In December, a new Minister of Justice was appointed in the Bulgarian government, leading to appointments of new deputy ministers in her cabinet, including a newly appointed adoption minster: Velina Todorova.
Spence-Chapin’s partners in Bulgaria attended a joint meeting of accredited Bulgarian adoption agencies in January, where Ms. Todorova shared some thoughts on her new position, including her mission of making adoption procedures (including the process of entering children into the Ministry of Justice register) more efficient. Moving forward, the Deputy Minister has scheduled additional time for the Intercountry Adoption Council to regularly meet, with the intention of making more referrals per meeting session. Overall, Spence-Chapin’s partners in Bulgaria are feeling very positive about this change in the Ministry of Justice, and we will continue to keep families informed of new developments in the program.
