“Vulnerable Families”: from the P.I.P.P.I project to the construction of authentic relationships

Abstract

The essay deals with “vulnerable families” and analyzes the results obtained by the P.I.P.P.I project (Intervention Program to Prevent the Institutionalization of Minors) applied to the city of Prato. Starting from an in-depth study on childhood and on the evolution of its social and educational role, the Author emphasizes how the current pedagogical research looks with increasing attention to the problems of childhood. The Council of Europe also proposes community policies in support of childhood and parenting, to protect the rights of the child enshrined in the ONU Convention, 1989. The P.I.P.P.I Program has been operating
in Italy since 2010 and wants to create a community of national support for families in need. The program is based on the collaboration of the researchers of the Research and Intervention Laboratory in Family Education of the University of Padua with the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies. The essay ends with some pedagogical proposals concerning the building of parenting support groups as a permanent and transversal educational project for all families and not only for those in difficulty.