Sources of biographical failures of foster children and the primary task of their carers

Abstract

The article considers the sources of biographical failures of foster children, which are widely described in the literature on the subject and commonly known to practitioners. Based on research reports and own experiences from practice within the foster care system, several theses have been formulated, the main of which concerns the role of the relationship between the foster carer and the foster child to prevent its unfavourable biographical trajectory. Since the most important factors protecting the foster children against the experience of mental disorders and against the course of biography marked by social exclusion are located in the quality of the me–you relationship with the carer, and care for the reflective approach to this relationship should be treated as the primary task of foster carers.