The Cedar Foundation was one of the 10 organisers of the third forum dedicated to social work, which was held on World Social Work Day.
The forum “Courage, Solidarity, Social Work – Bridges in the Modern World” took place on March 18, 2025, in Sofia and gathered more than 200 people – professionals who work in the social sphere and face the most serious problems in Bulgarian society daily. Officials from the Agency for Social Services Quality, the Social Assistance Agency, and the Deputy Mayor of Sofia Municipality in the field of Social Work and Integration of People with Disabilities welcomed the guests at the event. Denitsa Sacheva, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Labour, Social Policy and Borislav Gutsanov, Minister of Labour and Social Policy, also addressed the forum.
Against the backdrop of the seriousness of the profession and the weight that social workers carry, this year’s forum was a true celebration of the courage of people who support those most in need and the solidarity that is necessary for any healthy society.
For the first time this year, a special “Courage, Solidarity, Social Work” certificate was awarded to Maria Silvestar and the team of the “Brigada nov dom” show for their commitment and support to people in need.
Memorable and very personal without violating the professional tone and ethics was the presentation of Dr. Sotirov – a psychiatrist, a well-known “Facebook scandalmonger”, as he defined himself, but also a social worker, as it turned out from the publicly disclosed diploma. The topic of his talk was “Psychiatry vs. Social Work – Dealing with Envy,” and it succeeded in bringing out the human in these professions that confront others’ disintegrations while trying to deal with their integrity.
But what made the whole room laugh with tears and repeat the name of the famous Hollywood legend, Chuck Norris? A little-known anecdote was told by the special guest of the event, actress Iva Todorova, who compared the indomitable social workers to the invincible Chuck Norris. And the difference between them is that one is more famous. 😉
In the second part of the forum, participants were divided into three work streams related to services for children and families, services for people with disabilities, and mental health and healthy ageing and support for older adults, where they had the opportunity to discuss the challenges and workable solutions for each of the topics.
The ending was very encouraging with Minister Gutsanov saying, “It is time for the state to invest in human resources in the social sphere, including raising salaries and improving working conditions for social workers.”
And the forum ended with an open ending because all participants realised how much more needs to be done in order for social policies in Bulgaria to be focused on the people, to work for them and also to preserve the professionals who provide support for the most needy.
The other organizers of the event besides us were the National Network for Children, For Our Children Foundation, International Social Service Bulgaria Foundation, Global Initiative on Psychiatry Foundation, Maria’s World Foundation, SOS Children’s Villages-Bulgaria, National Alliance for Social Responsibility, Concordia Bulgaria Foundation, Know-how Centre for Alternative Care for Children, NBU and Bulgarian Center for Not-for-Profit Law.
