good Educational and Professional Practices in Social Affairs was held in Ruse, organized by Support for Implementation Foundation, the NASO representation in Ruse, and the Social Worker's Club at Ruse University “Angel Kanchev”, a NASO member. The event was attended by more than 115 social service providers, specialists, social service users and representatives of institutions, teachers, students and guests. The topics for discussion were the accumulated experience in social work training and in the work done by the Social Worker's Club, the good...
On 24 April 2017 NASO took part in a seminar on child involvement and its measurement instruments in Sofia. It was organized by the State Agency for Child Protection and aimed at presenting the instrument measuring child involvement in the relations with the institutions at local and national level under a project in which the SACP participated in a partnership with the Council of Europe. NASO and its members will have the opportunity to get acquainted with the survey results and to give opinions on the topic in order to improve child involvement in Bulgaria.
A meeting between the CSRI — Vidin, a NASO member, and the Board of the Society of People with Multiple Sclerosis — Knjazevac was held in Serbia. Future joint initiatives were discussed and both the organisations’ activities were presented in detail. They agreed on presenting items made by people with disabilities at the upcoming crafts fairs in the two cities.
NGO art therapists from the Bulgarian towns of Vidin and Vratsa exchanged experience with their colleagues from Knjazevac, Serbia. The initiative is part of the partner relations, launched last year, between Support for Implementation Foundation, the NASO representation in Vidin, and the Society of People with Multiple Sclerosis in Knjazevac. The art therapists shared their best practices and showed their colleagues art therapy methods and techniques they use.
MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL POLICYNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MUNICIPALITIES IN THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIAEUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF SERVICE PROVIDERS FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIESNATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITYVARNA MUNICIPALITY (DRAFT PROGRAMME)NATIONAL FORUM & EXHIBITION ON SOCIAL SERVICES, EMPLOYMENT AND DEVELOPMENT
Varna, Golden Sands, International Hotel6-9 June 2017
PROGRAMME
6 June 2017 (Tuesday) International Hotel, Golden Sands
14:00-19:00 Welcome and hotel accommodation
Aria Hall, International Hotel, Golden Sands
15:00-18:00 Meeting of the Standing Committee on Labour...
MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL POLICYNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MUNICIPALITIES IN THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIAEUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF SERVICE PROVIDERS FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIESNATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITYVARNA MUNICIPALITY
INVITATIONTONATIONAL FORUM & EXHIBITION ON SOCIAL SERVICES, EMPLOYMENT AND DEVELOPMENT
Varna, Golden Sands, International Hotel6-9 JUNE 2017
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,We would like to invite you to participate in the National Social Service Providers Forum & Exhibition, organized by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, the National Association of...
On 20 April 2017 another session of the National Advisory Centre, launched jointly by the Agency for Social Assistance and the National Alliance for Social Responsibility, was held at the Complex for Social Services to Children and Families, NASO representation in Plovdiv. Because of the predefined discussion topic on the development of social services and policies for children, the State Agency for Child Protection (SACP) joined the regular participants. The meeting was attended by a wide range of specialists, representatives of social service teams and institutions working in the field,...
On 21 April 2017 the first meeting of the Interdepartmental Working Group to the National Council for Child Protection was held at the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, aiming to develop a set of rules for operating on child protection cases involving foreign children in Bulgaria. The participants discussed the 2015 mechanism for working with refugee children and the set of rules to be developed. The aim is to create conditions for solving cases of unaccompanied children applying for asylum in Bulgaria who are refused refugee status or humanitarian protection, as well as those who do not wish...
The European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD) has been accepted as a member of the European Policy Centre. EPC is an independent not-for-profit think thank. Its work is aimed at promoting European integration by conducting analyses, discussions and provoking public debate in the sector. The Centre provides a platform engaging partners, stakeholders and citizens in EU policy-making and in the debate about the future of Europe.
On 31 March 2017 the third meeting of the MLSP Working Group on social service consultations was held at the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, in which NASO took part as a member. Among the items to discuss on the meeting agenda were the previously submitted proposals for amendments to the Ordinance to the Implementing Regulations of the Social Assistance Act. Ms Veselina Boteva, a NASO member, outlined the position and proposals formulated by various members of the organization.
On 31 March 2017 a thematic seminar titled “Inner Lovely Hopes” was organized by the “Siyayna zora” Association — Shumen, a NASO member, with the assistance of NASO. The event aimed to promote and stimulate the development of creative ideas for giving persons with disabilities the opportunity of performing activities and expressing themselves. The meeting was opened by the NASO President Mr Georgi Georgiev who stated that social workers were in need of addressing similar themes to build on their knowledge and skills for receiving further guidance and being more...
On 21 March 2017 a forum on Social Service Implementation Partnership was held in Razgrad, organized by Zhaneta Association, the NASO regional representation, in partnership with Razgrad Municipality. The initiative is part of the regional events of the NASO network and one of the significant events planned in this year. The forum was attended by representatives of local authorities, regional social service providers, lecturers and specialists. The discussion held showed the social work done within the local community, as well as the NASO contribution to partnership development in the social...
A new agreement was reached on the membership of Varna Free University in the National Alliance for Social Responsibility as a result of an active dialogue between the University and the NASO network. The last week NASO membership admission of Varna Free University was approved by the NASO Board. Next steps are to be taken to specify the partnership-building activities in areas which are common to NASO and the University, including national and international partnerships, projects, student training, joint development projects, etc.
On March 17, 2017, another off-site session of the NASO and ASA National Advisory Centre was held in Veliko Tarnovo. Ms Yordanka Yordanova, Expert of ASA Social Services for Adults Department, answered the questions concerning placement of children and persons with permanent disabilities and persons under guardianship, changes affecting the way services would be called according to the 2018 proposed amendments to the Rules for Implementing Social Assistance Law, child needs assessment, etc. The meeting was attended by social service providers and structures from Veliko Tarnovo Region and across...
On March 15, 2017, the second International Disability Festival on Traditions and Crafts took place in Zajecar, Serbia. The event is launched by the Support for Implementation Foundation — Vidin, which is a NASO representative for the area, and some disability-related organizations in Serbia. A working meeting was held with business representatives, bodies and organizations from Zajecar and Vidin. The Red Cross and the Association of child paralysis and cerebral palsy in the Serbian town hosted the festival. Different organizations from the region took part in the event. The festival...
Round-table talks on Early Childhood Services: from Policies to Outcomes was held on 9 March 2017 in Sofia, organized by For Our Children Foundation, which is a member of NASO. Special guests of the event were Mr Julius op de Beke, European Commission's DG for Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion, and Mr Tony Thompson, the representative of the World Bank for Bulgaria. The event was attended by representatives of state and local authorities and over 50 NGOs concerned in the subject.
The European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities took part in a discussion, organized by the European Disability Forum, as its regular member. The event was held in Malta and was carried out together with the Maltese Presidency of the Council of the EU. The main topics of the forum were disability employment and support for equal access to jobs. During the meeting EASPD took a stand on how the European bodies could facilitate the access to the labour market for persons with disabilities.
The EASPD positions on social policies have been incorporated in the recent European Parliament resolution on the European Pillar on Social Rights. As per EASPD recommendations the resolution calls for the Skills Guarantee and work environment to be accessible and the important role of in work support is recognised. The inclusion and labour market participation and the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities are given a much stronger place in the Pillar, as proposed by EASPD. The resolution from the Parliament calls for the Pillar to be taken into account in EU...
The only specialized portal in Bulgaria for social policies and services - NASOKI.BG, which is maintained by National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) has reached more than 1 million page views.NASOKI.BG is live from January 1, 2014 and NASO consideres the achievement of such statistics only for two years and a half as a good score and as evidence of the need for specialized informational edition designed specially for users and teams of social services, their managers, representatives of local and regional administrations, as well as representatives of the government and other NGOs....
The European Association of Service providers for Persons with Disabilities organised two side events in cooperation with the European Union and the Zero Project during the 9th Conference of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD). Models of good practice on supported decision making mechanisms and on early childhood fueled the debate on the sustainable development goals and the steps required for the implementation of a human rights approach.
Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has crystallised the...
On June 10, 2016, within the National Forum / Exhibition “Social Services, Employment and Development" the traditional annual meeting of the representatives of National Alliance for Social Responsibility was held. NASO currently has 32 representatives throughout the country and each works on an annual program that is part of the annual program of NASO. During the meeting NASO representatives reviewed the events realized in the first half of the year and outlined a framework for the work by the end of 2016. They shared different models of work and stressed out the need of individual approach...
On June 10, 2016 in Varna the Annual General Assembly of National Alliance for Social Responsibility was held. Ms. Veselina Boteva, NASO Board member, was unanimously elected for chairperson of the meeting. The agenda included a report of the Board on the activities of NASO in 2015, annual financial report of NASO for 2015 and discussion and adoption of the program of activities of NASO in 2016, leading priority tasks of NASO for the period 2016 to 2020, and budget for 2016. Mr. Georgi Georgiev, NASO president, reported on all agenda items.Achievement of 100% territorial coverage of Bulgaria,...
In June 8 to 10 2016 in Varna city, Golden Sands resort a national forum and exhibition on “Social Services, Employment and Development”, organized by National Alliance for Social Responsibility in a partnership with the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, European Assosiation of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD), National Association of Municipalities of R Bulgaria and Varna Municipality. Over 200 representatives of national and local authorities, non-governmental organizations, employers, service providers, social service teams and clients attended the forum....
On June 9, 2016, within the National Forum/Exhibition "Social Services, Employment and Development", held June 8 - 10, the official ceremony of the annual awards of National Alliance for Social Responsibility for contribution to the social development of Bulgaria was held. The awarded categories were NGOs, Social Services, Corporations and Art and Culture. The awards in Municipalities category were given on April 13, 2016 during the 11th National Forum of Social Service Providers in Veliko Tarnovo.Foundation "Fund PP - IGA" received the grand award in NGOs category for 2016. Mr. Luk Zelderloo,...
On June 8, 2016 Varna Hall of Varna Municipality hosted a national advisory meeting of Sofia Services. The meeting was part of the agenda of the National forum/exhibition “Social services, employment and development” from 8 to 10 June organized jointly by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, National Association of Municipalities of R Bulgaria, European Association of Service Providers of Persons with Disabilities, NASO and Varna Municipality. The advisory meeting is a joint initiative of National Alliance for Social Responsibility and Agency of Social Assistance that is held...
Throughout May 2016, members and representatives of the National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) across Bulgaria carried out a series of campaigns, initiatives and events dedicated to the International Children's Day. The culmination of many of these events was in the days before or right on June 1. Many municipal administrations, community centers and libraries, as well as representatives of the business sector helped financially or otherwise the care and celebration of the most precious treasures of Bulgaria - the children.NASO expresses its appreciation and support for all implemented...
On June 3, 2016 in the National Office of NASO the second national meeting of directors of Mother and Baby Shelter Service was held. NASO has initiated this circle of meetings and the first of them was held at the end of January 2016 in Plovdiv city. The goal of the meetings is discussing the role of the service to support pregnant women and mothers at risk to abandon their children as well as drawing general proposals for changes, which would optimize the work and raise the service quality. The participants shared years of experience and pointed out the main challengers, issues and good practices...
On May 26 and 27 2016 in the Sochi Hall of Nesebar a workshop on „ Social Rehabilitation and Integration Centers work with disabled children”, organized by the municipality of Nesebar as NASO representation and Rehabilitation and Integration Center “Slanchitse, was held. Social workers from different Social Rehabilitation and Integration Centers in the country, including from Varna, Stara Zagora and Yambol attended the workshop.Ms Radostina Pireva, Head of Social Care and Services Department of Nesebar Municipality and NASO representative and Ms. Elena Varimezova, Director of...Workshop on “Emergency admission in Social Support Center as a service inside the service” in Burgas
On May 19, 2016 in Social Support Centre - Burgas a workshop on "Emergency admission to Social Support Center as a service inside the service. Current Emergency Admission position and necessity within provision of services for children at risk” was held. NASO representation for Burgas – Social Support Center, with the support of the municipality of Burgas, hosted and organized the exchange of experience. Social workers from Social Support Centers providing emergency admission services across the country, as well as representatives of NGOs, attended the meeting.Ms Maya Kazandzjieva,...
On May 19, 2016 in the building of Ruse University a meeting of representatives of Ruse University "Angel Kanchev" and National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) was held and meeting participants finalized the papers for the University membership in NASO. Prof. Dr. Velizara Pentcheva, University Rector and Georgi Georgiev, NASO president signed the documents.On behalf of the University Prof. Dr. Diana Antonova, Deputy Rector, Assoc. Prof. Alex Nunev, speaker in "Public Health and Social Services", Katya Petrova, Head of Social Activities Department of Ruse Municipality and on behalf of...
On May 19, 2016 in Ruse University "Angel Kanchev" a discussion on the problems of people with disabilities - a joint initiative of the Social Worker Club at Ruse University "Angel Kanchev", Healthcare and Social Activities Directorate of Ruse Municipality and National Alliance for social responsibility, was held. The discussion topic was "Together for diversity, tolerance and non-discrimination". Assoc. Prof. Alex Nunev, president of the Club and speaker of Public Health and Social Activities Department, moderated the meeting. Prof. Dr. Diana Antonova, Deputy Rector, Georgi Georgiev, NASO...
On May 11, 2016 in Razgrad an advisory meeting on Social Services - a joint initiative of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) and the Agency for Social Assistance (ASA), was held. The national advisory meeting is held monthly and for the second consecutive year, it provides an opportunity for social experts to discuss specific problems, provides assistance and methodological support to the service providers and teams of social services. In 2016 ASA accepted NASO’s proposal to carry out the meetings in different cities of the country.This reception was realized with the active...
On May 10, 2016 in the city of Targovishte a national conference "Quality of Social Services. Quality Management Systems. Challenges and Solutions ", organized by Targovishte Association for Mental Health (TAMH)- representative of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) for Turgovishte District, and in partnership with the municipality of Targovishte and NASO, was held. The event was part of the program of the 239th Traditional Spring Fair - Targovishte 2016, which helped gaining higher visibility and raising awareness of social service quality. The conference provided a platform for...On April 27, 2016 at the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (MLSP) a meeting of the interdepartmental working group that is developing a DI plan of elderly and disabled people care was held. National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) attended the meeting as a regular member of the group. Ms. Elena Kremenlieva, Director of "Social Inclusion" Directorate opened the meeting. The agenda focused on discussing the plan and comments received by the organizations and institutions involved in the working group.
The attendants formulated different views on the planned measures and strategies and...
The Disability Leaders of Tomorrow (D-LoT) e-learning hub (http://dlot.eu/) is now launched! The D-LoT e-learning hub is an informational and interactive environment for the project participants: 15 mentors and 15 mentees from 15 countries. In time it will be deployed as the EASPD’s e-learning hub and will continue providing online training and training materials and resources for the disability provision sector beyond the project’s lifetime. On behalf of Bulgaria experts of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) and Agency of Social Development “Vision” are...On April 20, 2016 in Chisinau, Moldova Mr. Georgi Georgiev, president of National Alliance for Social Responsibility, participated as a regular member in the meeting of EASPD Board. The Board discussed wide range of matters relating to organizational and financial issues of EASPD work. Board members reviewed different documents related to EASPD activities in Europe on topics, such as education for people with disabilities, early childhood intervention, work conditions of health and social workers in the social services sector, information on various studies of individual projects and others. The...
On April 21 and 22, 2016 representatives of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) and NASO members attended international conference “Growing together: from grassroots initiatives to national strategies in early-childhood intervention” in Moldova. The conference was organized by EASPD in cooperation with the Alliance of Organisations for People with Disabilities from Moldova (AOPD) and with the support of EurlyAid and Zero Project. By bringing together various stakeholders in the ECI field, the conference took a critical look at the development of national strategies...
On April 21 and 22, 2016 for the sixth consecutive year the Complex for Social Services for Children and Adults in Yambol hosted a meeting from the Stronger Together cycle. National Alliance for Social Responsibility supports the organization of those meetings for third year. The agenda on the first day included a meeting of NASO members from Southeast Bulgaria and a workshop on working documentation, procedures and rules for social services administration and management, while theme of the second day was Hidden violence in the family. Vessela Banova, psychologist, psychoanalyst, a member of BSLP...
On April 21, 2016 the representation of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) for the district of Yambol - Complex for Social Services For Children And Adults, organized a workshop on working documentation, procedures and rules for the administration and management of social services. The meeting was part of a two-day agenda of the National initiative "Stronger Together which is realized for the sixth consecutive year and during last three years is organized with the support of NASO. The slogan "Sharing best practices - a way to improve the quality of social services" unites those...
On April 21, 2016 the Complex for Social Services for Children and Adults in the city of Yambol hosted a working meeting of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) members from Southeast Bulgaria. The meeting was part of a two-day agenda of the National initiative "Stronger Together which is realized for the sixth consecutive year and during last three years is organized with the support of NASO. Legislation changes and new challenges in the field of social support was the main topic of the discussion. Besides NASO members from the districts of Sliven, Yambol, Burgas, representatives of...
On April 15 and 16, 2016 the New Bulgarian University in the city of Sofia hosted a conference on "Social Entrepreneurship - good practices and educational prospects", organized by the department of Philosophy and Sociology, MA Program on Social Entrepreneurship and with the support of the Central Fund of Strategic Development to the Board of the Curricul Fund at MA Faculty. The two-day public conference gathered students, speakers and social business representatives.Members of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) made key presentations on the topic. Social Services Complex "St....On April 21, 2016 at the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (MLSP) a meeting of the National Council for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities (NCIPD) was held whereas National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) participated as a regular member. Lazar Lazarov, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy, opened the meeting and presented the agenda that included a discussion of the draft Law on Natural Persons and Support Measures (supported decision making). Verginiya Micheva, Deputy Minister of Justice, experts from MLSP and other governmental institutions, representatives of...
On April 12, 2016 in Veliko Tarnovo a meeting between representatives of Veliko Tarnovo University "St. Cyril and Methodius" and National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) was held. An agreement on partnership and cooperation signed by the University rector Prof. Dr. Christo Bondzholov and Georgi Georgiev, NASO president, was the main focus of the meeting. On behalf of the University the leading party for the contract realization would be the Economic Faculty. The areas of collaboration cover a wide range of activities, such as exchange of information, experience and best practices,...On April 12, 2016 in Veliko Tarnovo regular meeting of the Board of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) was held. Besides current matters related to NASO work, the Board adopted a decision for NASO Annual 2016 Awards in Municipalities category and accepted the newest members, joined NASO right before the XI National Forum of Social Service Providers. Board also reviewed and made assessment on the organization of both national forums in Veliko Tarnovo on April 13 and 14, 2016 and in Varna that would be held from June 8 to 10, 2016.
On April 12, 2016 in the building of Veliko Turnovo Municipality a working meeting between Gancho Karabadzhakov, deputy mayor of Veliko Turnovo, Rositsa Dimitrova, director of Social Activities and Healthcare Directorate, Margarita Sarieva, director of Center for Social Rehabilitation and Integration and NASO representative for Veliko Turnovo District, Franz Wolfmayr, EASPD president and Georgi Georgiev, EASPD Board member and NASO President was held. The hosts presented the wide specter of social activities of Veliko Turnovo and underlined the development of social activities, initiatives and...
On April 12, 2016 as a part of the program of the XI National Forum Of Social Service Providers Mr. Franz Wolfmayr, President of the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD), visited the representation of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) in Veliko Tarnovo – Center for social rehabilitation and integration for elderly and disabled persons over 18 years old. Margarita Sarieva, representative of NASO for Veliko Tarnovo and director of the Center presented their work on NASO mission, including a wide range of activities for support to NASO...
During the XI National Forum of Social Service Providers held on April 13 and 14, 2016 in the city of Veliko Tarnovo, the winners of NASO National Awards for Contribution to the Social Development of Bulgaria in Municipalities Category were also announced during a special awarding ceremony. The cities of Sofia, Varna, Burgas, Devin, Pazardzhik, Plovdiv, Karnobat, Veliko Turnovo and Ruse are holders of NASO Grand Award in previous years. The municipalities of Veliko Turnovo and Ruse as holders of NASO Grand Award in 2015 were hosting the 2016 ceremony and co-organizing the XI National Forum of...
On April 13 and 14, 2016 in the city of Veliko Turnovo the XI National Forum of Social Service Providers was held. It was organized by National Alliance for Social Responsibility in traditional partnership with the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD), National Association of Municipalities of R Bulgaria (NAMBR), Municipality of Veliko Turnovo and Municipality of Ruse. The extremely significant question about $ “Challenges in front of local authorities during the new programming period” was the leading...
In the beginning of April 2016 TDPZ – NASO representation for the District of Targovishte, held a series of meetings and discussions in the smaller locations of the district. The common topic of all meetings was “Sustainable partnership for effecting and working local social policies”. These meetings are part of NASO representation 2016 programme and aim to increase the cooperation between the three important pillars of each municipality – local authority, government and non-governmental sector. The meetings were help in the municipalities of Omurtag, Popovo, Antonovo and...National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) was included in a cross-institutional working group developing a draft of an action plan in the period from 2016 to 2020 for deinstitutionalization of care for adults and persons with disabilities. On April 7, 2016 in the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy NASO took part in the first meeting of the working group. All group members, representatives of the Council of Ministers, Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Regional Development and Welfare, National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria...
On April 7, 2016 the representation of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) for Plovdiv District – the Social Services Complex for children and families (SSCCF) in the city of Plovdiv, hosted a meeting of the Social Service Advisory Center. The Social Service Advisory Center is a joint initiative of NASO and Agency of Social Assistance (ASA) that is organized every month. The meetings provide an opportunity to discuss and solve practical issues and provides support and methodological assistance for service providers and their teams. Ms. Tanya Parvanova, chief expert in Child...On March 28, 2016 in the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy a discussion meeting on Corporate Social Responsibility – achievements and challenges was held. Team members of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) together with members of the Economic and Social Committee (ESC) and employers’ and workers organizations, NGOs, Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, National Committee of Corporate Management, Association of Directors for Relations with Investors in Bulgaria, Bulgarian Network of UN Global Contract, Bulgarian Stock Exchange, University of National and World...
On March 28, 2016 in the National Parliament of Republic of Bulgaria a round table – discussion on the Integration Problems of Persons with Disabilities in Bulgaria was held. The meeting is organized by members of the Bulgarian Parliament. Members of the Parliament, representatives from the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, Agency for Persons with Disabilities, nationally represented organizations for and of persons with disabilities, including of National Alliance for Social Responsibility and other NGOs working in this sector attended the meeting.Dr. Sultanka Petrova, a Parliament...
On March 31 and April 1, 2016 National Alliance for Social Responisibility (NASO) attended a forum on social entrepreneurship in the city of Plovdiv. The forum agenda included a series of presentations regarding the development of social entrepreneurship in different European and other countries. Wide range of experience, practices, ideas and models for social entrepreneurship development were discussed. The discussion strongly confirmed that a legal framework providing conditions for social entrepreneurship in Bulgaria is highly needed, including of its implementation approaches, wide spectrum of...
On March 30, 2016 in the city of Stara Zagora a practical conference on Social Services for Children with Generalized Development Issues: Challenges for Sustainable Development was held. The conference was organized by Alternative 55 Civil Association – a representation of National Alliance of Social Responsibility for Stara Zagora. Almost 50 social experts from Burgas, Nesebar, Pomorie, Kazanlak, Karnobat, Cherven bryag, Plovidv and Stara Zagora attended the event. They were welcomed by Dr. Antonia Todorova, head of Health Care and Social Activities Department of Stara Zagora Municipality...On March 29, 2016 in the city hall of Vidin a international meeting of East Social Network was held. The forum was organized by National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO-Bulgaria) through its representation in Vidin – Support for Realization Foundation with the support of the local authorities of Vidin and in partnership with Dobro Drvo Association, Zaichar Initiative Foundation, Red Cross-Zaichar and Rotary Club-Zaichar. Wide spectrum of participants – representatives of local authorities from the district, specialists and teams of social services, non-governmental...
As a part of NASO annual programme, on March 25th, 2016, in the building of Razgrad Municipality, a meeting between the team of NASO and Dr. Valentin Vasilev, Mayor of Razgrad, was held. The meeting was attended by Mr. Georgi Georgiev, President of NASO, the two representatives of NASO in the region of Razgrad, and namely Mrs. Valentina Velikova, Manager of a Day Care Center for persons with disabilities "Give me your hand", and Mr. Rosen Avramov, Director of the NGO "Janeta", as well as by Mr. Erdinch Hassanov, Deputy Mayor of Razgrad Municipality. The meeting aimed at establishing contacts with...
On March 24, 2016. the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy a regular meeting of the interinstitutional working group on social economy, which is drafting a law on social economy/social entrepreneurship was held. National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) also participated in the meeting, which was opened by Mrs. Teodora Todorova, an expert in the State Department "Life standard, demographic development, policies and strategies"of the the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy. Mrs. Todorova presented to the participants the meeting's objectives, namely the discussion of the first version of...
On March 23, 2016 in Pazardzhik a training workshop on Mobile work in social services was held. The training was organized by the representation of the National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) for the region of Pazardzhik - Crime Prevention Fund IGA, in cooperation with the municipality of Pazardjik. Experts and team members of social services across the country attended the training. Traning speakers were Ms. Valentina Gesheva, CPF – IGA and regional representative of NASO for Pazardzhik and Ms. Viara Smilenova – regional coordinator of the Agency for Social Sssistance for...
On March 22, 2016 in Sofia an International Conference on "Equality of people with disabilities. Achievements and practices" was held. The event was part of the Bulgarian chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. The Forum was attended by a high-ranking representatives from Bulgarian and European institutions and experts from over 12 countries involved in the discussions. Mr. Gianluca Esposito, Director of Equality and human dignity, Council of Europe, Mr Dimitrios Nikolski, Chairman of the Special Committee of the Council of Europe on the rights of persons with...On March 17, 2016 in the Dobrich municipality a meeting between Mr. Georgi Georgiev, President of the National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) and Mr. Yordan Yordanov, Mayor of Dobrich was held. Dr. Emilia Baeva, Deputy Mayor on Humanitarian activities, the team members of Humanitarian Activities Directorate and the new representative of NASO for Dobrich– Mrs. Albena Doneva also took part in the meeting. During the discussion characterized by an extraordinary heartiness and mutual respect, Mr. Georgiev congratulated Mr. Yordaanov for his electoral success and wished him and his new...
On March 17, 2016 in Dobrich National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) held a series of meetings. A new representation of NASO in Dobrich in the area of social services and development was approved and appointed. Daycare center for persons with disabilities and Center for social rehabilitation and integration will have the role of the second representation of NASO in Dobrich. Manager of both services and a new representative of NASO in Dobrich is Mrs. Albena Doneva. Mrs Doneva is an established expert in the field of social services and has worked in different structures of the social...
On March 15, 2016 Petia Markova, Social Services and Development Coordinator of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) and Mrs. Petya Dolapchieva, Deputy Mayor of Vratsa held a working meeting. Ms. Galya Cvetanova, Director of Health, social and youth activities Directorate of Vratsa municipality also participated in the meeting. During the meeting NASO mission objectives and tasks within social services and development were presented, including of NASO’s work on legal changes, other initiatives and activities for social services quality improvement, as well as improving the...
On March 15, 2016, in Vratsa municipality a regional forum on "Interinstitutional partnership as a guarantee of quality of social services", organized by the National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) in partnership with Vratsa municipality was held. As the Bulgarian largest organization for people with disabilities, bringing together nearly 1000 regional sructures, local authorities and organisations, NASO presented its work on leading topics and activities at European, national and regional level aimed at the development of social policies and support services to improve the...
On 10 and 11 March 2016 in Sofia the International Conference entitled "Legal capacity and access to justice for people with intellectual disabilities" was held. The Forum was organized by the National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO), the partners in project AJuPID, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of labour and social policy (MLSP), Bulgarian Center for not-for-profit law (BCNP) and the Bulgarian Association for persons with intellectual disabilities (BAPID). The Conference was attended by a wide range of interested on the subject parties of Bulgaria – representatives of the criminal...On February 29, 2016, at the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, a meeting of the working group preparing a Draft Law on Social Economics / Social Entrepreneurship took place, in which Georgi Georgiev, President of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO), participated as well. The agenda was presented by Teodora Todorova, State Expert at the Living Standards, Demographic Trends, Policies and Strategies Department of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, and namely, a discussion on the social economics plan for 2016-2017, the adoption of a working plan of the interdepartmental...
On February 25, 2016 in the city of Bansko, a regular meeting of the Board members of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) took place. NASO team members working in various fields took part in the meeting as well. The main topics discussed were related to current tasks and events in the social sphere of NASO’s work. At the same time, the Board reviewed the main activities of the organization scheduled for the first half of the year and in accordance with the long-term and annual plan for work of NASO. In a greater detail, the events related to national and European events were...
On February 25 and 26, 2016 the representation of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) in Bansko - Day Care Center “Zornitsa”, hosted an exchange of experience of the social services “Day Care Center for children with disabilities” and “Day Care Center for adults with disabilities”. Social service specialists and managers from throughout the whole country attended the event. The participants were welcomed by Maya Stoiceva, Head of the Humanitarian Activities Department of the Municipality of Bansko. Ms. Stoiceva pointed out that she highly...In correspondence with its objectives to motivate, stimulate and promote the good experience and practices in socially responsible policies, social services and activities in Bulgaria, National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) is giving annual awards for contributions to the social development of Bulgaria in four categories - "Municipalities", "Corporations", "NGOs" and "Art and culture".In connection with the forthcoming awarding of the annual awards for active contributions to the social development of Bulgaria in 2016 in the Municipalities category, which will take place on April 13,...
On February 18, 2016, at the building of Haskovo Municipality, a meeting between Georgi Georgiev, President of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO), and Dobri Belivanov, Mayor of Haskovo, was conducted. Mr. Georgiev congratulated Mr. Belivanov on his success at the elections and his intentions for implementing an active social policy at the Municipality of Haskovo. Additionally, Mr. Georgiev wished success to the whole team of the Municipality both in terms of developing a strong social sector and the entire conduction of activities during the current mandate. Mr. Georgiev outlined...
On February 18, 2016, in the city of Haskovo, a regional meeting on the topic “Perspectives for the development of social services in the region of Haskovo in the period 2016 – 2020” was held. The forum was organized by National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) with the support of the Municipality of Haskovo. Representatives of local authorities from Haskovo region, the Regional Social Assistance Directorate as well as social services took part in the event. The participants were welcomed by Milena Trendafilova, Deputy Mayor of Haskovo Municipality, Georgi Georgiev,...On February 12, 2016, a meeting between Plamen Nankov, Vice President of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria, and Georgi Georgiev, President of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO), was held. It was aimed at setting clear goals of the partnership between the two organizations in order to conduct more active and effective activities within the broad spectrum of topics on which they work on national and local levels. The opportunities for exchange of information, analyses, intellectual products, expertise, common initiatives, activities and projects were commented...
On February 11, 2016, the monthly Advisory Center meeting of social services implemented with the support of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) and the Agency for Social Assistance (ASA) took place. The topic of the discussion held was the work of Care homes for elderly people and the social services for elderly people in general. The questions to the ASA experts were mainly related to the problems in the work of the specialists and the services for elderly people, e.g. the issue on taxes that are to be paid by the users of social services. Suggestions for improvements were made...
On February 11, 2016, a meeting between Valentina Georgieva, Executive Director of the Employment Agency, and Georgi Georgiev, President of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO), took place. The objective was to discuss the means for improving the employability of persons with disabilities on the open labor market. Mr. Georgiev presented the practices implemented by NASO in the last few years, the experience gained as a result of the successful realization of European projects related to employment on the open labor market within the active European partnership and participation in...
On February 10, 2016, at an invitation of the Association of Industrial Capital in Bulgaria, a meeting between Georgi Georgiev, President of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO), and Rositsa Yankova of the Association of Industrial Capital in Bulgaria, was held. It was stressed that partnership in various fields should be developed, including in terms of projects, information, analysis and expertise exchange, corporate social responsibility development and provision of employment opportunities for persons with disabilities on the open labor market, looking for innovative solutions...
On February 9, 2016, a meeting between Georgi Georgiev, President of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) and Ivaylo Ivanov, Executive Director of Agency for Social Assistance (ASA), was conducted. During the meeting, the partnership between the two structures in 2015 was commented on and mutual content regarding the common activities held was expressed, whereby suggestions for a partnership in 2016 were made and agreed on. The already established practice related to conducting Social Service Advisory Center meetings and the ASA support in order to improve the capacity of social...
On February 10, 2016, a meeting between Georgi Georgiev, President of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) and Nikolay Nikolov, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policy, took place. It was dedicated to NASO’s efforts for the provision of a normative basis for social entrepreneurship development and a legal regulation of social enterprises in Bulgaria. Various topics on the development of social entrepreneurship were commented on, whereby it was agreed on that through this sector the social support and life in the county in general would significantly improve, including that...
On February 9, 2016, a meeting between Georgi Georgiev, President of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) and Galab Donev, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policy, was held. It was mainly related to the 2016 work plans of NASO for the development of corporate social responsibility and the implementation of new models of employment for persons with disabilities, i.e. supported employment. Thanks to the partnership of NASO and the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy in 2015, supported employment forms part of the Bulgarian legislation, i.e. of the Law on Employment Promotion and the...
On February 9, 2016, in the building of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, the first 2016 meeting of the National Council for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities was held. National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) took part in the event as a regular member of the Council. The Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policy Lazar Lazarov chaired the meeting. Galab Donev, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policy, presented the recommendation of the Ministry for introducing an expertise on employability for persons with disabilities at a working age. The Deputy Minister of...
On February 4, 2016, at “Peroto” Club in the city of Sofia, the information webplatform of NGOs in Bulgaria (ngobg.info) gave its annual awards for the sixth time. The event took place with the support of the National Palace of Culture. The awards represent a recognition of the efforts of those civil society organizations on the platform, which regularly inform the readers about their activities, events, achievements, research, state their position, defend the rights of those they work for in an open and transparent way, and through the webplatform, try to attract other people to their...
On January 29, 2016, at the Central Military Club in the city of Sofia, a conference on the topic “The Child – National Priority”, dedicated to the achievements and challenges in developing a child protection system in Bulgaria in accordance with the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, was held. It was organized by the State Agency for Child Protection and the Institute for Public Policy as a part of a series of initiatives dedicated to the 15th anniversary of the State Agency for Child Protection.The Deputy Prime Minister, Ivaylo Kalfin, the Mayor of...
On January 27, 2016, in the Municipality of Targovishte, the representation of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO), i.e. Targovishte Association for Mental Health, made a public report of its activities conducted in 2015. Dr. Elena Marinova, Chairperson of the Association, welcomed the participants in the meeting and expressed her gratitude for their empathy by stating that transparency was accumulating trust, empathy and support, breaking barriers, and winning new supporters and partners. The transparency of social services was a condition for overcoming the stigma of society's...
On January 26, 2016, in the city of Veliko Tarnovo, a meeting between specialists from the social services “Center for Social Rehabilitation and Integration” and “Day Care Center” took place. The event was hosted by the representation of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) in the region of Veliko Tarnovo, i.e. Center for Social Rehabilitation and Integration for Adults and Persons with Disabilities over 18 years. More than 30 social service specialists from the social services in the cities of Russe, Razgrad, Veliko Tarnovo, Polski Trambesh, Pavlikeni,...
On January 21, 2016, in the city of Plovdiv, a meeting on the topic “The role of social services in protecting the children’s interest” took place. The event was hosted by the representation of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) in the region of Plovdiv, i.e. Complex for Social Services for Children and Families. The discussion within the meeting was divided in two panels, whereby the first one was focused on the social service “Mother and baby unit” and the second one was dedicated to the social services for children in the context of the Draft Law on...On January 12, 2016, in the building of the Municipality of Varna, the first meeting of social service providers in the city of Varna took place. It was organized by the Social Service Department of the Municipality of Varna and the Social Service and Housing Policy Standing Committee of the Municipality Council – Varna. The participants in the meeting were welcomed by Dr. Lidia Marinova, Vice-Chairperson of the Municipality Council – Varna and Chairperson of the Social Service and Housing Policy Standing Committee. The work of the Municipality on the 2015 social programme was...
On January 15, 2016, in the city of Sofia, an international conference on the topic “Children’s rights are our concern” took place, organized by one of the leading members of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO), i.e. “For Our Children” Foundation. The conference was held as a part of the project “The media, the business and I for our children”. Representatives of NASO took part in the event as well. The participants were welcomed by Maxim Behar, President of “For Our Children” Foundation, who also made a brief presentation of the...
On January 14, 2016, in the city of Sofia, the first Social Service National Advisory Center meeting in 2016 took place. It was organized by National Alliance for Social Responsibilty (NASO) and the Agency for Social Assistance (ASA), and it gave an opportunity for methodological counseling and support for increasing the capacity of specialists and social service providers. During the meeting held, questions related to the procedure of taking a child out of a service, which does not correspond to its needs, and hence, of the child’s placement within a more suitable community service, were...
Since January 1st, 2016, National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) has become a regular member of the legal non-profit organizations’ quota of the National Council of Child Protection at the State Agency for Child Protection. NASO has been elected in the period 4th – 17th December 2015 following an election list. The legal non-profit persons’ mandate within the National Council for Child Protection is two years, i.e. from 1st January 2016 until 1st January 2018. The National Council for Child Protection is a structure within the State Agency for Child Protection with...
On December 11, 2015, in the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, a meeting of the National Council on Social Inclusion was held. National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) is a regular member of the Council. The meeting was opened by Mr. Ivaylo Kalfin, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labor and Social Policy. The agenda included a discussion on the implementation of the national strategy for reducing the number of people living in poverty by 260,000 people by the end of 2020 and also four subgoals.Within the discussion, a review of the dynamics of the indicators of poverty and social...
On December 12, 2015, in the city of Troyan, a closing annual meeting of the representations of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) was held. The meeting was opened by Mr. Georgi Georgiev, President of NASO, made an assessment of the implementation of the adopted strategic goals and objectives of NASO through the program of events realized in 2015, and pointed out that in 2016 the way to support the members and structures of NASO would remain at a local level, through regional and local forums, workshops, seminars and trainings. Therefore, a draft annual program of NASO for 2016 was...On December 12, 2015 in the town of Troyan a regular meeting of the Board of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) was held. The agenda included a review of NASO Annual Program for year 2015 and information about tasks pending to be completed until the end of the year. A preliminary report on 2015 budget was discussed and NASO budget for 2016 with the main areas, corresponding to the work of the Alliance for the next year, was approved. Along with the budget, the Board discussed and approved NASO annual work program for 2016. The new structure of NASO team was also approved and...
On December 11, 2015 in the municipality of Troyan a meeting between Mr. Georgi Georgiev, President of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) and Ms. Donka Mihaylova, Mayor of Troyan Municipality was held. During the meeting, Mr. Georgiev expressed his and NASO gratitude for the kind hospitality of Troyan Municipality for last annual events of NASO and shared his good impression by the social services visited within some of these events. It was pointed out that Troyan approach as a small town for social services development with own funding and contracting these services for provision...
On December 10 and 11, 2015, in the town of Troyan, a practical training on “Integrated services – model, legal grounds, needs and opportunities”, organized by National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO), took place. Ms. Petya Demireva, Expert and Methodist in the fields of social policies, services and assistance, as well as Director of the social service bureau “Humanity and longevity” Ltd, was the main lecturer of the training. Representatives of social services and NGOs from Varna, Nessebar, Silistra, Razgrad, Targovishte, Lovech, Vidin, Nikopol, Pleven,...On December 9, 2015, in Brussels, Belgium, a work meeting between Georgi Georgiev, President of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO), and Luk Zelderloo, Secretary General of the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD), which was focused on the partnership between the two organizations in 2015 and the common work in 2016, was held. It was confirmed that on 10th – 11th March 2015 NASO would host the European conference on the topic “Access to justice for persons with intellectual disabilities”, organized by NASO, EASPD and...
On December 9, 2015, in Brussels, Belgium, a seminar on “The European Semester as a mechanism for implementing the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities”, organized by the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD), took place. Representatives of the European Commission and experts from various structures of the EU as well as representatives of organizations of persons with disabilities from all European countries took part in the event, whereby the Bulgarian non-governmental sector was represented by National Alliance for Social...
On December 8, 2015, in Brussels, a Board meeting of the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD) was held, in which Georgi Georgiev, President of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO), took part as a regular member of the Board. The main task of the meeting held was to adopt the EASPD budget plan for 2016, whereby some inter-organizational questions were also discussed. The studies, organized by EASPD, about social service staff and financial sustainability of the social service providers were commented on as well. Furthermore, a final version...
On December 7 and 8, 2015, in Brussels, on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, a conference on the topic “Growing together in a barrier-free Europe” was held. The event was organized by the European Commission and the European Disability Forum. National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) participated in the conference representing Bulgaria and the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD). The conference panels of discussion were primarily focused on children and youth with disabilities. Presentations on the...On December 4, 2015, at Sofia Grand Hotel in the city of Sofia, a final conference on the European Year of Development 2015 in Bulgaria took place, in which representatives of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) also participated. The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union suggested 2015 as the European Year of Development under the motto “Our world. Our dignity. Our future”. Together with all member states, Bulgaria participated in that initiative through various activities jointly with the governmental, non-governmental, academic and private sector...
Assoc. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Nikola Dobrev, Chairperson of the Board of Directors and the Supervisory Board of KCM 2000 Group, which is among the leading corporate members of National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO), is the winner of the prize “Mister Economics” in 2015. The award was given by the Bulgarian Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, at a ceremony in Marinela Hotel in Sofia. The Mister and Missis Economics prizes are being awarded by the Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria. The competition itself has been the most prestigious economic forum for the last 20...In this week, NASO members in the whole country are conducting a series of events dedicated to the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. In this respect, NASO is expressing its empathy, appreciation and support to their work as well as gratitude for their dedication to the mission for achieving a higher quality of life of persons with disabilities.We are supporting our members not only during common events dedicated to this day, but also in our daily work and in the intention to provide qualitative social services leading to a real impact on improving the lives of persons with...
On December 2, 2015, shortly before the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3, a discussion, organized by National Alliance for Social Responsibility (NASO) and Agency for Social Assistance (ASA), took place. The topic was “Services for Persons with Disabilities”, whereby NASO and ASA experts discussed questions related to the support of children and persons with disabilities. The topic and the forum conducted were a message to all institutions and organizations engaged with problems of persons with disabilities as well as to all members of society, and namely...
On November 23 and 24, 2015, in Bratislava, Slovakia, a European conference, organized by the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD) and in partnership with TENENET - a regular member of EASPD, and their partners - Norwegian organizations working in the disability sector, was conducted. The main topic of the conference was the professional and social integration of young people with disabilities, whereby a broad spectrum of questions was raised as well, among which were poverty and employment, supported employment for young people, youth policies, etc.,...
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