Family separation in Roma communities is often more complex, sensitive, and less understood than it first appears. This learning report shares insights from the Solid Ground for Children Social Innovation Lab, an experimental and Roma-led process designed to explore new ways to prevent children from being separated from their families in Bulgaria.
The Lab brought together Roma community leaders, activists, mediators, social workers, researchers, local organisations, and institutions to understand the roots of family separation and test practical responses in real communities. It worked through three connected groups: a national non-geographic Lab and two local Labs in Varna and Kyustendil.
Rather than starting with ready-made solutions, the Lab created space for co-creation, experimentation, and learning by doing. Participants tested small-scale prototypes on issues such as access to prenatal care for uninsured women, support for single parents, women’s economic independence, community leadership, TikTok as a channel for social good, and locally led family support.
The report highlights that preventing separation requires trust, cultural sensitivity, and approaches shaped by the people closest to the issue. It also shows the value of flexible funding, local leadership, and spaces where communities can define problems and test solutions on their own terms.
The Solid Ground for Children programme was led by Spring Impact, with Reos Partners providing social-lab methodology expertise and Open Space Collective supporting the design and facilitation of the Lab process in Bulgaria.