Kind editorial staff,
with the recent publication of the article “For the interest of the minor you need a mother and a dad” signed by Cristina Riccardi on Famigliacristiana.it, we would like intervene and confront us in the public debate following the judgment of the Constitutional Court of March 21 Scorsor. As is known, the sentence declares “Article 29-bis, paragraph 1, of law number 184 of 1983, in the part in which it does not include individual people among those who can adopt a foreign minor residing abroad“.
In our opinion, it is important to underline that the right every child has a family should be the center of gravity of each visionregardless of the challenges dictated by the personal, social and legislative changes, of which, however, to take into account.
It is at the same time important to reiterate that, to answer the question “but what does a child need to grow adequately?” Do we have to use a vision proven by scientific and clinical evidence, able to highlight the child’s right and free from any adultocentric position.
A strong push in this direction was after the nineties, who had been characterized by the report of researchers and clinicians against prejudices in the study of families, by the need to de-pass diversity and instead direct studies to identify the specificities of families. The center of gravity necessarily moved to the central theme of the parent’s competence and not to the relational geometry of family configurations.
At the same time important scientific research and clinical experience have highlighted, in this direction, that parental skills depend on the evolutionary history of the parent, on its resources, on the social context As a source of support or stress and the quality of the sentimental relationship, if in place.
Only these two dimensions, the parental skills and the needs of the child, mark the way to well -being and the rights of minors and have guided the most significant national and international scientific research.
These have highlighted that they are neither the number, nor the genre of parents to guarantee in itself the best development conditions for children, but that It is their ability to assume these roles and educational responsibilities that derive from itto guarantee their evolutionary well -being. In particular, psychological research has highlighted that the center of gravity is the quality of the family environment that parents provide, regardless of the fact that they are cohabiting, separated, remarried, single, of the same sex and that these are not the variables that explain the relationship between family relationships and psycho-social development of individuals.
Ciai has been dealing for more than 50 years of girls and boys and their families, we have learned from them the most important things of our profession.
We try to always drive from the higher interest of the child who remains the only constant in a social reality that changes and will change again.
Daniela Russo, Adoption Manager and Ciape – Ciai Psychological and Educational Center
Alessandra Santona, psychologist and psychotherapist, scientific manager of Ciai – Professor of Psychology at the University of Milan Bicocca
