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Il contributo propone di rileggere la povertà relazionale, attraverso il FamILens® (Family Impact Lens), un modello promosso dal Centro di Ateneo Studi e Ricerche sulla Famiglia, che consente di far emergere le diverse sfaccettature della povertà, al di là degli aspetti puramente materiali ed economici, mostrando le reciproche interconnessioni ed aprendo la strada ad interventi efficaci per prevenirla e contrastarla. La povertà, infatti, nelle sue molteplici forme, è frequentemente l’esito dell’incapacità o non volontà di tenere conto dell’impatto diretto e indiretto sulle relazioni familiari delle azioni degli stessi componenti della famiglia oppure degli interventi che vengono fatti in ambito politico o sociale. Il FamILens® identifica cinque aspetti discriminanti da esaminare nel momento in cui si vogliano comprendere le conseguenze sulla famiglia di politiche e interventi. Provando a rileggere il rischio della povertà relazionale delle famiglie come esito di un mancato richiamo ai principi del Family Impact Lens nei processi decisionali sia extrafamiliari sia intrafamiliari, è possibile individuare alcune direzioni verso cui bisognerebbe muoversi sia per prevenire la povertà relazionale sia per “curarla”., This paper aims to re-interpret relational poverty through the FamILens® (Family Impact Lens), a model promoted by the Family Studies and Research University Centre. It highlights the different facets of poverty, beyond the mere material and economic aspects, shows their mutual interconnections, and paves the way for effective interventions to prevent and fight poverty. This multifaceted phenomenon often stems from the inability or unwillingness to consider the direct or indirect impact on family relationships of both family members’ actions and policies or social practices. The FamILens® identifies five key issues to be examined in order to assess the family impact of policies and practices. By re-interpreting the risk of the relational poverty of families as the result of a lack of consideration for the Family Impact Lens in both intra-family and extra-family decision-making processes, it is possible to pinpoint some innovative directions to be taken in order to prevent and fix relational poverty.

In the last few years, the need to focus on families and to involve them in working out solutions for their problems has gained momentum largely in studies on welfare and human services, within the relational sociology frame. According to such theoretical approach human services should never target isolated individuals, since every beneficiary is a subject embedded within a network of relations, beginning with the family. Empowering family relationships is crucial because in most cases families have the resources to deal responsively with their members’ problems: families in fact can flexibly adapt to face everyday life complexity. Nevertheless, despite much of the current literature proclaiming itself family-centred, there is still need for a sound theoretical perspective to frame and assess the huge range of evidence-based criteria. The relational sociology perspective has provided a model to analyse human services, with respect to their closeness or distance to a responsive family-centred approach. The aim of this chapter is a) to review the main literature concerning theories of family-centered and responsive practices, b) to outline the theoretical framework of the relational sociology, c) to draw up a pilot model to analyze the responsiveness and family centeredness of human services, based on the relational sociology. The case of the Family Group Conference will serve as an example to show how restorative justice practices are very close to a responsive family centered approach.

ll contributo presenta un’applicazione dell’approccio Family Impact Lens nell’ambito di un progetto volto a contrastare la povertà educativa dei bambini di 0-6 anni in un quartiere periferico del Comune di Novara. Secondo tale approccio, nel progettare, attuare e valutare politiche e pratiche vanno attentamente considerate le ricadute sul benessere delle famiglie, applicando una metodologia multidimensionale. Lo studio presenta l’applicazione del modello durante la seconda annualità del progetto, in cui sono state sviluppate e utilizzate cinque Family Impact Checklist che, oltre a monitorare il modus operandi degli operatori coinvolti, hanno anche promosso un processo metariflessivo da parte degli operatori stessi, rispetto all’acquisizione di una cultura family oriented. I dati raccolti suggeriscono che va migliorata la capacità di trattare le diversità presenti nelle famiglie beneficiarie del progetto e di favorire un loro effettivo coinvolgimento nelle diverse azioni realizzate, mostrando anche differenze significative tra i diversi operatori sociali.

The emergency caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has led the Italian government to run the risk of strengthening the still too-widespread welfare regime that delegates to families the answers to social needs, taking for granted their willingness to do so. Through data from the first wave of a longitudinal research project entitled “The family at the time of Covid-19” (N = 2985), it has been possible to highlight a certain disagreement on the capacity of the government to support families effectively during the most critical period of the pandemic in Italy (March-April 2020), despite entrusting them with several crucial tasks and functions. Data show also that to feel supported by the government as a family is closely related to an optimistic vision of the future and the belief in the possibility that families can contribute to social change. This result suggests that participants are geared to a subsidiary welfare regime, in which families, with support from government, play a crucial role as actors of social change.

Povertà relazionale delle famiglie, un termine che racchiude diverse dimensioni della povertà, quella educativa, monetaria, relazionale: è questo il focus del volume Famiglia e povertà relazionale, n. 32 della collana “Studi interdisciplinari sulla famiglia”. Il tema è di drammatica attualità oggi, nel momento in cui si stanno moltiplicando gli studi sulle numerose cicatrici che ha lasciato nelle relazioni famigliari la pandemia. Il punto di vista qui assunto è che la povertà re­lazionale si determini quando è a rischio o del tutto compromessa la relazione di alleanza tra generi e di solidarietà tra le generazioni, che caratterizza specificamente la famiglia e che la rende capace di affrontare le transizioni chiave che caratterizzano il suo ciclo di vita. Il volume, secondo la consolidata tradizione del Centro di Ateneo, propone una lettura multidimensionale e multidisciplinare del fenomeno e offre elementi utili secondo una duplice prospettiva. Possiamo infatti comprendere quali erano le principali criticità quando il Covid-19 non aveva ancora sconvolto le esi­stenze delle famiglie in tutto il mondo e allo stesso tempo, dato che gli autori hanno scritto durante la pandemia, ritrovare nu­merosi agganci al presente. Sono così stati resi evidenti dagli autori gli aspetti che dovranno essere particolarmente presidiati: le relazioni educative sia in famiglia sia nelle istituzioni scolastiche di ogni ordine e grado, l’attenzione ad una più equa redistribu­zione delle risorse economiche, la necessità di una maggiore diffusione di percorsi di sostegno e di enrichment per coniugi e genitori, e molti altri ambiti che nel volume sono delineati insieme ad alcune buone pratiche e al confronto con altri paese, come la Russia.

Il termine “povertà educativa” evidenzia un complesso di deprivazioni materiali e immateriali inimmaginabile solo qualche anno fa, entro i contesti sociali contemporanei. L’odierna emergenza educativa che ha il suo punto di maggior evidenza nelle situazioni di povertà educativa, rappresenta un fenomeno dilagante nelle nostre società, in grado di condizionare pesantemente il futuro delle giovani generazioni. Per contrastarlo, occorre un aumento di riflessività attorno al concetto stesso di “educazione”. In particolare, intendere primariamente i processi educativi come processi culturali evidenzia l’importanza di un’attribuzione di senso condivisa dai vari attori (famiglie, scuole, soggetti delle comunità) che, attraverso le loro reciproche relazioni, possono realizzare efficaci azioni socio-educative., The expression “educational poverty” refers to a complex of material and immaterial deprivations which was inconceivable only a few years ago, in contemporary society. Today’s educational emergency, which is most noticeable in contexts of educational poverty, is a widespread phenomenon in our societies, and can heavily influence the future of the younger generations. To counter it, an increased reflexivity around the concept of “education” is needed. Regarding educational processes primarily as cultural processes highlights the importance of an attribution of meaning shared by the various actors involved (families, schools, community members) who can carry out effective socio-educational actions through their mutual relationships

Within the framework of the relational sociology, a body of studies and research have developed with the aim to show that as regard to both social policies and human services, the most promising models were those family-focused. Familiness has become a distinctiveness of the relational approach to the study of welfare system and human services: it is a quality that denotes an added value whenever it is attributed to. After an examination of literature on family-based approaches and welfare regimes models, the relational sociological approach is presented as a theoretical framework for evidence-based family-centered practices. With that being said, an explorative model for analyzing familiness of services and practices is illustrated.

Educational poverty concerns children’s access to educational resources. Families are recognized as crucial subjects for accessing to them. Hence, to contrast educational poverty, family-based interventions are advisable. This article describes the first Italian project adopting the ‘Family Impact Lens’, a family-focused approach to policy and practice. It was applied as a model for the monitoring and the impact evaluation of the project ‘Open Doors’, aimed to contrast educational poverty in an Italian marginal neighbourhood. A theory-based participatory methodology was deployed: both monitoring and evaluation were intended as accompanying processes of the project, leading the operators first to share the theoretical model and subsequently to assess their ability to apply it in their work. The Italian project intended to strengthen family and social educational relationships of children by acting on the 5 guiding criteria of the Family Impact Lens. This article reports the path carried out during the first year, consisted of a survey on 140 families, a questionnaire addressed to 42 educators, and 4 metaplans including all the different typologies of operators involved in the project. Results point out some first operational guidelines for improving the adherence to the Family Impact Lens in the next two years of the project

The article is an illustration, from a sociological viewpoint, of the epistemological and methodological scope of the relational approach to the study of the family. From this perspective (Section 1), the family can be identified as a social relationship of full reciprocity between sexes(1) and generations, to be neither replaced nor confused with anything else (family genome), thus highlighting the advantages of the relational approach compared to other contemporary approaches, defined as relationist/relationistic. Section 2 focuses on the Added Value of the Relational Method from logical, methodological and empirical levels. The main traits of the family research are to consider the family as a unicum and its relational and historical nature. The AGIL scheme helps to analyse the family as a sui generis relationship by identifying its constitutive resources (A), aims (G), norms (I) and latent cultural model (L).

In the first part of this paper, the essential elements of the operational model of family group conferences will be presented. We will start from the idea that this model enhances the empowerment and participation of families in decision-making processes even within coercive institutional contexts, such as that of child protection. In the second part of the paper, the Family Group Conferences model will be analysed in light of some theoretical and methodological reference principles of Relational Social Work, and we will attempt to highlight if and to what extent Family Group Conferences can be considered an operating relational model.

The aim of this research was to delineate how families with children aged 0–13 manage their well-being, which mainly depends on the balance between two main components, which are child-rearing and work. For the purpose of this study, family well-being is regarded, according to Archer’s morphogenetic theory, as the well-balanced order of family members’ ultimate concerns which gives rise to a sustainable modus vivendi for the whole family. To explain how a family establishes its own modus vivendi as a specific set of practices, Donati’s relational approach is used, based on the assumption that a relational reflexivity is what steers a family agency and its interaction with structural conditioning. Depending on different cultural and structural factors (financial resources, family form, geographical area of residence), families can be expected to adopt specific ways of life and derive their overall life satisfaction from different elements. The present article is aimed at verifying this hypothesis through a secondary analysis of data from the ISTAT Multipurpose Survey on Households: Aspects of Daily Life – 2012, including a sample of 3,745 families with children aged 0–13. Results show that the ways of life (modi vivendi) of families with children aged 0–13 vary significantly. Furthermore, satisfaction with work and with family relationships plays a key role in predicting overall life satisfaction, thus overshadowing the importance of the financial situation.

After separation or divorce, people generally experience a deterioration of health, not only in terms of physical well-being but also in terms of emotional and social well-being. In addition, when separated, individuals are parents as well and they are concerned with the well-being of their children. The main task for separated parents is to maintain a parental alliance (coparenting) for the sake of their children's well-being. Social support is a critical resource, which helps parents face their new life condition, promoting their psychological well-being. In recent years in Italy, many associations targeting separated and divorced parents have been founded: They support ex-partners during and after separation and are active in defending their rights. These associations are voluntary associations/non-profit organisations and self-help groups, which are constituted by parents themselves who associate to support each other in the tasks connected with separation. The present study investigated, with an explorative aim, the role of these associations for separated parents' well-being and coparenting abilities. In particular, drawing on a sample of 318 Italian separated parents (73.30% fathers; 26.70% mothers) belonging to a formal association targeting separated parents, the study analysed whether and how the perception of being supported by the association was related to psychological and relational well-being and to coparenting. Results showed that the more parents perceived to be supported by the association the less they were depressed, the more they were satisfied with the relationship with children and friends, and the more they displayed coparenting abilities. Our findings suggest that social support from these associations is a resource for separated parents' health.

Il contributo presenta una riflessione sugli snodi metodologici che si devono affrontare nel momento in cui si costruisce un progetto di valutazione di poltiiche familiari

In questi ultimi anni entro il frame della sociologia relazionale si è sviluppato un filone di studi e ricerche finalizzati a mostrare la validità dei modelli di politiche sociali e di servizi alla persona family-friendly fossero: il familiare è diventato poco per volta una peculiarità dell’approccio relazionale allo studio del welfare. Nei servizi familiari il destinatario non è l’individuo, ma un soggetto con la rete di relazioni in cui è inserito, innanzitutto quel¬le familiari, primo provider del benessere del¬le persone: nella famiglia avviene la massima personalizzazione del¬le prestazioni, in quanto luogo primario della cura della persona. In questo senso, il livel¬lo più elevato di personalizzazione è la familiarizzazione. Nel presente contributo, le autrici danno conto sinteticamente del percorso in cui, a partire dalla fine degli anni ’90, hanno approfondito il concetto di qualità familiare, dei diversi contesti in cui l’hanno utilizzato e dei significati che gli hanno attributo., In the last few years, a research trend has developed within the frame of relational sociology to highlight family friendly models as the most relevant to the areas of social policy and human services: the adjective family has gradually become peculiar to relational studies on welfare and human services. To talk about family services means to underline that the recipient of the service is not an individual but a subject within a network of relations, chiefly family relations, which are the foremost provider of a person’s wellbeing: in the family, the quintessential milieu for the care of the person, performance is based on topmost personalisation. In this sense, the highest level of personalisation is familiarisation. In the present contribution the authors outline a research process begun at the end of the 1990s, along which they have been exploring the notion of family quality, the different contexts in which this concept has been used, and the meanings they have attributed to it.

Il contributo illustra i risultati della ricerca sui servizi di accoglienza residenziale in Lombardia, descrivendone la qualità relazionale

Il capitolo è finalizzato a presentare un nuovo modello di analisi della qualità dei servizi, basato sull'approccio relazionale

Il contributo descrive il quadro del welfare lombardo nel quale sono inseriti i servizi di accoglienza residenziale per minori e illustra il disgno complessivo della ricerca

This paper aims to present the experience of “Fareassieme” (Doing together) in the sector of mental health. It is a movement of the third sector in Italy that promotes: the autonomy of people with problems of mental illness, the family solidarity, the culture and the experience of self help-mutual aid, the awareness of relatives (parents, spouses, brothers/sisters, children) of mentally ill patients, that they have an experiential knowledge which asks to be recognized and enhanced. The experience of “Fareassieme” (Doing together) is interesting because it stands itself on the Public service in a dialectical and collaborative way to join different knowledges (professional and experiential knowledge) to design and furnish services that can improve the quality of life of patients, relatives and community. In this discussion we point out that families with mental ill patients not only live the “burden of care”, but also they live the ethical dimension of care, so they are active members of their communities. The members of “Fareassieme” (Doing together) are relatives, so we inquired if it is an organization of families, if it has the features to define it a familial association. The research which is presented in the paper, was realized through 17 in depth interviews with relatives (parents, brothers, sisters) of mentally patients, members of the association “Fareassieme” in Lombardia.

Il contributo propone un'analisi dei punti di forza e di debolezza dell'attuale rete di servzii in Regione Lombardia a favore dei minori con famiglie fragili