The goal of the study is to present the methodology of research on institutional and family foster care and day-support centres providing care and education to children as well as the youths who are entirely or partially deprived of care and support from their natural families.

The survey “Family support and foster care system” is a continuous, annual and complex survey, in theme 1.20. “Family” included in the national statistical survey programme of Poland. Information on the infrastructure and activities of institutional foster care and day-support centres is collected with the use of reporting form PS- 01, while the survey on family foster care with the use of PS-02 reporting form. The study also includes an aggregated dataset from the factual and financial report of the Ministry of Family and Social Policy on the execution of tasks in the field of family support and foster care concerning forms of family support and aggregated dataset resulting from the report of the Ministry of Justice on family issues of minors concerning the number of domestic and foreign adoptions by age of adopted child.

The methodological study describes the subjective and objective scope of the survey, presents the methodology and organisation of the survey and definitions of underlying concepts, describes the tools for the survey and the forms of data dissemination. The methodological study is supplemented with the applicable model reporting forms with explanatory notes and a list of variables in the survey. The information on changes in relation to the previous edition of the methodological report is included in Annex 3.

The methodological study is addressed to the institutions transmitting data on institutional foster care, family foster care and day-support centres, as well as to persons using research results disseminated by public statistics in this area.