“As a rule, we start digging a well when the house is already on fire”. Professionals on the family support system
 
 
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Institute of Pedagogy, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice [Instytut Pedagogiki, Wydział Nauk Społecznych, Uniwersytet Śląski w Katowicach], Grazynskiego 53, 40-126 Katowice, Poland
 
 
Submission date: 2022-09-18
 
 
Final revision date: 2022-11-16
 
 
Acceptance date: 2022-11-16
 
 
Publication date: 2022-12-13
 
 
Corresponding author
Jan Basiaga   

Instytut Pedagogiki, Wydział Nauk Społecznych, Uniwersytet Śląski w Katowicach, Grażyńskiego 53, 40-126 Katowice, Polska
 
 
Wychowanie w Rodzinie 2022;28(3):171-191
 
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Introduction. The focus of the Polish system of care is to provide support to families in overcoming difficult life situations. The assistance activities are aimed at reducing the necessity to interfere with parental rights, at the same time strengthening the effectiveness of reintegration activities which enable restoring a child’s family. Aim. Foster care practice shows that in Poland an average of 33% of children raised in foster care return to their own families. In the district which was covered by the current study, less than 19% of children manage to return to their own families. The objective of this research is an attempt to answer the question: what factors determine the low effectiveness of the family support system? Research Method. Qualitative case study was applied for the purpose of this research. Data collection was carried out with the use of a semi-directed problem-focused group interview method. The interview was conducted in two focus groups. Results. The subject analysis allowed to identifyication of significant problems which were considered by both focus groups in their evaluations of the family support system. Three of them these were identified as having most impact on the quality of its functioning. The research findings reveal that a low effectiveness of the family support system is principally influenced by decisions on the necessity to extend social support to families having been taken too late. This problem is recognised at every stage of development of unfavourable phenomena within families. As a result of such a state of affairs, family dysfunctionality is perpetuated, which greatly influences the low effectiveness of the care system and significantly limits the possibility of implementing effective reintegration work.
 
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