School as an element of the well-being of adolescents in foster care: discrimination as a challenge

The aim of this paper is to present the importance of school as an element of the well-being of adolescents who grow up in foster families, with a special emphasis on discrimination in the school environment. Experiencing discrimination in the school environment can be a serious obstacle to establishing the well-being of adolescents, which has also been confirmed by this research. Applying qualitative methodology, namely the focus group discussion, the data from 129 participants was collected. The research includes adults’ perspectives, those of foster parents, case managers, fostering advisers, as well as the especially important perspectives of the adolescents themselves. Due to facing discrimination and other challenges in the school environment, these young people need support, which is sometimes absent. The warning result is that children sometimes suffer from discrimination by adults, who are supposed to be the source of support, is of special importance. The results obtained can provide the basis for creating and establishing cooperation between schools, foster families and professionals from the social protection system, as well as the advancement of teaching and non-teaching staff’s competences. As the ultimate aim, the results could contribute to improving the position of adolescents in foster care in the school environment.