Conference Program

National and international reports indicate a decline in the number of children placed in foster families and a corresponding increase in the number of children accommodated in residential care, likely linked to a reduction in the availability of foster families (Ministero del Lavoro, 2024; Administration for Children and Families, 2024; Delhon, 2023). The difficulty in recruiting available foster families is currently exacerbated by the growing complexity of the situations of children in need of protection. In particular, the high prevalence of children presenting significant risk factors makes the matching process and the successful development of foster care trajectories even more delicate.

This study, developed through a collaboration between the University of Turin and the Municipality of Turin, aims to identify educational and social support strategies that can foster positive outcomes even in foster care placements initially characterized by high levels of complexity. The methodological framework is grounded in the Success Case Method (Brinkerhoff, 2003), enriched by insights derived from the theoretical orientation of Appreciative Inquiry, an approach developed by David Cooperrider and rooted in a constructivist and generative perspective on organizational change. Appreciative Inquiry is distinguished by its focus not on deficits or critical issues, but rather on the identification of strengths, effective practices, and enabling factors that make successful experiences possible (Cooperrider & Whitney, 2005).

Within this perspective, the study of “success cases” does not constitute a merely positive selection of data; rather, it represents an epistemological stance aimed at understanding which relational, educational, and institutional conditions foster generative outcomes even in highly complex situations. The research involved an in-depth analysis of successful cases through the engagement of multiple sources to enable triangulation of perspectives (foster families, social workers, psychologists, and family associations) (Greenhalgh, 2025). The identification of recurring positive factors provides a basis for designing new forms of support for children placed under protection.