Resources from the European Funds have supported Polish families in their fight against inherited poverty for years. Since Poland’s accession to the European Union, the scale of the problem in society has gradually decreased. However, there are still areas where poverty and social exclusion are a problem. There is also the phenomenon of the inheritance of poverty, i.e. when the poverty of parents and neighbourhood causes poverty in the childhood of the next generation.

‘The Winning Family competition is being implemented as a social innovation – support will be provided where social assistance has proved insufficient or ineffective so far. It is important to us that this type of social innovation project, as part of cooperation between the city or municipalities and non-governmental organisations, uses European Funds to support breaking out of the vicious circle of poverty,’

the Minister for Development Funds and Regional Policy, Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz, said at a press conference in Warsaw’s Praga Północ district where Praski Kokon (Praga Cocoom), a pilot programme to support families at risk of inherited poverty was implemented.

‘I would like to draw attention to such projects. They are not huge if you consider their financial scale. They are not as big as spectacular road investments, but they are great thanks to their impact on very specific, small people – small because of their age. For people who, if we don’t offer them a hand, if we don’t help them in a gesture of social solidarity, they will simply stay in that circle. And through such social innovation projects, a hand can be offered,’

– the Head of the Ministry added.

Praga Cocoon

In 2016, the MDFRP started a competition to create new solutions in combating the problem of inherited poverty, providing assistance to whole families with a special focus on children and adolescents, and then to test and integrate them into local policies.

The projects funded under this competition with the resourced of POWER 2014-2020 were to focus on the specificity of the problems in different types of areas where intergenerational transmission of poverty occurs, such as in post-state farm areas or post-industrial urban districts. Praga Cocoon was one such project.

The project was a success. Its therapeutic impact was the unique strength of the project. Among other things, it involved assistance planned in dialogue with the supported family rather than authoritatively imposed in a top-down manner. As a result, family members were better able to cope with crises and difficulties.

The project was implemented by a partnership between the City of Warsaw (Leader), Otwarte Drzwi Association, "Korale" Family Support Foundation and CAL Local Activity Support Centre Association, and in cooperation with the Social Welfare Centre of the Praga-Północ district of the Capial City of Warsaw.

On the basis of the model for counteracting the inheritance of poverty that was developed and tested as part of this project, the MDFRP prepared the Wygrana Rodzina (Winning Family) model.

Winning Family – support for whom?

The Winning Family programme is an innovative programme that will be implemented in municipalities where there is a concentration of poverty and negative phenomena, and where this condition is ‘transmitted’ to the next generation. It provides assistance in specific locations, e.g. city districts and neighbourhoods.

The competition is being implemented as a social innovation – support will be provided where existing social assistance has proved insufficient or ineffective.

The programme’s support consists of providing comprehensive care for whole families and the environment in which they function, as well as involving the local community in the support. This ensures that the family is not alone in the process of change, and that the immediate environment accompanies them in their efforts to change their life situation and motivates them to work.

Special attention will be paid to children and young people because, in order to effectively counteract the phenomenon of poverty inheritance, it is necessary to equalise opportunities for the generation in the first two stages of life, i.e. early childhood and in the course of school education. 

The model offers tailor-made, yet multidisciplinary and coordinated, community-based support for the family and its individual members. Thanks to this approach, families will be equipped with tools that will help change their awareness in the first instance. After that, the social and caring competences of families will be strengthened. The involvement of the local community will result in the family not being alone in the process of change, the immediate environment will accompany family members in their efforts to better fulfil their functions and motivate them to work to improve their life situation. Throughout the work with families, community and family work will be carried out.

A family assistant who accompanies the family in achieving its goals also plays an important supporting role.

The Winning Family competition is open to municipalities or their organisational units, e.g. social welfare centres in partnership with NGOs experienced in social inclusion activities. Once project funding has been completed, municipalities will be required to implement the new way of supporting families in their local practice.

The maximum funding for a single project will amount to PLN 3 million.

More information about the competition can be found here: www.rozwojspoleczny.gov.pl