Portret rodzin zastępczych — przekaz medialny a opinia społeczna

The foster care system implements social policy in the sphere of state welfare services for families in crisis. The aims of this article are to consider the issue of consent in regard to state interference in the sphere of the family and to appraise the functioning of the system of institutional aid and support for families in a situation that endangers the life or health of a child. The authors analyze society’s perception and reception of foster care. They present a quantitative and qualitative analysis of selected press articles published in the years 2010–2015, and then discuss the findings of a nationwide survey conducted in the first quarter of 2016. Participants in the survey answered questions concerning their familiarity with foster care issues and media communications on the subject, as well as about their possible direct contact with foster care.