The Social Work Approach as a
Framework to Empower Families and the
Realization of Social Rights
INTRODUCTION
As part of the effort to understand how to increase the accessibility of integrated ECEC services to support families and young children, this report points out some ways social work is used as a tool to achieve this in Poland. The report begins with a brief history of Poland to provide a historical context. The structure of government and the various responsibilities at each level of administration in Poland is highlighted. This is especially important due to the active participation of government agencies in social work in Poland. Some relevant data on the demography in Poland are also stated as background information.
Social policy research is one of the foundations to any social intervention program. Thus the Center for Family Research of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń who is a partner of this program is presented as an example of such research center here in Poland.
Social work and its origin in Poland is discussed. This report goes on to state the principles of social rights in Europe and specifically Poland. The various forms of assistance (benefits) available to enhance social protection and inclusion of vulnerable families and children in Poland are also discussed. Some of the ways social workers and other stakeholders work to provide welfare for many vulnerable people are further discussed. In the latter parts of the report, some challenges facing social work in Poland are enumerated. It ends with a list of proposals to enhance social work in Poland.
BRIEF HISTORY OF POLAND
Poland, due to its location as a bridge between the east and west of Europe has throughout its history contended with many events of geopolitical importance. Poland can be traced back to the settlement of Slavic tribes and was later welcomed to the league of western nations with the conversion to Christianity and baptism of Duke Mieszko I in 966 AD. Gniezno was the host city of the first coronation in 1025. Throughout the 16th century, Poland enjoyed immense cultural, art, and scientific development. Poland as an independent country seized to exist in the late 18th century when it was partitioned by occupying forces till its reconstitution in 1918. Poland after its second reconstitution had to contend with foreign aggressions in 1920 (Soviet forces) and in 1939 (Nazi German and Soviet forces). Poland after the end of the second world war became a communist state under soviet rule. This difficult moment produced a radical change in the borders of Poland and resulted in the reorganization of the population of Poland. The collapse of communism and thus the soviet hold on the sovereignty of Poland was achieved partly through the work of the reform movement (Solidarność) led by Lech Wałęsa in 1989. The first elections of the 3rd Republic ushered in the transition period that led to the capitalist and modern state of Poland. Notably, Poland joined NATO in 1999 and entered the European Union in 2004.
Some Polish citizens are noted worldwide for their contributions to national and world advancement: Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543), astronomer; Frederic Chopin (1810-1849), composer and pianist; Maria Skłodowska-Curie (1867-1934), physicist and chemist; Pope John Paul II (née Karol Józef Wojtyła 1920- 2005); and Lech Wałęsa (1943- ), leader of Solidarność movement and Polish president from 1990 to 1995. The tumultuous nature of Polish history has produced a proud and resilient citizenry and has left a lasting effect on the national identity including approaches to tackling social problems.
GEOGRAPHY OF POLAND
Poland is located in central Europe with a total surface area of 312,685 square km out of which 8,430 square km is water bodies, thus making it the 9th largest European country. It is bordered by several countries: on its north-eastern border are Lithuania and Russia (Kaliningrad); Ukraine and Belarus are to its east; on the south are Slovakia and the Czech Republic; and Germany is at its west.
The Baltic sea borders the northern part of Poland.
Map of Poland and its neighbouring countries
CENTRAL GOVERNMENT OF POLAND
The Republic of Poland is governed as a parliamentary republic. There is the executive branch which comprises of the President (head of state), the Prime Minister (head of government) who is appointed by the President, and the Council of Ministers. The Prime Minister nominates all the ministers for approval by the lower and more powerful chamber of Parliament, Sejm.
The Polish Parliament is bicameral and consists of the Sejm and the Senate. The Sejm has 460 members directly elected for a 4-year term. The Senate has 100 seats with members elected to serve 4-year terms.
The judicial arm of government is headed by the Supreme Court and also includes independent courts and tribunals, the independent Tribunal of State and the Constitutional Tribunal.
Warsaw is the capital city of Poland and is its largest. Other cities of note include Białystok, Bydgoszcz, Gdańsk, Gdynia, Katowice, Kraków, Łódź, Lublin, Poznań, Szczecin, and Wrocław.
ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION OF POLAND
Governance in Poland is administered under three sub-national levels since the Polish local government reforms which were ratified in 1999. The Local Government Organisation Act of 1999 created 16 voivodeships (regions/provinces). Below the voivodeships are the powiats (counties/districts). There are 380 counties among which are 314 rural counties and 66 urban municipalities with county status.
These urban municipalities with the status of counties have more than 100,000 inhabitants. The lowest of the three sub-national levels are the gminas or municipalities of which there are about 2478. Gminas can be classified as rural, urban or mixed. Gminas may also create sub-municipalities within them with their authorities and responsibilities determined by each gmina. In urban municipalities, the sub-divisions are called osiedle/ dzielnica whiles in rural localities they are called sołectwo.
Governance at the voivodeship level is managed by the prefect or governor who is appointed by the prime minister of Poland; the assembly of elected officials called sejmik; and an executive board chosen by the sejmik which is then headed by the marshal of the voivodeship called marszałek województwa.
Map of Poland showing the voivodeships and their respective powiats.
Responsibilities at each administrative level
⚫ Regions, by law are responsible for issues relevant to the whole region such as regional economy, regional public transport, labour, health, public education, and environmental issues.
Regions, thus play relatively lesser role in providing direct public services.
⚫ Counties deal with issues of more local relevance but relatively lesser than that of municipalities. They are responsible for secondary education, public health, job creation and other economic activities (employment offices) and social welfare.
⚫ Municipalities are given the most responsibilities regarding infrastructure development such as roads and public transport, kindergarten and primary education, primary healthcare, public housing and other public utilities, social services such as family benefits, and recreational and cultural activities. Municipalities thus are at the forefront of dealing with a lot of social issues affecting the general public.
Presented below is a table showing some important data on the demography of Poland in 2018 and 2019. This is influencing some social policies that are currently being implemented in Poland.
Demographic Data of Interest in Poland in 2018 Unless Indicated1
Population 38413000
*38406000 January, 2019 estimate
Live births 193400
Live births per 1000 10.1
*10.6 January, 2019 estimate
Total deaths 215100
Infant deaths 800
Marriages 70800
Divorces 33800
1 Source: Główny Urząd Statystyczny, Warsaw, 2018
SOCIAL POLICY RESEARCH IN POLAND
Research into public and social policies involve both public and privately funded organizations.
Issues of social interest such as family, migration and social integration, labour, and gender equality are constantly being studied to guide government policies and programs. In this regard, university research centers play very important role in training students in the field of social research and produce significant research findings. The Center for Family Research of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń is one such research center that specializes in issues related to families.
THE CENTER FOR FAMILY RESEARCH2
The Center for Family Research of the Nicolaus Copernicus University aims to help understand issues related to families through an interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral approach. The center conducts scientific research and offers advisory services. The center works to develop theories related to social policies, social work, and social pedagogy.
Some of the main areas of research interest of the center are:
⚫ The theoretical and practical aspects of integrating services for dysfunctional families.
⚫ Exploratory and comparative research on child and family protection systems.
⚫ Family situations in Poland and Europe.
⚫ Quality of life of families and children in the foster care system.
⚫ Family reintegration particularly return of fostered children to biological families.
⚫ Identifying and analyzing the activities related to social assistance.
⚫ Innovative methods of working with families in crisis.
⚫ Causes of family disintegration and means of supporting marriages in crisis.
⚫ A family-centric approach to social work.
The center has partnered with other international institutions to study the means to increase the access of families especially vulnerable ones to integrated ECEC services.
The Center for Family Research has worked on the Justice policy 2018, a research project that aimed to provide a scientific, comprehensive, and innovative approach to combating the causes of crime.
Ways to provide support and enhance the system of assisting victims of crime and witnesses were also studied under this project.
The center together with other partner institutions is working on a project titled “Cooperation - effective and efficient” with the aim to develop and implement a cooperation model between social assistance and integration institutions and policies of entities from other sectors for urban-rural municipalities.
2 https://rodzina.umk.pl/
SOCIAL WORK IN POLAND
The concept of social work which involves the actions and policies that aim to solve social problems for the common good is not new. Before the second world war, Poland mostly had cooperatives and mutual insurance as dominant actors of social work. These concepts however, received negative connotations during the communist era due to them being used as propaganda tools by the communist government.
Poland has undergone tremendous transformation both in its laws and the general society following the fall of communism and this has equally affected social work.
The growing change in demography due to ageing, low birth rate and migration has created unique conditions that require innovative ideas to address them. These social changes and a growing sense of citizen engagement in social issues has prompted a renewed interest in social work.
Social work in Poland is backed by the Polish government. The post-communist era has seen the introduction of several legislation that has helped to regulate how cooperatives, associations and foundations operate. The Social Assistance Act of 200434 for instance, was enacted to direct how assistance is provided to the public through the collaboration of the central government, local governments and non- governmental organizations (NGOs).
The Act on Public Benefit Activities and voluntary Movement5 was also passed in 2003 to give a legal definition to NGOs and regulate how they interact with government institutions.
The government recognizes the relevancy of these groups and engages in a civic dialogue with them.
NGOs in Poland are supported by the government through the provision of funding options. By law, every Pole or resident of Poland has the option to donate 1% of their personal income tax to any recognized foundation or NGO of their choice.
3 http://www.ilo.org/dyn/natlex/docs/ELECTRONIC/67877/97759/F41320143/D20091362Lj.pdf (accessed on 23/04/2019)
4 https://archiwum.mpips.gov.pl/en/social-assistance/ (accessed on 23/04/2019)
5 http://www.ekonomiaspoleczna.gov.pl/Public,Benefit,and,Volunteer,Work,Act,567.html (accessed on 10/04/2019)
PILLARS OF SOCIAL RIGHTS IN EUROPE6
In order “to reinforce social rights and deliver a positive impact on people’s lives in the short and medium term and enable support for European construction in the 21st century”7, the European Union has called for the establishment of a framework of social rights. This involves 20 core principles under three main categories: Equal opportunities and access to the labour market; Fair working conditions; and Social protection and inclusion.
⚫ Equal opportunities and access to the labour market 1. Education, training and life-long learning
2. Gender equality
3. Equal opportunities for all regardless of gender, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation
4. Active support to employment
⚫ Fair working conditions
5. Secure and adaptable environment 6. Fair wages
7. Employment conditions information and protection upon dismissal 8. Social dialogue and involvement of workers
9. Work- life balance
10. Healthy, safe and well-adapted work environment and data protection
⚫ Social protection and inclusion 11. Childcare and support to children 12. Social protection
13. Unemployment benefits 14. Minimum income
15. Old age income and pensions 16. Health care
17. Inclusion of people with disabilities
6 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/priorities/deeper-and-fairer-economic-and-monetary-
union/european-pillar-social-rights/european-pillar-social-rights-20-principles_en (accessed on 16/04/2019)
7 European Parliament resolution of 19 January 2017 on a European Pillar of Social Rights (2016/2095(INI)
18. Long-term care
19. Housing and assistance for the homeless 20. Access to essential services
SOCIAL RIGHTS AND THEIR ADMINISTRATION IN POLAND
In order to secure these social rights on Polish soil, there is a vertical and horizontal interaction between public institutions as well as private institutions.
At the national level, the executive branch headed by the prime minister, the various ministries, and their departments formulate policies and directives and over-see the work of adjacent and subordinate institutions. The legislative arm and the judiciary also perform the tasks of making and interpreting laws respectively as well as other duties mandated by the constitution. Due to the efforts of decentralization, subordinate institutions under each of these branches exist at the various sub-national administrative levels (Voivodeship, Powiats, Gminas) to ensure that public policies are enacted efficiently. At each sub-national administrative level, there are various institutions which work to produce cohesive social interventions.
In this report, more emphasis will be placed on the social protection and inclusion aspect of these social rights and what policies are being enacted at the various administrative levels of government to ensure these rights are realized.
SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS IN POLAND8
The following part of the report shows in detail the types of support available as part of the social security rights in Poland, who is eligible and what institutions collaborate to provide them at the various administrative levels.
The main categories of these rights are: Family, Health, Social Assistance, Disability, Unemployment, and Old-age and Survivors.
FAMILY
Benefits available for families are sub-categorized into two- family benefits and parenthood benefits.
Family benefits
There are several benefits available to families whenever a child is born till it becomes an adult:
⚫ Family allowance/ supplements.
⚫ One-off childbirth grant.
⚫ Parental benefit.
⚫ Benefit for bringing up a child (500+ program).
⚫ “For life program”- the one-off benefit for pregnant women and their families.
Family allowances are awarded to parents, guardians or non-dependent children who are not minors as long as the income of each member of the family does not exceed a certain amount. The allowance awarded for each child is between 95 PLN to 135 PLN per month depending on the age of each child. Depending on the living conditions of the family, this allowance can be supplemented with other allowances.
A One-off childbirth grant of 1000 PLN is awarded to the parent or guardian of a live-born child if the family income is not more than 1,922 PLN net per person and if the mother had not remained under medical care for more than 10 weeks after giving birth.
Parental benefits are awarded to uninsured parents who do not receive a maternity allowance for a year.
The 500+ program provides monthly allowance of 500 PLN for each second and subsequent child of families with two or more children.
The one-off benefit “For life” is 4000 PLN which is granted to the parent or guardian of a child born with a severe and irreversible disability or an untreatable life-threatening illness formed pre-natal or during birth.
8 https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=1124 (accessed on 18/04/2019)
The public organizations facilitating these family benefits are the offices of regional social welfare centers and sometimes offices of the county social welfare centers.
The Family Policy Department of the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy generally oversees these policies, while they are implemented at the regional and county levels.
Parenthood benefits
These are benefits awarded to the parents who hold the mandatory national health insurance after birth of a new child; adoption of child less than 7 years old; or raising a step-child less than 7 years old. They help improve work-family life balance and ensure child caring responsibilities are shared effectively.
⚫ Maternity allowance and leave: this parenthood benefit entitles a mother to a paid leave of 20 to 37 weeks depending on the number of previous births. 6 weeks of this can be used prior to labour. In the unfortunate case of maternal mortality or abandonment, the father is entitled to this allowance and leave.
⚫ Paternity allowance and leave: the father is awarded a two week paid leave and this can be taken up to two years after the birth of the child.
⚫ Parental allowance and leave: this is at least 8 weeks and is awarded to both parents. It is awarded after the end of the maternity leave.
A family with a new child can enjoy potentially a total of 54 weeks of family leave from work. The Social Insurance Institute (ZUS)9 in the relevant municipality of the parents processes these benefits.
The Department of Labour Law and the Department of Social Insurance of the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy10 and the national headquarters of the Social Insurance Institute (ZUS) supervised these policies at the national level.
HEALTH
All residents of Poland are entitled to health care and anyone covered by health insurance enjoys it for free. The right to free health care covers workers, children, students, pensioners, the unemployed and the self-employed. An employer is mandated to send a contribution on behalf of the employee to cover this free health care. Universities are responsible for the contribution of students, children share the coverage of their parents, and the unemployed and pensioners are covered by national funds. The self-employed have to make their own declaration. Healthcare whether free or through supplemental private insurance, offers people access to hospitals, general practitioners, specialist doctors, subsidized drugs, dentists and other health needs.
9 https://lang.zus.pl/en/
10 https://www.gov.pl/web/rodzina/biura-i-departamenty
The National Health Fund11 is responsible for managing the finances of the health benefits in Poland.
The Ministry of health is responsible for the overall policy direction of health care in Poland.
There is also the Commissioner for Patients' Rights12 who guards and protects the rights of patients.
At the various sub-national levels of administration are hospitals, health centers, counselling centers, research centers, public and private retailers of drugs, and other stakeholders who ensure the smooth delivery of health care in Poland.
SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
There are various forms of assistance both in cash and kind, available to vulnerable people. They are granted to people or families within a certain income bracket. People suffering from violence, relocation, homelessness, poverty, and general helplessness can be beneficiaries of these assistance. Cash benefits such as permanent allowance to the elderly or disabled; occasional allowance to poor people; one-off payments for urgent needs; special loans; and free continues education and language course are available. Social workers at municipal social welfare centers assess applicants for the various forms of assistance and decide on whether to approve or not based on the various criteria. Their decisions however can be overturned upon escalation to senior officers.
Non-cash assistance are also offered to the public: credited tickets; contributions for health and welfare insurance; payment for a funeral; specialist advice; social work; shelter, food and necessary clothing in hardship cases; care services; board and service in a social assistance home; and education, family counselling and family therapy for family groups.
The Department of Assistance and Social Integration of the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy is responsible for the overall policy direction of public-funded social assistance. There are other private partners in providing social assistance to needy people.
DISABILITY
Disability pension is offered to people who are not able to continue working due to ill-health. Any person who has worked for a minimum number of years based on their age and were insured during the time the injury or illness occurred is eligible for a minimum amount of monthly disability pension. An approved doctor checks to confirm the applicant is unable to work before the pension is approved. The Department of Social Insurance of the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy is responsible for this national policy. The pension is administered by the Social Insurance Institute (ZUS). ZUS has a national hotline to handle enquiries and there are offices in every municipality to process these applications.
11 http://www.nfz.gov.pl/
12 https://www.bpp.gov.pl/en/
UNEMPLOYMENT
Anybody who enters a period of unemployment after working continuously for 365 days over the previous 18 months is entitled to unemployment benefits provided they earned at least minimum wage. The applicant after registering at a municipal labour office will be approved if they do not receive within 7 days an offer of employment, internship, or training. Unemployment benefits are paid for 6 or 12 months and the amount depends on the length of previous employment. The Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy runs this scheme at the national level.
The Social Insurance Institute (ZUS) is responsible for the administration of any pre-retirement benefits administered. The various municipal labour offices screens applicants and facilitates new job offers and training for the unemployed.
OLD-AGE AND SURVIVORS
The retirement age in Poland is 60 years for women and 65 years for men. It is mandatory for all workers to contribute towards their retirement pensions. This is handled by an employer on behalf of the employee and if a person is self-employed then they are responsible for the contribution. A person can choose to take a supplementary voluntary insurance. Any person who reaches retirement age and has contributed for at least 20 years for women and 25 years for men are entitled to their pensions if they were born prior to 1st January, 1949. People born after 1st January, 1949 are eligible to apply for their pension upon reaching the retirement age.
Whole contributions are made to the Social Insurance Institute (ZUS) or part of a person’s contribution can be transferred to an open pension fund which invests in the capital market for potentially higher returns. The relevant national institutions managing retirement pensions and surrounding policies are the Department of Social Insurance of the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy and the Social Insurance Institute (ZUS).
Survivors of a deceased person who was entitled to collect a retirement pension receive the pension in their stead. Beneficiaries include children of the deceased of a certain age; widow or widower under certain conditions; nieces, nephews, and siblings of the deceased; and parents of the deceased under certain conditions. Survived children or spouses of the deceased do not forfeit this survivors benefit if they remarry. Depending on the number of eligible beneficiaries, 85% to 95% of the pension of the deceased can be paid out. A funeral benefit of 4000 PLN is paid out to anybody or institution who organizes the funeral. The Social Insurance Institute (ZUS) and the Department of Social Insurance of the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy are the national institutions responsible for the management of this policy.
SOCIAL WORK AS A FAMILY EMPOWERMENT TOOL
This section reviews some of the means of addressing family issues and the agents of social work involved.
LARGE FAMILY POLICY
The Polish government has adopted as a national policy the promotion of large families in Poland.
The prime minister of Poland speaking at a national convention of large families on 02/06/2018 said
“Large families are the way to create Poland of our dreams’. He went on to say “large families are shouldering the burden of the next 100 years of our independence and are the way to great Poland”13.
This sentiment is reflected in many of the social policies adopted to address family issues such as the big family card, 500+ program and housing subsidies with priority given to large families.
ADOPTION
Adoption in Poland has a strict legal dimension to ensure the welfare of the child. The union formed between the child and their new parents has the same legal protections and duties as a blood relationship. In Poland adoption centers serve as the legally recognized intermediaries that ensure that the child is placed with the right parents after undergoing a stringent vetting process.
Adoption thus serves as a way for vulnerable children to have access to nurturing environments.
FOSTER CARE
The Family Support and Foster care Act of 201114 regulates the foster care system in Poland. An amendment to the act in 2018 prioritizes reintegration of the child with their families. The old practice of taking away children solely due to financial difficulties of the parents is also prohibited.
When parents are unable to provide the necessary care and education for a child to a degree that poses threat to the health, safety and development of the child, the foster care system steps in to provide these needs to the children by placing them in other homes/ facilities. Two kinds of foster care exist in Poland: Institutional Foster Care and Family Foster Care.
Institutional Foster Care
Three kinds of institutions exist under this form of foster care to help at risk children and youth:
⚫ Care and education centre;
⚫ Regional care and therapy centre;
13 https://www.premier.gov.pl/mobile/en/news/news/prime-minister-and-large-families-in-szczecin- there-is-no-strong-poland-without-polish.html (accessed on 17/04/2019)
14 http://www.ilo.org/dyn/natlex/docs/ELECTRONIC/89639/103028/F-
595678736/D20180998Lj.pdf (Polish language version accessed on 16/04/2019)
⚫ Pre-adoptive intervention centre.
The care and education centers provide full-time or periodic care for the needs of children from deprived homes. They ensure that the child has access to the educational, emotional, health, social, and religious needs they may be lacking. Services such as therapy, specialist care for children with special needs, and socialization are provided in these care and education centers.
Regional care and therapy centers exist to provide special care to children with health problems and help rehabilitate them. These kids normally are unsuitable to be placed in the other forms of foster care. Children in these centers do not exceed 30 at a time.
Pre-adoptive intervention centers take care of very young children less than 1 year old awaiting adoption. 20 children at most are cared for at these centers at a time.
Family Foster Care
Two kinds of family foster care exist: foster family and foster home.
Foster families can be related siblings or other closely related family of these children. They can also be professional or non-professional families who are not related to the foster children. Professional foster families normally receive children based on court orders when such children have urgent needs due to threats to their safety.
Foster homes are formed by either married couples or an unmarried single person and can receive no more than 8 children at a time.
CHILDCARE FOR CHILDREN 3 YEARS AND YOUNGER
There are public facilities and personnel funded by public institutions that help care for children 3 years and younger and they include nurseries, children’s clubs, nannies and day carers.
⚫ Nurseries: these are managed by the office of the mayor or president of a city that provides care for up to 10 hours daily for children at least 20 weeks old.
⚫ Children’s clubs: these are also funded by the city or municipality and managed by the office of the mayor. They care for children up to 5 hours daily per each child and accept children not younger than 1 year old.
⚫ Nannies: ZUS pays for the cost of employing a nanny for children 20 weeks old up to 3 years.
ZUS pays up to the minimum wage and any remaining amount on the remuneration is borne by the parent(s).
⚫ Day carers: these are employers of the city who care for children at least 20 weeks old.
SOCIAL WELFARE FACILITIES
1723 facilities providing support to families and persons were recorded in Poland in 2017. More than 100,000 people resided in these facilities. About 50% of these facilities were specifically for social assistance.
These facilities offering social assistance are funded and managed by various entities:
public/government; associations/foundations/social organizations; catholic/other religious organizations; and other private individuals/companies. In a lot of cases many of these aforementioned entities collaborate to provide the needed social assistance.
The targeted group for assistance include (pregnant) women, children, seniors, addicts, the homeless, chronically ill, and the physically handicapped. There are different facilities catering to the needs of the different target groups:
⚫ Social assistance house: they provide 24 hour care for people unable to live independently and mostly for a fee. They mostly serve the chronically (mentally) ill, addicts, physically handicapped and the elderly.
⚫ Women/ children shelters: they serve as a refuge for women and children escaping violent homes. Counselling is also normally offered here by social workers.
⚫ Homeless shelters provide either temporal/overnight stay or long-term stay for the homeless depending on the resources available.
These physical welfare facilities are found in most localities and have social workers who provide all sorts of services for those who use them.
CHALLENGES TO SOCIAL WORK AND FAMILY EMPOWERMENT IN POLAND
⚫ Some social workers argue that the laws governing social policy in Poland grants the central government too much control over resources allocated to social work.
⚫ There is the belief that not enough dialogue currently occurs between social work practitioners and the central government.
⚫ Many regard the scope of practice of social work in Poland to be quite narrow. It is believed that social work and the work of providing social assistance has been regarded more like a stand-alone issue instead of being fully integrated with other sectors like education and health.
WAY FORWARD
⚫ Study and adapt best practices from other countries in a Polish context.
⚫ Take into account the different needs of different families and individuals instead of adopting a one-size-fit-all approach. This is necessary considering the demographic changes being experienced.
⚫ Place the whole family unit at the forefront of all social work policies. For instance the changes in foster care laws which now consider the wider interests of all parties and not just the child is a good step. This makes the reunification of foster children with their biological parent(s) more successful.
⚫ More investments in efforts to address social issues particularly those related to providing services for families and young children at the local and municipal levels. An investment in young children is unquantifiable since it ensures a more prosperous future.
