This article describes the historical background and current situation of the child welfare system for children without parental care in Poland. Nowadays in Poland, most children without parental care still have both parents, but are placed in out-of-home care as a protective measure. Multiple scenarios are possible for these children. Financial resources, however, are often not sufficient to provide the most desirable care. Despite reforms aimed at deinstitutionalization and a growing number of foster care placements in Poland, almost 20,000 children remain in institutional care. For some children without parental care domestic or international adoption is decided.In 2007, approximately 37,500 children were adopted internationally. Most of these children were placed with families in the USA. Receiving states in Europe accounted for just over 40 percent of intercountry adoption worldwide (Selman, 2009). Within the European Union (EU) there are receiving as well as sending countries. In 2010, most children (307) were adopted from Poland, a