Children in out-of-home care placements: an Italian research study on outcomes and processes

ABSTRACT

The study examined data about 8438 children placed in out-of-home care by Child Protection Services in a region in the Northern Italy, during the time span of 2008–2012, to understand whether out-of-home placements led to an effective improvement in their conditions. Starting from literature analysis and available data, a range of outcome and process typologies was developed in order to analyse data. In particular, five outcome types (in family, stable; out of family, stable; adopted; on-going placement; unknown) and six process types (evolving; regressive; oscillating; static out-of-home; uncertain at home; undetectable) were detected. Each type was divided into sub-types. Then each child was given a tag attuned to an outcome and a process type. Descriptive analysis about outcomes and processes was carried out. The types and sub-types used in the study seemed to be a useful instrument for analysing the children’s paths outside their birth families. Implications for social work are discussed.

SOMMARIO

Il presente studio ha preso in considerazione i dati relativi a 8.438 minori collocati fuori famiglia dai Servizi di Tutela minori in una Regione dell’Italia del Nord, nel periodo tra il 2008 e il 2012. Lo scopo della ricerca è stato quello comprendere se l’intervento di collocamento etero-familiare ha condotto ad un effettivo miglioramento delle condizioni di partenza. A partire dall’analisi della letteratura di settore e dai dati disponibili, sono state create delle tipologie di esito e delle tipologie di processo, attraverso cui sono stati esaminate le informazioni disponibili. In particolare, sono stati individuati cinque tipi di esito (in famiglia, stabile; fuori famiglia, stabile; adottato; intervento in corso; sconosciuto) e sei tipi di processo (evolutivo; involutivo; oscillante; statico fuori famiglia; incerto in famiglia; non rilevabile). Ciascun tipo comprende dei sotto-tipi. A ciascuno dei minori è stata assegnata un’etichetta corrispondente a un tipo di esito e a un tipo di processo, è stata quindi condotta un’analisi descrittiva degli esiti e dei processi. I tipi e i sotto-tipi utilizzati nello studio effettuato si sono rivelati uno strumento utile per analizzare i percorsi dei minori fuori famiglia. Nell’articolo si evidenziano le possibili implicazioni per il lavoro sociale.

KEYWORDS:

• Child protection
• out-of-home placements
• family reunification
• types of outcomes
• types of processes

PAROLE CHIAVE:

• Tutela dei minori
• collocamenti etero-familiari
• riunificazione familiare
• tipi di esito
• tipi di processo

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Francesca Corradini, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral researcher. Her research interests are about child protection, social work practices and social services organizations. She teaches at the Catholic University of Milan in the course of Social Work. She has worked for many years as social worker in a child protection service, with families and young people.

Notes

1 In Italy, the ‘educatore professionale’ is in charge of social work with children and families, both at home and in residential services. This professional role differs from that of social pedagogue as far as education and professional skills are concerned.

2 Situations in 2007 have been inserted into the analysis, as the percentage of situations opened and closed in the same year is very low (from 50 to 80 cases per year in absolute value). A minimum bars of error has been tolerated to extend the observation by a year. Therefore, information on other 700 children has been acquired.

3 For the unaccompanied minors, the reunification with the birth family is not possible, but the observation of their paths has highlighted that a positive outcome out-of-family stable can occur. The paths of unaccompanied minors were important to understand that positive processes could be developed, despite the reunification with the birth family was not feasible.

4 With the adjective ‘stable’, we observe the point of view of the social workers at the conclusion of the intervention. A situation is stable when, in the time observed, the social workers consider that further modifications in the placement of the child are not necessary.