Synergies and tensions in child protection and parent support: Insights from the Italian case

My presentation deals with an issue which, although deemed crucial, has hardly been addressed successfully to date: how to effectively protect children against harm while at the same time building cooperative relations with their parents and working as far as possible in partnership with them. I will discuss the Italian situation, but I will first place the issue in the context of two approaches to tackle child abuse and neglect. In the Western world, researchers have identified two basic models of intervention with family and children. One is centred on child protection; the other focuses on child welfare or family support (Jack, 1997; Waldfogel, 1998; Spratt, 2001; Khoo, Hyvonen, Nygren, 2002; Hearn, Pösö. Smith, White, Korpinen, 2004; Platt, 2006). I will locate Italy within these two frameworks and illustrate the tensions between child protection and child welfare. Finally, I will identify different styles of conceiving professional social work in Italy and show their connections with the two frameworks described.