The European Social Services Awards the Unipd P.I.P.P.I. Project

12.12.2019

The Intervention Program for the Prevention of Institutionalization (P.I.P.P.I.), coordinated by Prof Paola Milani of the University of Padua, won the first prize in the Method and Tools section of the European Social Services Awards 2019. 

During the ceremony, held in Brussels on December 6, the Unipd P.I.P.P.I. Project was recognized for "European Excellence in its ability to combine education, action and research through the introduction of scientifically sound instruments that brings the national community of social services together in overcoming the inequalities produced by the current regionalised welfare system for children and families.“

The P.I.P.P.I. Project is funded by the University of Padua’s Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Pedagogy, and Applied Psychology and by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies. The project represents a link between different institutions, professions, social services disciplines, psychology, as well as the science of education together in reducing the number of children removed from their families.

The P.I.P.P.I. project advocates the practice of intervention towards negligent families in order to reduce the risk of children being removed from their nuclear family, articulating the actions around the needs of children living in negligent families. When there is a question of parental negligent, and a subsequent removal of child occurs, the removal itself expropriates parental competence.  This practice does not seem to be the most appropriate intervention; therefore, it is necessary to experience a social response that puts the developmental needs of children first.

The European Social Services Awards (ESSA) is organized by the European Social Network (ESN) in recognizing excellence in social services, by focusing on successful approaches.  The award aims to identify and promote best practices in social services and promoting innovative social services in Europe.