THE ROLE OF THE POLISH RED CROSS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SOCIAL SECURITY GOALS

The aim the paper is to address the question whether and in what ways the Polish Red Cross supports the state in the implementation of social security goals. The paper refers to the relevant literature on the subject and to internal documents of the Main Board of the Polish Red Cross. Participant observation and an analysis of internal documents of the organization were the research instruments utilized by the authoress. Presented examples of actions, projects and activities of the organization, in particular its strategy for social security and intervention, lead her to the conclusion that the Polish Red Cross plays an important, indeed a key role in providing social security and risk protections to the public. Moreover, the authoress claims that only such cooperation between the state and other organizations, including the Polish Red Cross, may secure effective and complementary support to those in need.