LISTENING AND SUPPORT SERVICE PROJECT

The Istituto Farlottine social cooperative was established “to pursue the general interests of the community, personal development, and social inclusion. It aims to achieve these objectives for its members and third parties through the management of educational, training, school, and care services, and through related or complementary activities, with particular attention to socially disadvantaged individuals and families.” (Statutes, Article 2, paragraph 1)

Istituto Farlottine offers a wide range of educational services, welcoming children of all ages, from as young as one year old, and providing several levels of schooling. Specifically, its preschool, primary school, and lower secondary school—all state-recognized private schools—make up Scuola San Domenico. This extensive educational provision is distinguished by its particular attention to children and families facing difficulties, following in the footsteps of Assunta Viscardi, a remarkable woman from Bologna who devoted her entire life to marginalized children and their families.

Within this framework, the Institute seeks to help families fully realize their vocation as the “fundamental group unit of society” (Article 16, paragraph 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights), in the light of the biblical passage: “God created humankind in his own image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them: ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.’” (Genesis 1:27–28).

Project title

PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT FOR PARENTS OF CHILDREN FACING DIFFICULTIES.

Project beneficiaries

Families with children facing difficulties.

Project description

The project offers meetings and consultations with an experienced psychologist to support parents and teachers who encounter difficulties and feel uncertain about how to raise and educate children with particular challenges.

Meetings take place at Istituto Farlottine – Scuola San Domenico and may involve one or both parents or, depending on the needs, teachers, sometimes together with the parents. The project arose from the recognition that children’s difficulties can have serious consequences if they are not given appropriate and timely attention.

Parents: families can seek the psychologist’s help in addressing difficulties they encounter in raising their children. Together with her, they can recognize and understand their children’s difficulties and identify the most suitable strategies for addressing them.

Consultations with the psychologist can also benefit the couple’s relationship. Tackling a problem together and identifying shared strategies with the help of an outside mediator can strengthen the bond between spouses and help resolve any conflicts that have arisen between them and that negatively affect, or could negatively affect, their children. Ultimately, working to resolve these conflicts benefits the children themselves.

Teachers: teachers can request a consultation with the psychologist to discuss difficulties involving individual pupils. These discussions identify the most appropriate strategies for addressing the problem and improving relationships with both the child and the parents. Talking to an expert who is not directly involved in the situation can also be highly beneficial to teachers, helping them appropriately address and manage the effects that a conflict or difficult situation may have on the class as a whole.

Teachers and parents: joint meetings involving parents and teachers are often helpful, enabling them to coordinate their efforts as effectively as possible to support the child facing difficulties.

Project aims

The project aims to support children facing particular difficulties by providing guidance to the adults—parents and teachers—most directly involved in their education and development. It also offers support in complex family situations that may negatively affect children, by providing mediation between parents.

The aim is therefore to support families who would otherwise be unable to access specialized help because of financial difficulties. Indeed, the families most in need of support are often also those experiencing the greatest financial hardship.

Project timeline, delivery, and location

The project envisages approximately 5 hours of meetings per month, through July 2018.

Expected results and benefits

Consultations with the psychologist should ultimately help children feel more at ease, improve their relationships with classmates and their academic performance, and help create a calmer family environment.

Project costs

The project is provided free of charge by Fondazione Irma Romagnoli, thanks to the voluntary services of Dr. Daniela Poggioli, a systemic psychotherapist.