The Next Step Program: fight for irreversibility
The project is a logic continuation of a four year initiative that strives for the introduction of Article 12 standards in the Bulgarian legal system. It focuses on the most strategic stage of legal reform in Bulgaria nowadays – the public debate on the Draft Law on Physical Persons and Support Measures, and aims to secure space for the disability community to promote evidence-based argumentation for its adoption through legislative monitoring activities, awareness-raising campaigns and capacity building initiatives.
Main purpose
The main purpose of the project is to tackle the challenges in the most constructive and systematic way as follows:
￭ Legislative recognition of the legal capacity to act for people with intellectual disabilities and mental health problems that is led by the disability community;
￭ Commitment of various stakeholder groups
￭ Enlargement of the Next Step Program
Specific goals:
• To continue build up specific knowledge on SDM concept among disability communities, professionals and stakeholder groups. Tailored-made trainings, legal articles and scientific researches, media and PR tools will be the main instruments to be used;
• To further promote and communicate the results and impact of the pilot projects and the Next Step program as a whole in order to secure the wider community acceptance of the new paradigm. This will help not only the advocacy process in Bulgaria but also the global growing community of SDM advocates and practitioners. The main tools that we will use will be public awareness campaigns, international exchange of our experience, monitoring and dissemination of the results of the Program.
Key activities
Activity 1: Continue identifying arguments supporting the reform of legal capacity and providing expert and technical support
Activity 2: Upgrading capacity on SDM concept and reform
• Support the CSOs representing people with disabilities to become the leaders of the process.
• Upgrade of Training Institute instruments and tools on the new formula for legal capacity
Activity 3: Researches and Analyses
• Documenting the know-how of the pilot project teams on SDM piloting
• Mapping sectorial reforms needed to secure the incorporation of SDM concept in various spheres of life
Activity 4: Knowledge dissemination and exchange of experience
• Translating and disseminating materials that had played an important role in the Bulgarian reform.
• Share our experience and knowledge gathered within the Next Step Program and thus will support the worldwide promotion of the values and standards of art. 12 from the UNCRPD.
Timeframe of the project: 1 January 2017 – 31 December 2018
The project is implemented by: Bulgarian Center for Not-for-profit Law (BCNL) in partnership with Global Initiative on Psychiatry (GIP), Bulgarian Association of People with Intellectual Disabilities (BAPID) and Maria’s World Foundation
Financed by: Foundation Open Society Institute, Switzerland
Project budget: 203 987 USD
