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Description
Our project is targeted at young people leaving alternative care (foster care, family-type residential care, etc). The project aims at empowering 210 young people to start successfully their independent life through a new provided service, i.e. Support for an Independent Life. Ove the last years the child protection system in Bulgaria achieved progress with alternative care for children separated from their parents, however, young people leaving care and what happens to them in the first years of their independent life have been left beyond the scope of public policies. These young people, the majority of whom tend to be Roma (more than 60%), are some of the most vulnerable groups of public, disadvantaged compared to their peers who grew up with their biological families. The group of young people who left care is characterized by high unemployment, poverty, social isolation and deviant behaviour. Our project aims at empowering 210 young people for a successful start in life after leaving care. A new innovative service, i.e. Support for an Independent Life, will be introduced. The service will help empower young people leaving care through a tailored package of supportive activities to ensure continuous education, stable employment, regular income, secure housing, good health, responsibility for personal well-being and emotional stability during this period of transition in life. The service will be structured in line with the specific individual needs and preferences, assessed by a team of experts, and it will include counselling with specialists, scholarships for qualification courses and other measures. The direct beneficiaries will be young people aged 16-29, including at least 60% Roma, who leave the care system. .