Rola asystenta rodziny, pomoc w rozwiązywaniu problemów – wspieranie rodziny i system pieczy zastępczej

Since the introduction of the Act on family support and the foster care system (1st January 2012), the function of a family assistant has been developing very dynamically in Poland. According to the data of the Central Statistical Office of Poland (GUS), the number of children under foster care has been, unfortunately, growing systematically: from less than 73,000 in 2010 to over 77,000 in 2013. Therefore a clear need exists to increase support for families that have problems with child-rearing. That is why the concept of creating the function of a family assistant has been developed. The role of a family assistant consists in supporting families in increasing their living situation, in teaching them how to properly arrange households, and in supporting families in solving social, psychological and educational problems. The Supreme Audit Office has audited 18 social welfare centres (municipal, communal and municipal-communal), focusing on the realisation of the basic legal tasks of family assistants (including the results they achieve), and on organisational and financial issues.