Rethinking the concept of institutionalisation in child protection

The chapter aims to discuss the concept and practices of institutionalisation, with a specific focus on its relevance to the sense and sensibility of social work in the child protection system. In Italy, the process of deinstitutionalisation was officially completed in 2006 following the enactment of Law 149/ 2001, which affirmed children’s right to grow up in a family environment. However, despite these efforts, various forms of institutionalisation persist in child protection due to issues such as managerialism and bureaucratisation. Institutionalisation, in this context, does not involve only removing children from their families. Instead, it encompasses any form of oppression and exclusion of families from the decision- making process within social services. Furthermore, it refers to interventions that lack transparency, participation, timeliness, defined objectives, and measurable outcomes. The chapter is structured into three parts. The first part provides an overview of the history and concept of institutionalisation, along with a selective literature review that highlights key features, challenges, and debates surrounding this phenomenon. The second part introduces the Italian Programme of Intervention to Prevent Institutionalisation (P.I.P.P.I.) which adopts a participatory approach (Milani, 2022). This approach integrates sense and sensibility in working with families to address different forms of institutionalisation (Browne, 2017). It promotes co- creation, emphasises accompanying (the concept of accompanying is explored further later but at its heart is about professionals and parents being side- by- side, rather than assuming control, focuses on strengths rather than weakness, and actively involves families and their networks, through multidimensional and intensive interventions). The third part presents an example drawn from the implementation of P.I.P.P.I., illustrating how the orientations, outlined in the previous sections, facilitate family participation and contribute to favourable. outcomes in terms of positive parenting within the realm of child protection; while preventing any resurgence of ‘institutionalisation 2.0’.