Mental Health World Conference 2026

Abstract

Children placed in foster care often experienced neglect by their biological parents or guardians, which may affect their education, caregiving and healthcare needs. This neglect is often accompanied by various forms of abuse: physical, mental, and sexual maltreatment. Foster families receives specialized training to support these children and provide a safe and caring family environment. In addition, one of the main challenges foster parents face is managing children`s eating disorders which often emerge during the first days of their stay with the family and commonly manifest as excessive eating. The child eats more than needed and this behaviour is typically driven by emotional instability and the fear of hunger stemming from experiences in the child`s biological home. To illustrate the issue of foster care in Poland, three childrens stories are presented. The children endured physical abuse (including suffering from hunger), psychological and sexual violence, and abandonment by their biological mothers. The article also explores the children`s long term healing processes while in foster care and highlights the therapeutic interventions implemented by foster parents in collaboration with family support institutions.