Abstract:

Issues related to the functioning of foster care over children occupy an important place in the system of care and compensation of children's orphanage in Poland.The realities of the childcare system are changing, especially those of its links that connect with the child's support in particularly difficult situations - loss of the family or its real lack.In a situation where it is not possible to raise a child in a natural family, actions are taken to prevent and limit the effects of social orphanhood and its compensation.In the process of raising orphaned children, foster families take an important role.Persons who take a child as a foster family do not substitute in the legal sense of their natural parents, but as their name substitutes parents in fulfilling their educational functions, without changing the child's situation in the light of the provisions of maintenance and inheritance law. In connection with the changes introduced by the new Act of 9 June 2011 on supporting the family and the system of foster care, the subject related to the functioning of foster families is more and more often appearing in the debates concerning child custody.

The article presents aspects regarding the preparation and qualification of candidates for the role of foster parents. On the basis of the literature analysis and collected research material, an educational issue concerning the substantive and practical preparation of foster families, formal conditions to be met by candidates, the qualification process and a statistical account of the number of people trained in foster care, as well as the number of individual foster families functioning in Poland are described.

Taking into account the scope of conducted analyzes, the research was given a diagnostic and descriptive character. The study uses the method of analysis of existing data (desk research), which allows the analysis of data from archival sources, articles, reports, widely used secondary data source are generally available statistical data. In the presented article, the analysis included the subject literature on the subject matter covered, legal acts in force, reports, government reports, statistics and numerical statements as well as documents on the vocational training of foster families. The collected material was supplemented by an expert interview conducted with persons providing training for candidates for foster families. The applied methodology allowed for the interpretation of data contained in documents in the light of qualitative analysis.

Substitute care for a child is connected with the provision of all widely understood elements necessary for proper functioning of a living, social, emotional and cultural nature.The tasks performed by a foster family towards the child therefore concern the whole of care and education and socialization activities.The fundamental principle of family law in Poland is the principle of the good of the child and his special protection.Therefore, it is important in the light of the law to meet certain eligibility requirements, as well as adequate educational professional preparation of foster parents and social support when performing the role of foster family.

Keywords:

Foster family, orphaned child, vocational training, foster care.