The City of Turin, located in northern Italy, has approximately 883,000 inhabitants. The Turin City Council (Comune di Torino) manages public services for its population, including education, culture, health and social services, among others.

The team of the Department of Social Services that joins the project has experience in research projects related to the subject of the same, such as the study “Ascolto dell’esperienza di chi e’ stato affidato”. Particularly, the members who are part of the project teamwork in Casa dell ‘Affidamento (House of Welcome), an office of the Turin City Council founded in December 2000, which is the key point of reference for the family-friendly programme. The Casa dell ‘Affidamento is a place where foster families can collaborate with social workers, express their ideas and expectations, as well as their doubts and fears, in order to better understand the reception process. Through support groups, mixed groups and self-help, foster families with significant experience help new families to explore the meaning and impacts  of this type of upbringing.

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Sandra Patt was awarded a PhD in Social Science (Milan, 1984). Employed as a Social Worker in Turin Municipality since 1993. In 2005, she joined the Foster Care Service named “Casa dell’Affidamento di Torino”, promoting Foster Family support activity. Member of the Italian National Council for the Foster Care Service (Consiglio Nazionale Servizio Affidi).

Barbara Ferrero started her career in social work in 1999. Since 2001 she has been working as a social worker in Turin, assisting minors and families. Since 2009 she has been a member of the Multidisciplinary Team “Little Red Riding Hood”. The team manages situations involving child abuse victims in the Local Health District and Municipality of Turin.