Family emergency - childcare

Family emergency in the childcare system means that in a professional non-family foster family, no more than three children are placed for a temporary stay until the child's life situation is stabilized, for a maximum of 12 months. In particularly justified cases, the child's stay may be extended for an additional three months.

During the child's stay in the family emergency, the foster family, in collaboration with the County Family Support Center (PCPR) or Municipal Social Welfare Center (MOPS), as well as the family court, is obliged to clarify the child's family-legal situation so that the child can return to biological parents, be adopted, or be placed in another foster family.

Family emergencies are always established extrajudicially through a civil-law agreement, governed by the provisions of universal health insurance. The agreement is concluded between the family emergency and the County Governor in the area where the family resides. Each agreement specifies the rights and obligations of the foster family. Children are referred to family emergencies by PCPR or MOPS.

A foster family performing the tasks of a family emergency can also act as a "regular" foster family. A person completely unable to work cannot perform the functions of a foster family. The foster family cannot send the entrusted child to a nursery or refuse to accept a child under 10 brought by the police without the parents' consent in situations of danger to the child's health or life, abandonment of the child when it is impossible to determine the parents' identity or their whereabouts.

In such cases, within 24 hours, the foster family is obliged to notify the family court and PCPR/MOPS, which are obliged to immediately investigate the family-legal situation of the child.

The scope of such understood care includes assistance to people in need, such as the poor, sick, homeless, and lonely. Care as assistance arises from its fundamental values, including altruism, the readiness to help others, the recognition of the dignity of those under care, and the willingness to share their fate.

A crucial aspect of care is the caregiver and their personal characteristics, such as sensitivity and interest in the fate of others, the ability to understand their social situations, and the readiness to provide selfless help to those in need. In the context of training childcare workers, it is emphasized that the selection of candidates often neglects personality elements of the caregiver, and there is insufficient emphasis on equipping them with necessary skills.

General assumptions of the functioning of short-term foster families. Due to systemic and social changes, the issue of caring for children who do not require long-term care but only until their legal situation is normalized became more significant. To meet these expectations, the legislator introduced a new form of care called "family emergency," which takes care of children for up to 12 months (maximum of 15 months). The roots of family emergencies can be traced to the same sources as foster families, as they represent a new type of foster family. Substitute forms of family care have long coexisted with institutional ones, mainly demonstrating their advantages in terms of care and upbringing effects. The family aspect is considered the most beneficial for the proper existence of a child deprived, for various reasons, of the possibility of staying in the natural family. This is particularly crucial when a child in a difficult, severe, traumatic situation resulting from a family-legal crisis can, in an interventionary manner, move to the most favorable environment. This saves the child from the feeling of isolation and alienation, which is associated with staying in an institutional environment. In family emergencies, the child finds mostly two permanent caregivers, cozy living conditions, a prepared place for rest, work, and play, and above all, healthy family relationships that help the child see the adult world in a friendly light.

Focusing on the essence of family emergencies, it should be emphasized that the experiences of Western countries, mainly France and the United States, provided a rich basis for considering the introduction of professional foster families in Poland. In these countries, childcare is a profession performed by a broad group of social workers. Caregivers are qualified and paid by social services or relevant associations or public institutions. They take care of children whose situation requires separation from natural families, sick children who, for various reasons, cannot stay in the hospital, and children whose parents work professionally.

In the early 1990s, projects began to emerge regarding the establishment of this type of foster family - family emergencies, which would also serve as an alternative to other forms of institutional care.

The stages of introducing family emergencies involve gathering information about initiatives abroad and in Poland, disseminating family forms of childcare, launching experimental and research programs, and preparing conclusions.

In June 1997, the Ministry of National Education prepared a project to establish "licensed foster families." The role of a professional foster family can be performed by families that undergo a 3-month preparatory course, concluded with the issuance of a license for a specified period. Supervision over the functioning of this family is carried out by a curator, and if they fail to fulfill their assigned tasks, the curator may revoke the license. The families must meet certain requirements, such as having at least a secondary education, adequate material conditions, a permanent place of residence, Polish citizenship, not being dependent on alcohol or drugs, and demonstrating that they can provide the child with a sense of security and family relationships.

The project emphasizes that the proposed legal and organizational solutions are designed to contribute to the fastest possible normalization of the situation of children in foster families. The legislator proposed the transfer of family emergency to a new law - the Family Code.

In conclusion, family emergencies are a form of short-term foster care in Poland, created to address the needs of children who require temporary placement in a family environment due to family-legal crises. These crises may involve issues such as neglect, abuse, or parental incapacity. The family emergency is established through a civil-law agreement between the foster family and the County Governor, specifying the rights and obligations of the foster family. The goal is to stabilize the child's life situation, clarify their family-legal status, and work towards a resolution, whether it be reunification with biological parents, adoption, or placement in another foster family. The duration of family emergency placement is limited to 12 months, with possible extensions in justified cases. The foster family in a family emergency may also act as a regular foster family, and the well-being and care of the child are central to this form of childcare.

I hope this provides a comprehensive overview of family emergencies in the context of foster care in Poland. If you have any specific questions or need further clarification on certain aspects, feel free to ask.