Foreign Children in the Alternative Care System in Poland
Report
- English
- Polish
Highlights
The report Foreign Children in the Alternative Care System in Poland provides an in-depth analysis of the situation of foreign children in Poland’s foster care system, focusing on their pathways into care, living conditions, legal status and access to support. The analysis draws on quantitative and qualitative data, as well as the experiences of public institutions, non-governmental organizations and professionals directly involved in caring for children.
The report identifies key systemic challenges and presents recommendations to improve inter-agency coordination, strengthen family-based care and ensure that foreign children receive appropriate protection and support in line with the principle of the best interests of the child. The absence of a unified registration system and inconsistencies in data collected by different institutions hinder the monitoring of foreign children’s situations and the effective planning of interventions. At the same time, legal, procedural and organizational barriers limit children’s access to stable care, education, healthcare and psychological support.
The report also highlights significant disparities in access to family-based care. The deinstitutionalisation rate among foreign children is approximately 44%, compared with around 77% among children holding Polish citizenship. The lack of a regulated legal status, or of available information on children’s legal circumstances, presents an additional challenge, undermining their stability and making long-term support planning more difficult.
The war in Ukraine has placed additional pressure on the system, contributing to an approximately 40% increase in the number of foreign children in foster care compared with the pre-war period. The report underscores the need to strengthen the coherence of the care system, improve inter-agency cooperation and develop solutions that ensure safe, stable and needs-based care for every child.
The report was commissioned by the UNICEF Refugee Response Office in Poland and authored by Joanna Luberadzka-Gruca, Child Protection Expert.
