“Brief summary from SOS Children’s Villages in response to the list of Issues concerning additional and updated information related to the third and fourth combined periodic report of ITALY from the UN Committee - 2011”
Introduction
SOS Villaggi dei Bambini Italia is part of the international umbrella organisation “SOS Children’s Villages International” which has over 130 SOS Children’s Villages national associations worldwide. SOS Villaggi dei Bambini Italia supports and promotes a range of family-based care options for vulnerable children who cannot remain in the care of their families. The organisation’s commitment to ensuring quality alternative care is complemented by family strengthening interventions which target children and families at risk of separation with the intention of building their capacities and empowering them towards self-reliance.
We also advocate and take action for children as an independent non-governmental social development organisation. We respect varying religions and cultures. We work in the spirit of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and we promote these rights. Since April 2011 we have been part of the Italian National Observatory of Childhood and Adolescence and are also part of the Italian NGO Group for the CRC and the PIDIDA group, both committed for the promotion of children’s rights in Italy.
Referring to the list of issues you have addressed to the Italian Government, throughout this brief document, SOS Children’s Villages Italy wishes to elaborate on issues relating to children in alternative care in Italy and to underline some topics we think would be important to be discussed with the Italian Government delegation, during the next fifty-eight session.
We will refer in particular to the “list of issues”:
Part I - n° 7
The lack data from Sicily is a real problem. In particular on residential care the Region of Sicily does not collect any data, whilst on foster care Sicily has, since 2007, collected data but only in terms of overall numbers (as other Regions of Italy); this means that data collected cannot be easily disaggregated in order to understand, the demographics of children in foster care.
welcomed by the UN General Assembly in November 2009. We think it is therefore extremely
important for the UNCRC to ask the Italian Government how it plans to refer to the “UN Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children” and to consult with civil society in the
process of drafting and implementing national minimum standards for alternative care. Considering the more updated data at 31.03.2009, the de-institutionalisation of children has been almost completed.
Year Institutes Nr of children placed 31 December 1999(a) 475 10.626 31 December 2000(a) 359 7.575 30 June 2003(b) 215 2.633 30 November 2006(b) 52 355 31 May 2007(b) 20 137 31 January 2008(b) 14 48 31 March 2009(b) 3 15 a) ISTAT
(b) Centro nazionale di documentazione e analisi per l'infanzia e l'adolescenza Region 30/11/2006 31/05/2007 Piemonte 0 0 Valle d'Aosta 0 0 Lombardia 0 0 Provincia di Bolzano 0 0 Provincia di Trento 0 0 Veneto 0 0 Friuli-Venezia Giulia 0 0 Liguria 0 0 Emilia-Romagna 0 0 Toscana 0 0 Umbria 39 0 Marche 0 0 Lazio 8 0 Abruzzo 0 0 Molise 0 0 Campania 33 0 Puglia 38 40 Basilicata 60 10 Calabria 63 18 Sicilia 114 69 Sardegna 0 0 Total 355 137
Part III n°1 (ii), points a, c, e
The most recent official research (made by Ministero del Lavoro e delle Politiche Sociali1) was published in March 2011 and refers to data up to 31/12/2008. This is the most up to date data we have on children in alternative care in Italy.
In order to make an analysis, we will compare this data at 31.12.2008 with a previous collection made in 1998 for residential care and in 1999 for foster care2 (before the law 149/’01) and in 20053 and 20074.
(ii) Number of children deprived of a family environment and their placement
1999 or 1998 2005 2007 2008 Foster care 10.200 12.551 (without Sicily) 16.857 15.203 Residential care 14.945 11.543 (without Sicily) 15.630 15.454 TOTAL 25.145 24.094 (without Sicily) 32.487 30.657
-5.000 10.000 15.000 20.000 25.000 30.000 35.000 1998/1999 2007 2008 Foster Care Residential Care Children out of family
In the last 10 years, the total number of children in alternative care has grown: from around
25.000 in 1999 to around 24.000 in 2005 (but without Sicily) to around 32.000 in 2007. Between 2007 and 2008 the total number of children has decreased (to around 30.000). In particular the number of children in foster care has grown (from around 10.000 in 1999 to around 15.000 in 2008) while the number of children in residential care is quite stable (ca 15.000). From 2007 to 2008 there has been a decrease in the number of children in foster care of 9.8% but it is too early to talk about a negative trend. We have to wait the data of 2010.
Between 2005 and 2007 the increase of children in foster care is 34,3% and in residential services is 35,4%. Between 2007 and 2008 we have a decrease of 9,8% in foster families and 1,1% in residential care, for a general decrease of children in alternative care of 5,6%.
Nationality of children in alternative care
For 2005 we have the data from the Government report to the UNCRC that reports that 22% of unaccompanied children amongst the total of children in alternative care. We do not know how many foreign children we had in total apart from those noted as unaccompanied.
For 2007 and 2008 the available data reports the same trend: Italian children are more placed in foster care then in residential care even if the difference is not so high; foreign children on the other hand are more in residential care (63.4% in 2008) than in foster care (36.6% in 2008).
The data about “Unaccompanied foreign minors” is also interesting: while in 2007 most of them (93.5%) were in residential care, in 2008 this percentage has decreased to 78.5% with a consequent amount of “Unaccompanied foreign minors” in foster care (21.5%). This is due to new services in north and centre of Italy which have implemented family care options for foreign minors.
In general the number of foreign minors is consistently increased in the last 10 years: from 5,6% in 1999 to 16,4% in 2008. Regional differences are strong: from situation as Toscana (35%), Emilia-Romagna (30%), Veneto (28%), Umbria (23%) to Campania (6,6%) and Sicilia (3,7%).
Nationality 31/12/2007 31/12/2008 % foster care % residential care Total % foster care % residential care Total Italian 54,6% 45,4% 100,0 % 52,9% 47,1% 100,0 % Foreigners 37,6% 62,4% 100,0 % 36,6% 63,4% 100,0 % Unaccompanied foreign minors 6,5% 93,5% 100,0 % 21,5% 78,5% 100,0 %
Age of children in alternative care
For 2005 we only know that at 31/12/2005 52% of children is more than 12 years old. From 31/12/2007 to 31/12/2008 for all the age classes is increased the percentage of placement in foster care then in residential care.
In 10 years (from 1999 to 2008) the age classes more present are the teenagers and adolescents. It has decreased the percentage of 6-10 years old (from 33% to 27%) and of 15-17 years old (from 20% to 27%). It has remained stable the percentage of little children (0-5 years old) from 15,5% in 1999 to 15,8% in 2008. Age 31/12/2007 31/12/2008 % foster care % residential care Total % foster care % residential care Total 0-2 39,8% 60,2% 100,0% 43,2% 56,8% 100,0% 3-5 57,6% 42,4% 100,0% 62,8% 37,2% 100,0% 6-10 58,7% 41,3% 100,0% 64,5% 35,5% 100,0% 11-14 53,2% 46,8% 100,0% 58,4% 41,6% 100,0% 15-17 41,4% 58,6% 100,0% 43,6% 56,4% 100,0%
Sex of children in alternative care
There are not significant differences in the gender distribution: in general female children were 49% in 1999 and remain 48% in 2008.
Sex 31/12/2007 31/12/2008 % foster care % residential care Total % foster care % residential care Total Male 49,5% 50,5% 100,0% 51,4% 48,6% 100,0% Female 56,7% 43,3% 100,0% 59,8% 40,2% 100,0%
a. Children involuntary placed in foster care
At 31/12/2008 80% of children in foster care were involuntary placed. The percentage was already high in 1999 (75%) and in 2005 (70%) but it has become higher in 2008. This high percentage is due also to the fact that each voluntary placement in foster care that lasts more than 2 years has to be approved by the juvenile court and so after 2 years it is registered as involuntary placement. We provide you data from 2005 to 2008 with a specific table on some Regions of Italy in 2007.
Involuntary placed Voluntary placed Not indicated Total 31/12/2005 70,0% 30,0% 0,0% 100,0% 31/12/2007 80,7% 18,3% 1,0% 100,0% 31/12/2008 80,0% 20,0% 0,0% 100,0% 31/12/2007 Geographic location Involuntary placed Voluntary placed Not indicated Total Piemonte 73,7% 26,3% 0,0% 100,0% Valle d’Aosta 87,8% 12,2% 0,0% 100,0% Lombardia 74,4% 18,9% 6,7% 100,0% Veneto 70,7% 29,3% 0,0% 100,0%
Friuli Venezia Giulia 60,8% 39,2% 0,0% 100,0%
Liguria 85,1% 14,9% 0,0% 100,0% Emilia-Romagna 75,3% 24,7% 0,0% 100,0% Molise 100,0% 0,0% 0,0% 100,0% Campania 79,8% 17,7% 2,5% 100,0% Puglia 83,8% 15,8% 0,4% 100,0% Basilicata 100,0% 0,0% 0,0% 100,0% Sicilia 77,1% 21,0% 1,9% 100,0%
c. Children in residential structures
The number is rather stable: they were 11.500 ca in 2005 (without Sicily), 15.630 in 2007 and they are 15.454 in 2008 (estimating Sicily).
Geographic location 31/12/2005 31/12/2007 31/12/2008 Region Nr. Fostered children Nr. children in residential services Total Nr. Fostered children Nr. children in residenti al services Total Nr. Fostere d childre n Nr. children in residenti al services Total Piemonte 1.352 1.165 2.517 1.634 990 2.624 1.643 841 2.484 Val d’Aosta 46 21 67 41 16 57 44 14 58 Lombardi a 2.505 1.652 4.157 2.545 1.790 4.335 2.238 1.450 3.688 Provincia di Bolzano 188 118 306 179 134 313 184 143 327 Provincia di Trento 101 327 428 99 256 355 98 270 368 Veneto 722 934 1.656 793 880 1.673 823 844 1.667 Friuli V. Giulia 165 213 378 166 453 619 138 428 566 Liguria 660 466 1.126 854 404 1.258 633 522 (4) 1.155 Emilia-Romagna 1.187 (2) 640 1.827 1.283 1.084 2.367 1.227 1084 (4) 2.311 Toscana 1.420 790 2.210 1.397 774 2.171 1.319 685 2.004 Umbria 265 311 576 309 358 667 304 565 869 Marche 194 230 424 183 319 502 192 242 434 Lazio 918 1.000(3) 1.918 2.338 1.585(3) 3.923 1.252 1.987 3.239 (5) Abruzzo 189 265 454 250 290 540 250 392 642 Molise 82 96 178 6 58 64 29 58 87 Campania 776 1.360 2.136 1.250 1.570 2.820 1090 1660 2.750 Puglia 1.340 (6) 1.175 (3) 2.515 1.370 1.823 3.193 1.409 1400 2.809 Basilicata 8 119 127 76 156 232 66 179 245 Calabria 354 516 870 450 570 1.020 450 570 1.020 Sicilia na na - 1.284 1.700 2.984 1.364 1700 3.064 Sardegna 79 (1) 145 224 350 420 770 450 420 870 TOTAL 12.551 11.543 24.094 16.857 15.630 32.487 15.203 15.454 30.657 % of increase/decrease 34,3% 35,4% 34,8% -9,8% -1,1% -5,6%
e. Children in institutional and residential services in Sicily
At 31/12/2008 we still do not have data. Sicily has only given the number of residential services but not the number of the children which is estimated to be 1700. Only on overall numbers in foster care has Sicily provided data at 31/12/2008.
Year Nr. fostered children Nr. children in residential services Total 31/12/2005 na na - 31/12/2007 1.284 1700 2.984 31/12/2008 1.364 1700 3.064 na = not available estimate
