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Family Roots (Radici nella famiglia)

The project recognizes one of the major developments in recent years—the need for cooperation between agencies and services providers in order to ensure that youth's needs are addressed and met in a more comprehensive manner. This is coupled with the recognition that juvenile delinquency is not solely a matter of criminality, but is often connected with other problems such substance use/abuse and mental health issues. The aims of the juvenile justice system then are better served by looking at the youth in his/her complexity. This complexity is not limited to the individual, but also needs to take into consideration the environment in which the youth lives. This project addresses one main aspect of this environment—the family—in asking how the family can serve as a partner with the juvenile justice system. Overall this is an area that has been largely neglected by the research and is generally avoided by practitioners since the family, rather than being seen as a potential catalyst for positive change, is often perceived as a cause of delinquency or major contributing factor. Family Roots, through a mix of research, training and professional development, responds to this issue by looking at how the family, in collaboration with the juvenile justice system, public health agencies, schools, and other service providers, can promote delinquency prevention and foster pro-social behaviours.

Contact person: Vanja Stenius.

Iprs research team: Fabia Orlandi, Catia Isabel Santonico Ferrer, Vanja Stenius.