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Family rules
According to a report published by the Polish
Central Statistical Office in 2003, out of 16 875 children placed in the
Polish children’s homes only 8% (1 530) actually live in foster care homes.
Although only 154 foster care homes existed in 200, this number increased by
236 new homes established by March 2004. Our purpose is to promote this form of
care for the children who cannot live with their biological parents. With this view
in mind, for the first time in Poland we conducted a nationwide public awareness campaign
regarding foster care homes. We also try to support and assist those who have undertaken the
task of running such centers. For these purposes we have created an Educational Fund for
Foster Care Homes.
What do we collect the funds for?
We have conducted a thorough analysis of the educational needs in every foster care home. We have established the age of the children, their educational scores, if they wished to continue their education and study in the future. We have examined the ways in which to help them. It is important for us to ensure that the money collected by the Educational Fund be spent most efficiently. A reputable research institute SMG/KRC did a great job in conducting the research.
The research was performed in two tiers: by holding telephone interviews with the people who run foster care homes in Poland, and by distributing a tailored questionnaire. The questionnaire contained detail questions regarding the educational needs. The questionnaire was first tested in a pilot research.
Download the research report Educational needs
of children and parents in Foster Care Homes (pdf file).
|Read>
Help the children and make contribution to the Educational Fund
Bank account details:
Volkswagen Bank Polska S.A.
37 2130 0004 2001 0299 9993 0002
|Ściągnij blankiet wpłat> (pdf)
Educational Fund
We invite every Polish foster care home and NGO to participate in a contest for subsidies from the Educational Fund. The money of the Educational Fund come from public collections conducted by the St. Nicholas Foundation. We would like to support educational projects implemented either by foster care homes or by the organizations which cooperate with them.
Every foster care home and NGO (association or foundation) which works with foster children or with people who run them may participate in the contest. Financial support will be given in the form of subsidies for the implementation of specific educational projects selected in the contest (e.g. running training sessions and seminars, courses for the tutors, organization of extra tuition or language classes for the foster children). A board appointed by the Foundation will decide on the division of the monies provided by the Fund. The maximum subsidy for one project is PLN 5 000. The subsidized projects should be started and completed between 1st August and 30th November 2005.
Media campaigns
The Foundation has organized the first nationwide campaign promoting the idea of foster care homes. We aimed at explaining the concept of foster care homes and presenting the people who decide to establish such places.
The campaign involved a cartoon advertising spot, radio spots, large-format billboards and newspaper advertisements. Franciszek Pieczka agreed to dub St. Nicolas and the music was composed by the Krakow Klezmer Band. The cartoon spot was produced by the famous Polish cartoon animators Krzysztof Kokoryn and Wojtek Kliczka.
Advertising space for the campaign was provided free of charge. Most of the work related to the campaign’s implementation was also provided for free.
The period of promotion was accented by many public relation events. One of these events was a 20-minute documentary on foster care homes. It was funded from subsidies provided by Orlen’s Foundation “Dar Serca”. The film then was delivered to Polish TV regional centers. Also, many different press packages were distributed among journalists.
View the film
|View>
Who helped us to organize the campaign
The action would have been impossible without the help of dozens of great people, firms and institutions. We owe them a lot. Click here to see those who helped us organize the campaign.
|Read>
The Foster Care Homes - mum, dad and siblings
They are Homes, they Care and they Foster - what is best for the kids. A foster care home is a possibility to create conditions most similar to those in a regular family. The children have their mum, dad and siblings, and they are at home. They live in houses immersed in a local community which allows to avoid the orphan’s stigma. It is also important that children in Foster Care Homes still have a path open for adoption. The Foster Care Homes were also intended to accommodate siblings. It is extremely difficult to find a foster or adoption family for numerous siblings. Many care centers are either unwilling or unable to accept a greater number of children. Therefore, in most cases such siblings are separated. The golden rule of the foster care homes is not to split the siblings.
Same tutors
An important feature of foster care homes is that the tutors remain the same. They are the kids’ parents rather their educators. This is very important for the emotional and intellectual development of a child. However, it also means that running such a centre is a very demanding job. Parents are available to their foster-children 24 hours a day. There is no time for rest or vacations. This work demands full commitment and sometimes sacrifice.
Individual approach to every child
The limit in a foster family home is 6 children per 1 tutor. In a regular children’s home this number may soar up to 80. In practice, foster families usually accommodate 4 or 5 children. This allows the tutors to engage in individual work with every child, carefully plan his/her education and help catch-up where he/she may have any educational lag. This gives the children a higher level of education, as compared to these from traditional children’s homes.
Lesson of independence
The foster-children take part in real life of the family which helps them socialize and prepare for independent adulthood.
Easier adulthood
A very important feature of the foster care homes is the care for adult children. When a child turns 18 he/she is not deleted from the family. As in a regular home, he/she may still rely on the parent’s help. He/she still has a home.
Economies
At present, the total amount designated to support a foster-child is
PLN 1 300. With PLN 550 earmarked for food, clothes, education and vacations, the rest covers salaries of the tutors, insurance, house maintenance etc. Maintenance costs in a traditional children’s home vary from PLN 2 000 to PLN 3 000, chiefly due to the need to maintain a big institution (the employees, the building and its infrastructure).
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