OBJECTIVES: The aim of the research in this section is understanding the mechanisms shaping the decision making process social workers from social and legal protection of children when they deal the issue of entrusting children to kinship care. THEORETICAL BASE: The research is theoretically based on complex models of the decision making process and on models of knowledge parameters entering into the decision making of social workers when choosing an intervention. METHODS: Mixed research was used to answer the research questions, with an emphasis on thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with staff from the area of Social and Legal Protection of Children, data from focus groups and data from open-ended questions in a questionnaire survey. OUTCOMES: The analysis confirmed that the decision making of social workers in the area of Social and Legal Protection of Children, it is influenced by two basic determinants – external and internal. External elements include the legislative and social environment, cultural determinants, regional influences and the worker’s working environment. Internal elements relate to the personal characteristics and professional competences of the worker, including his value orientation, work with power, ethical principles and a degree of empathy. The decision making process in the field of Social and Legal Protection of Children is laced with an element of ambiguity and disunity, leading to feelings of uncertainty and frustration among social workers. SOCIAL WORK IMPLICATIONS: The research contributes to a deeper understanding of the problem in case of the need to take measures to increase the efficiency and transparency of the processes and intervention strategies of social work.