The National Network for Children (NNC) has released a comprehensive evaluation assessing the performance of the state in caring for children over the past fifteen years. According to Maria Brestnichka, the NNC’s report, “Report Card 2026: What Is State’s Average Performance in Caring for Children?,” assigned an overall average score of 3.28 across eight assessed policy areas. The evaluation, conducted by over 40 experts, offers detailed recommendations for improving national policies concerning youth.
Brestnichka highlighted that child well-being emerged as the weakest sector, receiving a score of 2.96. This low rating encompasses critical components such as child poverty levels, access to healthcare services, and the quality of education available to young people. She stressed the urgent need for a new, comprehensive policy and strategy framework for children.
In contrast, Bella Damyanova, Coordinator for Children’s Policies at NNC, noted that the social system scored 3.41. However, she pointed to a significant challenge within this area: a shortage of specialized personnel. Furthermore, Georgi Elenkov of NNC addressed the political environment, observing signs of emerging stability within Bulgarian politics.
He cautioned that while stability is visible, the key challenge remains achieving consistent policy implementation and restoring an expert, evidence-based tone within the National Assembly to better support the needs of children.
Topics: #children #average #state
It is concerning that child well-being is cited as the weakest area despite the childcare rating being average.
What specific areas of child well-being were identified as the weakest in the state’s performance?