Foster family care from the Polish and American perspectives

Abstract

When children are removed from their homes, they may be placed in a variety of settings. In many states in USA and provinces (voivodships) in Poland, foster family care has been the predominant form of substitute care for several decades (Chamberlin, Moreland and Reid 1992; Kolankiewicz 1998). Foster parents are usually licensed by the state or local authorities, indicating that their homes have been assessed for basic health and safety standards, and that the caregivers have participated in at least minimal training to provide care and supervision for a child. Other substitute settings in which children may live include specialized foster care with caregivers specifically trained to care for special needs children, group homes, residential treatment centers, and shelters. Both in Poland and in America substitute placements address three major goals of the child welfare system: providing protection for children, support for families, and permanent homes. In light of the increasing reliance on kin caregivers, new service strategies and policy solutions are needed to forge a workable balance between the competing interests of family privacy, equity in support for families, and government responsibility for child protection. In sum, kin typically can provide safe and nurturing environments for the children they take in, though limited resources and lack of training may constrain their ability to foster the children's development.