Study on Foster Care in Poland

Project

23 Sep 2025 - 30 Nov 2025

Labour, Migration and Social Policies

Aleksandra Kolasa

Jan Hagemejer

Magdalena Wiśniewska

Date:

23 Sep 2025 - 30 Nov 2025
Financed by:

Foundation for good initiatives

Aleksandra Kolasa

Senior Economist

Dr Aleksandra Kolasa is a Senior Economist at the CASE - Center for Social and Economic Research, where she is responsible for econometric analysis and economic research, primarily in the area of taxation. Her academic interests revolve around monetary poverty, inequality, and household welfare. She has extensive experience working with micro-level data and life-cycle models with heterogeneous agents. Before joining CASE, Aleksandra led an NCN research grant at the University of Warsaw on the impact of non-income related benefits. From 2010 to 2017, she served as a Senior Economist at the National Bank of Poland, specializing in household sector topics. Her professional experience also includes consulting for the World Bank and working as a data scientist in tech companies. Aleksandra holds a PhD in Economics (with distinction) from the University of Warsaw and an MA in Mathematics from the same institution.
Jan Hagemejer

President of CASE Management Board
Jan Hagemejer’s areas of expertise are international trade as well as macroeconomic and structural issues. He graduated from University of Warsaw where he also obtained his PhD and habilitation, as well as from Purdue University (MA in Economics). He works as an associate professor at the Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Warsaw. Prior to … <a href="https://case-research.eu/project/study-on-foster-care-in-poland/">Continued</a>

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Magdalena Wiśniewska

Head of Business Development Team
Magdalena Wiśniewska is responsible for managing research projects at CASE. She holds MA in International Relations from the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń and MA in  Finance & Accounting from Warsaw School of Economics. During her career she gathered an extensive experience both in the public and private sector. She worked among others for Office … <a href="https://case-research.eu/project/study-on-foster-care-in-poland/">Continued</a>

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The system of family support and foster care in Poland is currently at a pivotal moment of change, connected to a comprehensive reform being prepared by the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy. In 2025, the Ministry presented proposals aimed at improving the situation of children in foster care, strengthening foster families, and supporting the individuals and institutions involved in the system. Particular emphasis was placed on changes related to the process of supporting young people as they transition out of foster care and into independent adulthood, although the scope of the proposed measures is narrower than what non-governmental organisations had advocated.

Understanding how these proposals and the related demands will translate into actual costs for the state, as well as the potential benefits they may generate for public finances, is essential for assessing the effectiveness of the planned reform. Support provided to young people entering adulthood can produce long-term effects — reducing the risk of material hardship and increasing their labour market participation, which directly impacts the state budget and the wider economy.

The study commissioned by the Good Initiatives Foundation aims to estimate the costs and potential benefits associated with selected elements of the foster care reform, with a particular focus on the transition-to-independence process. The analysis seeks to provide concrete numerical data that will enable a reliable assessment of the consequences of both the Ministry’s planned changes and the additional proposals put forward by social organisations.

The study covers:
• the costs of raising a child in foster care, both current costs and those projected after the implementation of selected reform measures;
• the costs of the transition-to-independence process in its current form, following the Ministry’s proposed changes, and taking into account additional proposals submitted by the Good Initiatives Foundation (FDI);
• an analysis of the potential financial benefits resulting from better preparation of young adults for independent living, including reduced reliance on various forms of social assistance and increased labour market activity.

The data will be presented per person or per unit receiving support and then compared with selected population-wide indicators, such as average wages, expenditure levels, social benefit amounts, and the typical age of starting independent life. The analysis will also take into account key socio-economic trends and changes in the cost of living in recent years. Such comparisons will help illustrate, in a realistic way, the importance of state support in relation to the actual financial burdens faced by foster families and young people transitioning out of foster care.

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Study on Foster Care in Poland

Date:

Financed by:

Aleksandra Kolasa

Jan Hagemejer

Projects from this author:

Magdalena Wiśniewska

Projects from this author:

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