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1. Programmes specific for vulnerable young people

2. Funding

3. Quality assurance

Programmes specific for vulnerable young people

“The National Programme for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion. Updated for 2021-2027, public policy for years up to 2030 (Krajowy Program Przeciwdziałania Ubóstwu i Wykluczeniu Społecznemu. Aktualizacja 2021–2027, polityka publiczna z perspektywą do roku 2030) is considered a key document structuring policies for combating youth exclusion. 

It includes the main goal of reducing poverty and social exclusion, as well as increasing access to services in response to demographic challenges (as outlined in one of the specific goals of the Strategy for the Development of Human Capital 2030). One of the priorities is Priority I: combating poverty and social exclusion among children and youth. The priority includes the following actions: development of community services supporting the family, as well as care and educational services for children; ensuring food security as one of the forms of help for families, children and youth; financial support for families with children; developing the care function of kindergartens, schools (in coordination with the local community); strengthening education of children and youth in key areas such as creativity, entrepreneurship, and cooperation; improving the vocational education model, including higher education, as well as promoting vocational education in response to the labour market demands; introducing a comprehensive system of first employment for youth, based on cooperation between educational institutions, the labour market, and the society at large.

As a whole, it mostly focuses on the socialisation and early-intervention function of schools, modernisation of the education system (focus on developing key competences, creativity, entrepreneurship and co-operation), improvement and promotion of vocational training, and implementation of the first job system.

The National Programme for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion attaches particular importance to supporting children in families at risk of poverty or social exclusion, young people facing difficulties with entering the labour market (NEET) and young people with disabilities (with unmet needs for rehabilitation and medical care, and problems with participation in education). Those target groups only partially correspond with the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027, which identifies specific categories of young people at risk of exclusion on the grounds of ethnic background, sex, sexual orientation, disability, religion and political views. The document also states that there is a correlation between social and economic exclusion and exclusion from political and democratic life. An additional difficulty in identifying target groups is the fact that the Polish social security system generally does not make a distinction based on age, but on the specific problem when categorising citizens eligible for social support (subject to certain conditions). Young people are included across those categories.

According to the analysed documents, the main governmental entity responsible for counteracting youth exclusion is the Ministry of Family Labour and Social Policy. The specific actions described in the documents in question are tied to partners being provincial or local authorities, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Health and, in some cases, also non-governmental organisations.

For many years, Poland has lacked a comprehensive migration and refugee policy. The large-scale war in Ukraine and the arrival of hundreds of thousands of refugees prompted only basic administrative measures, without developing youth-specific solutions. Existing policies treat refugees generically; children and teenagers are mainly addressed in relation to school attendance and access to standard family benefits. In 2022, the Ministry of Family and Social Policy (now the Ministry of Family, Labour, and Social Policy) introduced the Ministerial Programme for Activating Foreigners for 2022–2025 (Resortowy Program Aktywizacyjny dla Cudzoziemców na lata 2022–2025), aimed at NGOs, employers, and local governments. The programme seeks to “stimulate work activity and socially integrate legal aliens in Poland” through labour market integration, entrepreneurship support, and broader social integration, including assistance for schools (e.g. parent–school communication, cultural workshops, and integration activities).

However, research by the Center for Citizenship Education, particularly the report Refugee students in Polish schools, shows that integration remains challenging. While Ukrainian students value Polish schools, risks to their sense of safety and educational inclusion persist; Polish and Ukrainian students often function separately; preparatory classes tend to isolate rather than integrate; and deliberate integration efforts are rare, leading to ethnic tensions. Cultural assistants play a crucial role but face unstable employment, insufficient numbers, poor working conditions, and weak institutional integration. The situation is further complicated by the government’s decision to condition access to 800+ and other family benefits on Ukrainian children’s attendance in Polish schools. Although intended to foster integration, this policy increases student numbers amid continuing shortages of specialized teaching staff.

Funding

Funds for the implementation of the “The National Programme for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion. Updated for 2021-2027, public policy for years up to 2030” (Krajowy Program Przeciwdziałania Ubóstwu i Wykluczeniu Społecznemu. Aktualizacja 2021–2027, polityka publiczna z perspektywą do roku 2030)  have been earmarked in the State budget, budgets of local government units, special-purpose funds (PFRON, The Labour Fund, programmes of the Ministry of Family and Social Policy) and European funds (primarily from Regional Operational Programmes, the Knowledge Education Development Operational Programme and its successor, European Funds for Social Development, and sometimes other schemes such as the Operational Programme Food Aid, or the National Asylum, Migration, and Integration Fund.

The Programme includes a financial plan, but only indicatively; it is noted that there is no way to determine the scope of expenditures in coming years. Within Priority I (combating poverty and social exclusion among children and youth), specific expenditures have only been noted with regards to two tasks (out of the total of seven described). Regarding task 1.1 (development of community services supporting the family, as well as care and educational services for children), 458 million PLN have been budgeted for year 2021, 550 million for 2022, and 300 million for subsequent years. However, those funds do not include the resources of the Labour Fund. Furthermore, because of the planned process of deinstitutionalizing the fosterage system, it is impossible to predict the scope of expenditures.

Quality assurance

Regarding the The National Programme for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion. Updated for 2021-2027, public policy for years up to 2030 (Krajowy Program Przeciwdziałania Ubóstwu i Wykluczeniu Społecznemu. Aktualizacja 2021–2027, polityka publiczna z perspektywą do roku 2030), there are no indicators describing the situation of young adults, as most of them describe either children, or the whole population. The only indicator which, to a degree, describes the situation of young adults is the rate of youth at risk of poverty or social exclusion aged 0 to 17 (AROPE). The source here is  EUROSTAT/EU-SIL. The base value was indicated to be 16% (for the year 2019); no expected value for 2030 was indicated, only that it should be decreased. It was also indicated that within the Ministry of Family and Social Policy, a task force for the enactment of the Programme is supposed to be created, including all stakeholders, such as representatives of the civil society and social actors, central administration, and local and municipal governments.