A psychologist since the age of 13. Talks are ongoing with President Karol Nawrocki.

• The Ombudsman for Children, Monika Horna-Cieślak, informed the Senate that talks are underway with President Karol Nawrocki on withdrawing from the Constitutional Tribunal the act allowing access to a psychologist from the age of 13.
• In 2024, the Ombudsman increased the number of interventions, participated in over a thousand court proceedings, prepared a record number of speeches and received over 60,000 letters from citizens
• The most common cases concerned parental authority, education, discrimination against children and health and material security, and 1,640 young people reported a suicidal crisis
• Former President Andrzej Duda referred the bill to the Constitutional Tribunal, arguing that allowing 13-year-olds to seek psychological help without parental consent violates parents' rights and may threaten children's safety.

The Ombudsman for Children was asked – while presenting information about her activities in 2024 – whether any actions were underway to persuade the new president, Karol Nawrocki, to withdraw this bill from the Constitutional Tribunal and sign it .

She replied that "as far as the law on access to a psychologist is concerned, talks are already underway."

"We are working in various areas to ensure that this situation ends in the best possible way for the children. I hope it ends this way. I am a person of great faith and hope, and so are young people, so I hope for a positive outcome and that the bill, in one form or another, will be passed, or this application to the Constitutional Tribunal will be withdrawn," Horna-Cieślak told the senators.

Discussing the information and situation of children in Poland, she emphasized that she wanted them to know that the office was always available to them and that if their whole world were falling apart, it was a place where they could find help and support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

She said that her dream would be to change the regulations so that local branches of the Ombudsman for Children could be established - so that there would be as many such places as possible where children could always turn for help and they would be as close to them as possible.

The report shows that the Ombudsman for Children's Rights participated in court proceedings more frequently in 2024 – over a thousand times – and prepared 76 general statements, compared to 27 by the previous Ombudsman, Mikołaj Pawlak, in 2023. There were also more child protection activities and a record inflow of correspondence – over 60,000 letters received.

In 2024, the Ombudsman for Children was involved in approximately 7,000 cases concerning parental authority or regulating contact with parents and relatives - including in the event of a conflict between parents or the need to place a child in a foster environment.

Nearly 3,500 cases were handled in the area of education and upbringing – in youth care centers, nurseries, preschools, and schools. Some involved disciplinary proceedings against teachers, others discrimination against children, for example, due to food allergies or disabilities. Over 2,000 cases concerned securing the health and financial well-being of children.

The number of children who want to cross the Polish border but come from another country has increased: in 2023, the Ombudsman recorded 664 such cases, a year later there were over a thousand.

In 2024, 62,000 young people used the helpline or connected to RDP via a special chat. 1,640 children "genuinely asked for help," saying they no longer wanted to live.

Former President Andrzej Duda sent an amendment to the Act on Patients' Rights and the Patient Ombudsman and the Act on the Medical and Dental Professions to the Constitutional Tribunal. The amendment would allow minors – from the age of 13 – to receive outpatient psychological services without the consent of a parent or guardian. The physician would be obligated to notify them within seven days, unless doing so would jeopardize the patient's well-being.

The President referred the amendment to the Constitutional Tribunal on his last day in office as a preventive measure, accusing it of being inconsistent with the Constitution and justifying it, among other things, with the safety of children.

"This is not a veto. This time, I am referring the bill to the Constitutional Tribunal as a preventive measure. The reason is very simple. It concerns the safety of children. In my opinion, it is highly questionable from a constitutional perspective that a young 13-year-old, completely beyond the control of their parents, can choose a psychologist and undergo therapy. This is a complex issue. It is a matter of the child's safety and the parents' rights," Duda said on Tuesday, announcing his decision on TV Republika.

He emphasized that depriving parents of the ability to intervene and accept who their child is meeting, who influences their psyche, and who the child shares personal and family matters with is of paramount importance. "I would like the Constitutional Tribunal to address the issue of children's rights and parents' rights in this context," the president argued at the time.

- Without denying the motives behind the changes introduced, which are aimed at supporting children and young people in mental crisis, I would like to draw attention to the fact that the Act of 25 June 2025 introduces new regulations that are de facto a breach in the Polish family law system and the model of parental authority functioning within it - wrote the president in the justification of the motion to the Constitutional Tribunal.

Currently, minors must have parental consent to contact a psychologist.

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