One-time only financial support for the birth of a second child will triple in 2008, from 200 to 600 leva.

Labour Minister Emiliya Maslarova announced that the one-time only financial help extended to Bulgarian parents at the birth of a first child would be risen from 200 to 250 leva in 2008, Dnevnik daily said.

The birth of each consecutive child 200 leva would be extended in financial aid.

The ministry would lower child support to families that do not send their children to school and who use them to create income, the minister announced.
If a child is in school five days per month or less, child support would be lowered from 50 leva to 16.50 leva. If the child does not appear in school at all, the amount would be reduced to 11 leva.
Child support is not completely stopped as the families involved often live in poverty.

For 2008, the budget would set aside 20 million leva for the construction and modernisation of kindergartens, announced the minister. Mothers who would like to work could receive childcare help from the unemployed from the Labour Office for the first 3 years of the child, instead of 2 years was allowed so far.

During that time the unemployed would receive a minimum salary from the government, which in 2008 would be 220 leva.

Together with the Justice Ministry a new law has been prepared. Under the new law a child left at an orphanage would be eligible for adoption if the parents do not collect the child within 12 months, Maslarova said. Data from the ministry shows that only two per cent of children in orphanages do not have parents.

From 2008 the ministry would only provide a glass of milk for children until the fourth grade and would no longer provide breakfast, Maslarova said. This would be in line with European practise. It would be up to municipalities and the schools' board of trustees to provide breakfast.

Social Ministry, Justice Ministry and Internal Affairs Ministry were looking at the legal system for possibilities to take timely measures against parents who send their children to beg, to steal and do not let them go to school.

Labour Ministry started a campaign for responsible parenting. A research published by Alpha Research shows that 84 per cent of those questioned were in favour of stopping child support to irresponsible parents, close to 40 per cent supported the idea to give child support in kind. Around 70 per cent thought that responsibility to look after children has to be shared by the government.