take on bigger responsibility for the health and needs of children suffering many and serious diseases. In this respect the Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria, in execution of its functions as National Preventive Mechanism, issued an official opinion and recommended that the children and persons in the Home for Children with Mental Retardation "Sveti Nikolay Chudotvorets" in Krushari Village should be urgently transferred to suitable institutions located in district towns and nearby hospitals, having the needed medical specialists and equipment to take proper care of the children. Furthermore, the Ombudsman expressed the position that such treatment of children and people with disabilities demonstrated by officers in specialised institutions can be qualified as cruel, inhuman and degrading in the meaning of the Convention. The same qualification is relevant to the many years of lack of action to reduce the capacity of the home and to secure the provision of the required specialised health care by the Social Aid Agency and the State Agency for Child Protection. It is evident from their reports and compulsory instructions with respect to the quality of the care provided in the home, the living conditions and the cramped capacity in the HCMR in Krushari Village that the problems have been identified, but no measures required to protect the children and the other individuals have been taken. In response to the position of the Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria the state institutions directly engaged with the problems of children with disabilities stated that an update of the assessments of the needs and plans for the care of the children at the hope is upcoming, and that alternative resident services will be sought in the community, where the children can be placed. No steps for urgent transfer of the children and the individuals from the Home for Children with Mental Retardation "Sveti Nikolay Chudotvorets", Krushari Village have been taken to date by the State Agency for Child Protection and the Social Assistance Agency. Education and training During the inspections the NPM team found that the number of children with disabilities who are involved in the educational process increases. Some of the children are educated using Val D'Or pedagogy programme which is aimed at developing the applied skills of the children through work with natural materials, making different paper, wood, clay, etc. figures. Others visit general education or schools for children with special needs. Educational process for the children in the so-called out-of-school classes is also widely used. An example of good practice is the Home for Children with Disabilities in Medven Village. The team of the institution is developing very well a programme using various forms of training. One of them is the out-of-school class at the home. A classroom is equipped for this purpose in the home. 8 children are enlisted in this class and resource teacher having extensive experience is employed. 23