Challenges for the Evaluation of the P.I.P.P.I. - Programme of Intervention for Prevention of Institutionalisation: between Partecipative and Experimental Pathways

Evaluation is constantly requested by governments and decision-makers, to prove that social policies and actions undertaken are effective in responding to problems. Also programmes contrasting child neglect are involved in such request to guarantee that children enjoy their childhood and ensure access to quality service. This paper focuses on an Italian evaluation experience of one such programme named the P.I.P.P.I. (Programme of Intervention for Prevention of Institutionalisation), the outcome of a collaboration between the University of Padua and the Italian Ministry of Welfare. The paper questions and challenges the experimental designs normally used for these evaluation purposes, highlighting how knowledge of effective treatments is far from the practices delivered. The study proposes an innovative evaluation path in which the participative evaluation, where the professionals build their own knowledge through an evaluation in the field, coexists with the choice of matching as a (quasi) experimental evaluation, responding to the Government\u2019s request for effective investments

P.I.P.P.I.: What has changed? How and why? The empirical evidence

This paper provides a summary of the results of the P.I.P.P.I. Program in achieving the prefixed goals on the final, intermediate and proximal outcome variables, regarding children\u2019s development, the positive exercise of parental competences and the effective action of services respectively. Therefore, the main purpose is to describe the impact of the program on the overall well-being of children and families in relation to the processes implemented. This is possible thanks to the wealth of information gathered by professionals through the tools provided for the analysis, design and monitoring activities in the work with families

Extracellular human immunodeficiency virus type-1 Tat protein activates phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase in PC12 neuronal cells

We have here investigated the effect of the regulatory Tat protein of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) on the PI 3-kinase catalytic activity in PC12 rat pheochromocytoma cells. After as early as 1 min from the beginning of the treatment with recombinant HIV-1 Tat protein, a significant increase in the tyrosine phosphorylation levels of the p85 regulatory subunit of PI 3-kinase was noticed in 48 h serum-starved PC12 cells. Moreover, the addition of Tat to PC12 cells induced a great increase in PI 3-kinase immunoprecipitated with an anti-phosphotyrosine antibody with a peak of activity (19-fold increase with respect to the basal levels) after a 15-min treatment. This increase in PI 3-kinase activity was significantly higher in PC12 cell cultures supplemented with Tat protein than in cultures stimulated by 100 ng/ml nerve growth factor (NGF; 8-fold increase with respect to the basal levels). Further experiments showed that Tat protein was able to specifically activate PI 3-kinase at picomolar concentrations. In fact: (i) maximal activation of PI 3-kinase was observed at concentrations as low as 1 ng/ml and was specifically blocked by anti-Tat neutralizing antibody; (ii) a Tat-dependent activation was also observed in experiments in which PI 3-kinase activity was evaluated in either anti-Tyr(P) or anti-p85 immunoprecipitates; (iii) 100 nM wortmannin completely blocked the Tat-mediated increase in PI 3-kinase activity both in vitro and in vivo. Our data strongly support the concept that extracellular Tat acts as a cell stimulator, inducing intracellular signal transduction in uninfected cells

P.I.P.P.I. un programma che promuove l’innovazione sociale

This article intends to propose a theoretical framework for the whole of this monograph on family vulnerability. After having generally presented the structure and functioning of the nationalprogram P.I.P.P.I. and the definition of “social innovation” of the European Commission, the paper focuses on the description of three distinctive elements that make it possible to consider P.I.P.P.I. as a program of social innovation in Italy today: the promotion of evaluation paths, the promotion of participatory relationships, the promotion of circularity between action, training, research and politics.Questo articolo intende proporre una cornice teorica all’insieme della presente monografia sulla vulnerabilità familiare. Dopo aver presentato in generale la struttura e il funzionamento del programma nazionale P.I.P.P.I. e la definizione di “innovazione sociale” della Commissione Europea, si concentra sulla descrizione di tre elementi distintivi che consentono di considerare P.I.P.P.I. come programma generatore di innovazione sociale oggi in Italia: la promozione di percorsi valutativi, la promozione di relazioni partecipative, la promozione di circolarità fra azione, formazione, ricerca e politica

Il Programma P.I.P.P.I.: un’innovazione scientifica e sociale come risposta alla vulnerabilità delle famiglie

This article presents the aims and the structure of P.I.P.P.I. Programme, a very relevant social innovation, promoted by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies with the Laboratory of Research and Intervention in Family Education (LabRIEF) of the University of Padua. Launched in 2011, it is today the most important experimentation ever made in Italy in the field of social policies. The aim is to harmonize practices and models of intervention addressed to neglecting families through training, documentation and systematic evaluation, shared throughout the entire Country. It is based on the recognition of parental neglecting as a space of special opportunity to put forward prevention interventions, in particular compliance with Laws 285/1997, 328/2000 and 149/2001. It falls within the lines developed by the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development about innovation and social experimentation, as a mean to overcome social inequalities by experimenting actions capable of developing positive parenting (REC 2006/19/EU), widespread in the living environment of children who live in vulnerable conditions, so as to «break the cycle of social disadvantage» (REC 2013/112/UE)

La formazione e la ricerca in educazione familiare. Stato dell’arte in Italia

Questo articolo ha l’obiettivo di tracciare i contorni della ricerca e dell’intervento in educazione familiare in Italia, a partire dalle questioni che la ricerca italiana sta mettendo a fuoco negli ultimi anni. In particolare, si analizza l’ambito dell’educazione familiare che si occupa del sostegno educativo alle famiglie da parte del mondo del servizi e, in parte minore, della scuola. Dopo una rapida presentazione della definizione epistemologica dell’educazione familiare, delle questioni che ne costituiscono l’oggetto di indagine, della sua breve storia, si propone una rassegna dei diversi soggetti (le diverse tipologie di famiglie) su cui si centrano oggi la ricerca e l’intervento in educazione familiare nel nostro Paese