CALL FOR PAPER 2/2026

2026-06-17

The recognition of Essential Levels of Services (LEPS) in the social sector represents a significant institutional shift that redefines support services for family responsibilities. LEPS recognition is part of the process of developing European welfare policies, calling for coordination between EU guidelines, national planning, and local services through multilevel governance. The EU guidelines, inspired by the European Pillar of Social Rights, recognize measures for families as a specific policy area, and in this regard, services play a key role in translating policies into concrete actions tailored to the needs of communities and individuals.

 

Policies aimed at supporting parenthood and preventing vulnerability particularly challenge the capacity of services to implement measures that go beyond merely responding to needs and instead promote processes of empowerment, participation, and co-creation. The framework of social rights outlined by LEPS and national plans thus calls for a pedagogical reinterpretation of welfare measures: services become complex educational mechanisms in which regulatory, organizational, and relational dimensions are intertwined.

 

From this perspective, the provision of support for family responsibilities takes the form of an eminently political-educational space, in which policies and programs are translated into contextual, relational, and formative educational actions. Family centers emerge as key venues for this translation, mediating between institutional policies and the needs of families through educational practices tailored to the complexity of the contexts. Their work takes on strategic significance, serving as a space for mediation between institutional levels and the lived experiences of families, between political mandates and educational intent.

The journal aims to create a forum for discussion on the relationship between family welfare policies, educational frameworks, and professional practices, highlighting proposals that integrate socio-pedagogical analysis, critical policy reviews, and studies of practitioners’ work. This call for papers seeks to engage the academic community on the following issues:

  • What forms are family welfare policies taking? And how do they translate into educational programs and professional practices at the local level?

  • How do the ATS (Local Social Areas) interpret family support policies? How are local service networks structured, and how do Family Centers fit into the existing framework?

  • What tensions arise between institutional, organizational, and pedagogical approaches in family-focused interventions? What role do practitioners play in mediating between institutional mandates and the needs of families?

  • What policies and programs make possible to focus educational initiatives on empowerment and participation? And to what extent do family welfare programs succeed in addressing educational, social, and regional inequalities?

 

 

We welcome submissions on empirical research, case studies, public policy analyses, experiences in service design and evaluation, as well as references to international experiences on the topic and in-depth analyses of training and operational tools aimed at professionals and families, with a particular focus on the local implementation of policies and the context-specific development of interventions.

The abstract (in both Italian and English) must be followed by a maximum of 5 keywords (in Italian and English). The length of each version of the abstract (in Italian and English) must be between 400 and 900 characters (including spaces). The abstract must summarize the entire paper: theoretical framework, methodology, results, and conclusions.

 

 

Deadlines
Abstract submission (via email only to rivista@sipeges.it): July 13
Article submission (via the journal’s OJS platform only): September 14
Publication: December 2026

 

https://ojs.pensamultimedia.it/index.php/sipeges/about/submissions