Nr 1 (5) 2009
Social Policy
Social Policy and Children
Table of Contents 1/2009 English Edition
EDITORS NOTE - Bożena Balcerzak-Paradowska
THE YOUNGEST POLES PHYSICAL CONDITION
THE DEMOGRAPHY OF CONTEMPORARY POLISH CHILDHOOD — Piotr Szukalski
CHILD POVERTY IN THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT (ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE CITY OF ŁÓDŹ) — Wielisława Warzywoda-Kruszyńska
BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF CHANGES IN THE ECONOMIC SITUATION OF RURAL FAMILIES IN YEARS 1967–2001 — Teresa Łaska-Mierzejewska, Elżbieta Olszewska
CHILDREN FROM RURAL AREAS — THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC DETERMINANTS — Krystyna Gutkowska, Anna Murawska
INSTITUTIONAL FORMS OF CHILD AND FAMILY PROTECTION
THE ACTIVITIES OF THE MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL POLICY FOR THE BENEFIT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES — Elwira Gross-Gołacka
THE SOCIAL AND HEALTH-RELATED DETERMINANTS OF CHILDREN’S DEVELOPMENT — Stanisława Golinowska
EQUAL, MORE EQUAL, THE LEAST EQUAL: ON SOCIAL BARRIERS IN THE ACCESS TO EDUCATION — Marta Zahorska
COPING WITH PROBLEMS OF CHILDREN: ACTIVITIES AND STRATEGIES OF LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENTS IN POLAND — Bożena Kołaczek, Aneta Wójcik
NEW BOOKS PUBLISHED BY THE INSTITUTE OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL
STUDIES CONTRIBUTORS
EDITORS NOTE - Bożena Balcerzak-Paradowska, The Institute of Labour and Social Studies
Children — happiness and joy, but also a great responsibility for parents. Children are the hope and the duty of society. This is the most general way in which the sense and the aim of activities towards children can be described. In the first case, children are considered the most fundamental value; a condition of a happy life and a source of joy and satisfaction. Their presence in the family shapes the roles of husband and wife as mother and father, it unifies the family around its most important aim in life. It is parents who are primarily responsible for providing favourable conditions for the development of a child that would ensure his or her readiness to enter into an adult life. In the second case, we consider children with respect to their role in society. Children ensure continuity of society and nation. The future development of the State and society depends on them. It is in the interest of society to improve the quality of childhood. On November 20, 1989 the Convention on Children’s rights was adopted, and entered into force in Poland in 1990. It highlights the importance of spiritual, moral and social upbringing. There is a detailed account of the scope of rights that children enjoy in the area of healthcare and rehabilitation (Article 24), the right to education and equal opportunities (Article 28), the right to recreational activities and participation in cultural life (Article 31), the right to be covered by social security scheme (Article 26). Basic responsibility in this respect lies on the shoulders of parents. The basic responsibility to support the family is on the part of the State, which should undertake actions by using the maximum of its resources to ensure that children can fully enjoy their rights. It needs to be remembered that those rights have their consequences for the future of society, nation, State, but their realization is necessary today. As Gabriela Mistral, a winner of the Nobel Prize, points out: We can wait for many things we think we need. But children cannot wait. It is right now that their bones are growing, their blood maturing, their mind developing. We cannot tell them “tomorrow”. The name of the child is “Today!” The convention has been adopted in Poland at the time of the thorough political and economic transformation in Poland. One of the reasons for the reform was to ensure better living conditions for young generation. Regrettably, children are among the groups least favored by the changing conditions. There has been a number of threats for both orphaned children and children raised in full families. It has been often said that radical political transformation was a reason for the poor situation of the children. Currently, however, children are still the most vulnerable group. What is more, within many environments the negative tendencies have ossified making any improvements almost impossible. It has been recently emphasized that Poland is entering a new phase of socio-economic modernization, a post-modern, or a global, phase. This phase reshapes the threats and challenges for the youngest. The quality of today’s childhood will influence the quality of future progress and determine the success in the new stage of development. The quote from Gabriela Mistral can thus be completed in the following way: It is the activities towards children Today that will shape our Tomorrow. The following issue of “Social Policy” is an expression of concern with the conditions of life and development of children in Poland. It concentrates on the problems experienced by young generation to prove that in spite of the general progress and improvement in many areas of life children are still subject to many dangers. Social policy institutions are often insufficient or inept in preventing those threats and creating positive changes. There are a number of questions and perspectives on children’s wellbeing presented in this issue. Starting with demographic changes, continuing through general living conditions, environmental and health-related factors and their consequences, we finish with an analysis of social policy, institutional framework of childcare and the participation of central and local governments in family policy and social assistance. The general message of all the papers is not only to draw attention to the most important problems that involve children but also to underscore the necessity of a public debate and action on the part of all the institutions and organizations and with respect to individual initiatives in this area. All this should be aimed at improving the living conditions of children and at providing them with equal opportunities for future happiness and self-fulfillment, on which the future of the whole society depends.
CONTRIBUTORS
KRYSTYNA GUTKOWSKA – professor, Pro-rector for Didactics in the Warsaw University of Life Sciences. For many years employed at the Faculty of Human Nutrition and Consumer Sciences, where she fulfilled many functions, e.g. a dean in 1999–2005. She also received training in USA and Great Britain. She is the author of 195 academic and popular-science publications. A director of many academic projects. A member of the Scientific Council, of the National Food and Nutrition Institute, Scientific Council of the Institute of Rural , and Agricultural Development. She is an editor of “Village and Agriculture” quarterly and a member of the editorial board of the “Nourishment and Human Metabolism” bimonthly.
ANNA MURAWSKA – M.SC., assistant at The University of Technology and Life Sciences in Bydgoszcz. Since the year 2003 academic teacher of The Faculty of Agriculture, and since the year 2007 of The Faculty of Management of The University of Technology and Life Sciences in Bydgoszcz. Member of The Polish Association of Agricultural and Agribusiness Economists. Author of ten articles published in collections of scientific papers and in research magazines. The main fields of research are: differences between particular regions in the social-economic development, economic growth, the level and quality of life of people, consumption economics.
ELWIRA GROSS-GOŁACKA – has a Ph.D. in economic sciences. Currently, a director of the Department of the Economic Analysis and Prognosis in the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy. A coordinator and executive of numerous national and international academic projects, e.g. financed by the European Social Fund within the framework of the Community Initiative EQUAL (e.g. Gender Index). She is the author and co-author of numerous studies and dissertations.
STANISŁAWA GOLINOWSKA – professor, specialist in social policy and the labour market; highly knowledgeable of social insurance systems: retirement, disability and social welfare, health care. Has developed work on poverty at the Institute of Labour and Social Studies. Has conducted many comparative studies. Has edited several UNDP reports on social development in Poland. Is now head of the Institute of Public Health at Collegium Medicum, Jagiellonian University, Cracow. She has done advisory work. In 1994–2005 she was a member of the Socio-economic Strategy Council. She has been on advisory missions to Ukraine, Bulgaria, Moldavia and Georgia. She co-operates with and supports nongovernmental organisations. She is vice-president of the CASE Foundation Council. She has written and edited many books and over a hundred articles in national and international journals.
MARTA ZAHORSKA – professor at the University of Warsaw, employed in the Department of Sociology of Education and Development, Institute of Sociology. She is interested in sociology of education at a macro level: trends in educational policy, educational systems, social changes and their consequences for educational systems, exclusion and inequality in education, education and its relation with labour market. She is also interested in micro level: relations between the teacher and the student, school cultures, school life. She was a director and an executive of many research projects, both on national and international level, e.g. School and changes on labour market. She is the author and co-author of many books and articles. Her recent publications include: After the reform… Teachers on educational reform in Poland (with D. Walczak), in: Youth and Education in the context of social changes (Toruń 2008); Values, policy, society – eds. with E. Nasalska (2009).
BOŻENA KOŁACZEK – assistance professor, employed for many years in the Faculty of Family Problems in the Institute of Labour and Social Studies. She is interested in living conditions of families, social policy towards the disabled, social policy towards the family. She was an executive in numerous research projects in those areas. She is an author and co-author of many books and articles in the field of social policy.
ANETA WÓJCIK – M.A. in politics in the filed of Social Policy, M.A. in pedagogy. She is employed in the Institute of Labour and Social Studies, and is doing her doctorate course at the Institute of Social Policy, at the University of Warsaw. She is writing her Ph. D. thesis on Migration process and family strategies in the town of Mazowsze, conclusions for social policy.
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