As many as half of the women in Poland have consumed alcohol during pregnancy. Such behavior may result in FAS and FASD—fetal alcohol spectrum disorders caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol. On the occasion of World FAS Day, observed on September 9, the Polish Parliament debated the needs of children affected by this condition. According to parents and NGOs, the main problems persist in the areas of prevention, diagnosis, and education.
Prevention: Pregnancy Without Alcohol
Experts warn that Poland still lacks consistent public campaigns highlighting the harmful effects of drinking during pregnancy. “We have warnings on cigarette packages; we should do the same on every bottle of alcohol. That would be a first step toward reducing the number of drinking mothers,” said Stanisław Stępniewski, director of St. Ludwik Children’s Hospital in Kraków.
MP Urszula Koszutska (Civic Coalition) recalled a campaign from years ago. “We need to make it very clear that even a single glass of wine can cause FAS,” she said.
Early Support Instead of Removing Children
Michał Guć, Deputy Director of the Department of Demography at the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy, stressed the importance of strengthening the work of family assistants. “If local social welfare centers identify families at risk of neglecting a child’s needs as early as the prenatal stage, effective work by a family assistant will bring the best results,” he explained.
He noted that many municipalities lack early intervention, which often leads to the removal of children from families. A planned amendment to the law will make family assistants mandatory in every municipality and improve their working conditions.
FAS and FASD in Foster Care
The figures are troubling: there are 77,000 children in foster care, and 3,500 of them have been diagnosed with FASD—more than 5 percent. “This is a huge challenge for foster parents and institutions,” Guć emphasized. From 2026, each province will establish support centers for foster families, and all children in foster care will gain priority access to public healthcare.
Certification: ‘We Have to Cheat the System’
The lack of clear guidelines in education is especially concerning. Deputy Minister of Education Izabela Ziętka pointed out that psychological and pedagogical support is available to all children. Still, fetal alcohol syndrome and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are not listed in the official catalog of disabilities. “If a child with FASD has an additional diagnosis, such as autism or intellectual disability, then they can receive a certificate of special educational needs,” she explained.
As a result, children diagnosed solely with FAS/FASD are denied such certificates. Parents, therefore, feel forced—by their own admission—to “cheat the system” by seeking additional diagnoses that do not fully match their children’s condition. “It cannot be that we deceive the system—this system should respond to the needs of our children,” said Katarzyna Krupa-Walkowiak, foster mother of a child with FAS. “Certification is the key. It’s better to spend money now than later on supporting adults through the welfare or prison system,” added Dorota Polańska of the Adoptive Families Foundation.
Parents reported that a diagnosis of FAS/FASD from clinics is practically useless, and that children are sometimes punished at school for symptoms of the disorder. “We were told that our children are ‘not damaged enough,’” said Małgorzata Karolczuk of FASmission, adoptive mother of two children with FAS.
A System Full of Gaps
The parliamentary debate highlighted serious shortcomings: ineffective prevention, a lack of clear diagnostic and certification procedures, and insufficient support for foster and adoptive families. Although the government has announced legislative changes, participants stressed that without explicit recognition of the consequences of prenatal alcohol exposure, FAS and FASD will continue to be marginalized. Members of the ruling coalition and the presidium of the Parliamentary Committee on Children and Youth pledged to continue work on the issue, with a formal resolution expected from the Committee.
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Family News Service
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