Services for children and families Mariola Falecka Department of Family Policy Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of the Republic of Poland Prague 6-7 December 2012

Services for children and families The Act of 9 June 2011 on family support and foster care system The Act of 4 February 2011 on care for child under the age of 3 Ministry of Labour and Social Policy

The Act of 9 June 2011 on family support and foster care system Ministry of Labour and Social Policy

“For the well-being of children who are in need of special care and assistance of adults, family- based environment, atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding, in the interest of their harmonious development and self-reliance in future life, to assure protection of the rights and freedoms vested in them, for the well-being of a family, which is the primary social cell and a natural environment of development and for the well-being of all members thereof, notably the children, convinced that effective assistance to a family that experiences difficulties in taking care of and bringing up children and effective protection of children and assistance to them can be achieved through cooperation of all persons, institutions and organisations working with children and parents – the following Act shall be enacted….” The preamble to The Act: Ministry of Labour and Social Policy

What does the Act of 9 June 2011 on family support and foster care system concern? Ministry of Labour and Social Policy Prevention - family supportFamily-based foster careInstitutional foster careGaining independence by adult wardsAdoption

General rules introduced in The Act: The tasks related to providing support to a family that experiences difficulties in the performance of care and education functions and organisation of foster care belong to territorial self-government units and government administration units. The forms of foster care foreseen by the act may also be applied to children of foreigners staying in Poland without any right of stay. Persons assisted in gaining independence have the right to benefits also if they begin education outside the territory of Poland. Ministry of Labour and Social Policy

Prevention Work with a family GMINA Foster families and foster homes Care and education centres Gaining independenc POVIAT Adoption centres Regional care and therapy centres Pre-adoptive intervention centres SELF-GOVERNMENT OF THE VOIVODESHIP Division of competence in terms of organisation of family support and foster care between self-governments Ministry of Labour and Social Policy

Family support and foster cares system Family support Work with a family Assistance in care and education of a child Foster care Family-based foster care Institutional foster care Ministry of Labour and Social Policy

A family may receive support from Gmina in the form of actions taken by: A family assistant and other local institutions that act for a child and a family Day support centresSupporting families Ministry of Labour and Social Policy

A family assistant A family assistant operates in Gmina. Their only responsibility is to provide assistance and work with a family, regardless of actions taken by social workers. The main task of the assistant is not to let the children separate from the family and to take actions addressing the family crisis. For the family assistant’s work to be effective, they may not work with more than 20 families. Ministry of Labour and Social Policy

Tasks of the family assistant provide assistance for families raising children under 18 in solving care and education problems support a family in solving various children care problems, such as baby care, feeding children in various age, care for a child’s development, fulfilment of parental responsibilities in school, etc. apply various methods and techniques enabling the longest possible stay of a child in the family home work not only with adult family members, but also directly with a child are continuously monitoring the child’s situation in a family (e.g. whether parents’ attitudes do not threaten safety of the child) work with the family on the child’s education even if the child had been temporary taken away from the family participate in making decisions concerning the child until reaching the age of majority or adoption by other family take care of a family with care and education problems regardless of the family income. Ministry of Labour and Social Policy

Day support centre a care centre, including interest circles, day-rooms, clubs, educational centres; a specialist centre; open-air work carried out by a tutor. May be operated in the form of: care and education; assistance in learning; organisation of leisure time, entertainment and sport classes and development. A day support centre operated in the form of a care centre provides a child with: organises socio-therapeutic, therapeutic, corrective, compensating and speech therapy classes; implements an individual corrective programme, a psychocorrective or psychopreventive programme, in particular pedagogic, psychological and sociotherapy. A day support centre operated in the form of a specialist centre in particular: Ministry of Labour and Social Policy

Supporting families 1) In order to support a family that experiences difficulties in the performance of care and education functions, a family may be granted assistance of a supporting family. 2) A supporting family, in cooperation with a family assistant, provides help for a family that experiences difficulties in: a)care and education of a child; b)maintenance of its household; c)formulating and fulfilling primary social roles. 3) The scope and the form of assistance is accepted by the supported family. 4) The performance of the supporting family function may be assigned to persons from the child’s direct environment. 5) A supporting family is established by a Voit. 6) Supporting family status is granted by a Voit that is competent for the place of residence of the supported family. Ministry of Labour and Social Policy

Governmemnts programmes to support family and foster care system The act assumes developing and implementing by the minister competent for family a 3 year coverage programmes whose aim is to support local self-government in the development of prevention measures. The programmes offer assistance from the state budget for the implementation of local programmes to support families raising minor children, creating different day-care institutions and centres and training their personnel to be able to early diagnose the child's and its family's situation and to take measures for the benefit of the family. These programmes also serve the self-governments of gminas to prepare competent family assistants. Ministry of Labour and Social Policy

The Act on care for child under the age of 3  to create conditions for the development different forms of care for children under 3 years  to enabling parents to take professional activity (and in particular to facilitate women's return to the labour market after maternity leave)  to promoting early childhood education and equal development opportunities of children  to improve the standards to operation of existing facilities and to improve the quality of services offered Ministry of Labour and Social Policy

Forms of care for small children Nursery Children’s club Daily careerNanny Ministry of Labour and Social Policy

Nurseries  for children from 20 weeks up to 3 years old (in special circumstance up to 4 years)  one caretaker may overlook no more than 8 children, or maximum of 5 children in the case when a disabled child or special care child is under his or her care  children can stay 10 hours a day (in specific situations- longer) Ministry of Labour and Social Policy

Children’s club for children from 1 do 3 years old (in special circumstance up to 4 years) children can stay no longer than 5 hours a day they are a real alternative for State institutions one caretaker may overlook no more than 8 children, or maximum of 5 children in the case when a disabled child or special care child is under his or her care Ministry of Labour and Social Policy

Daily carer A totally new institution introduced by the „nursery act” For children aged from 20 weeks to 3 years old A daily carer may take care of children at his or her home or in the premises provided by the local authorities depending on the premises, may take care of up to 5 children in time. In the case, where at least one of the children is under the age of 1 year or is disabled and requires special care-up to 3 children The function may be fulfilled while remaining at a parental leave Ministry of Labour and Social Policy

Nanny With the new regulations it is easier for the parents to formally hire nannies From the State budget contributions are paid for nanny’s retirement, disability, accident and health insurance The function may be fulfilled while remaining at a parental leave In the first 8 months over 8000 nannies stepped out of the „grey market” Ministry of Labour and Social Policy

Programme „Maluch” Organisation of care for a child under the age of 3 is a task of the local authorities The State provides financial support for projects related to the construction or purchase, adaptation and adjustment of premises intended for nurseries, children’s clubs or permises where daily carers will provide their services As many as 4 thousand new places in child care institutions will be co-financed by the end of 2012 Ministry of Labour and Social Policy

Thank you Ministry of Labour and Social Policy