At the home of Mrs Helena and Mr Mariusz, besides the baby girl, there are also three siblings and sixteen-year-old Beata, who has a disability. “We will not give her up; she is ours and will stay with us forever. We are her foster family,” says Mrs Helena.

The children who arrive at the emergency foster home are in varying condition, often frightened, malnourished or ill. Taking on this role requires an awareness that we are taking in a small human being who has already been hurt at the very beginning of life.

“Deciding to establish an emergency foster home was not easy. We thought everything through carefully and set our emotions aside. We waited until our three biological children had grown enough to understand what their parents did and why,” says Mrs Helena.

And so the search began for the institution responsible for organizing foster care. The Mareks went to the Powiat Family Support Centre in Bolesławiec and established an emergency foster home that operates like an emergency service. At any time of day or night, a child removed during an intervention from biological parents who pose a threat at that moment may arrive here. The most common reasons for such drastic action by the services are alcohol or drug abuse by caregivers or domestic violence. A child from a home where they were neglected must feel secure in the new place. They must also feel loved and accepted.

“The women at PCPR have always been a tremendous support to us; we are in constant contact with them. They come, visit the children and ask about their progress. Little ones after terrible experiences, with the trauma of abandonment, taken away and returned to various institutions, need immediate intervention from a psychologist and often a psychiatrist as well. Fortunately, PCPR provides all of this for us,” says Mrs Helena.

PCPR organizes training sessions and workshops for people wishing to take on foster care. Already during the introductory training, specialists examine potential “parents,” investigate their motives and dispel or confirm their doubts.

County officials:

Those considering becoming foster caregivers are invited to contact PCPR by phone at 75 612 17 81–89 or in person at pl. Piłsudskiego 2 (the so-called round building).

It is also worth reading the information about forms of foster care available on www.pcpr.boleslawiec.pl.