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Paper

The Veneto project to accompanying and support adoptive families: Padua’s experience

• issue: Issue 2 / 2009
• authors: Marta Macchi, Ilaria Parrinello, Barbara Segatto, Simonetta Valentini
• keywords: Italy, parenthood, adoptive families, group

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• downloaded: 0
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abstract

Context. This paper presents the activities developed within the "Pilot Project to support and accompanying adoptive families", the project was promoted by the Veneto region in the year 2004. In the province of Padua the project was realized by 3 public social services (specialized on adoptions - Ulss 15, 16 and 17) and 4 accredited bodies (AMI, CIAI, Istituto La Casa e Progetto Alem). We will present the working group methodology with particular attention on:

-        why: The choice of work with parents and children in parallel groups;

-        when: The evaluation of the right time to introduced the adoptive families in the group;

-        how: The methodology in the group of parents and in the group of children;

-        where: The integration between Public Social Service and Authorized Bodies;

-        evaluation: The evaluation of customer's need and satisfaction;

-        target: Adoptive Families (parents and children) during the first year of adoption;

-        data collection: The data were collected during the organization of the group activities and during the group activities.

Instruments

-        'Ad hoc' questionnaires (submitted before and after the activities);

-        group with adoptive parents and group with adoptive children;

-        checklist to monitor and to evaluate the integration in the group.

Activities. The goal of the group is to give support to the couple in the phase of becoming a family:

-        helping adoptive parents in the work to transform the idea of child in their son;

-        giving to adoptive parents the opportunity to compare their feeling and thinking with other adoptive families and with professionals;

-        observing children during playing and laboratory's activity.

Effectiveness. The effectiveness of our activities are demonstrated by:

-        the almost total lack of absences of the adoptive parents at the meeting,

-        the high satisfaction score average (4.2 -on a Likert scale from 1 to 5- which corresponds to the answer "very satisfied");

-        and, at last, a strong correlation between the themes proposed and needs submitted by couples.

Conclusion. Implications and recommendations for politicians, researchers and practitioners. As you can see in the table:

-        the adoptions of siblings are increased;

-        the countries of origin of children are increased;

-        in the group we can see similar and repetitive themes (underlined on the table).

In Italy, the new law and the psychological characteristic of adoptive children have required a new ways to support the adoptive family: they need to have the possibility to compare themselves to other families. In this way, also the creation of self help informal networks are allowed and improved.

Key References

Galli J., Viero F., a cura di (2001), I percorsi dell'adozione - Il lavoro clinico dal pre al post adozione, Armando Editore, Roma.

Contacts: Marta Macchi Equipe Adozioni, Azienda ULSS 16 Padova, Via Temanza n 1 35100 Padova Italy, E-mail: adozioni.ulss16@sanita.padova.it, Phone +390498216116.