Katarzyna Kotula, Poland’s Minister for Equality, has announced the introduction of a new tool aimed at assisting social services in assessing whether a child should be removed from their family home due to concerns over their health and safety. The tool, described as a “questionnaire for assessing the risk to a child’s health and life,” is set to be implemented within two to three weeks.
In a recent interview with Radio Zet, Kotula discussed the ongoing efforts to strengthen measures against domestic violence, specifically under Article 12a of the 2005 Anti-Violence Act. This article allows social workers to intervene when a child’s life or health is at risk due to domestic abuse, including placing the child in a safer environment. Kotula noted that current procedures, which involve the intervention of social services, police, and medical personnel, face challenges, particularly in the low rate of referrals from healthcare and education professionals.
However, the proposed solution has sparked criticism. Concerns have been raised over the new questionnaire’s potential to escalate the removal of children from their families based on subjective assessments. Critics argue that while the tool aims to ensure child safety, it could lead to overreach by authorities, disrupting family units without adequate justification.
Despite these concerns, Kotula emphasized that the tool has already undergone pilot testing in Warsaw, with positive feedback from service teams and coordinators. The Ministry of Justice and her department are pushing forward with the initiative, stating that it will help improve decision-making processes in cases of suspected domestic violence.