The Parliamentary Committee on Childhood and Adolescence, chaired by Hon. Michela Vittoria Brambilla, today began a brief round of hearings on the topic of “prerequisites and modalities for the removal of minors from their families of origin,” taking its cue from the most recent cases in the news.
“The contributions of the hearings,” stresses President Brambilla, "reinforce the impression one gets from the stories told in the media, namely that the procedure to be followed in removals, which are in themselves always traumatic, should be better specified and standardized, both in the genesis and execution phases of the measures. Much more can be done to avoid them and to protect even in the most difficult cases the best interests of minors.".
Three experts listened: Maria Cinque, full professor of Special Didactics and Pedagogy at LUMSA; Daniela Barni, associate professor of Social Psychology in the University of Bergamo; and Cassation lawyer Fabio Valerini. All insisted on the theme of preventing family fragility and the delicacy of the enforcement phase. “It must be governed by the judge on the basis of a personalized project,” insisted lawyer Valerini, “it cannot be delegated to social service operators or law enforcement, also because until the last moment relevant facts may emerge of which the judge must take cognizance. Fundamental to his decision are facts, not evaluations, albeit of experts.” For Prof. Barni, not only is it necessary to always ensure that the child is heard, but to ”introduce as a standard’ the evaluation of the effectiveness of the removal order and its consequences.” Prof. Cinque stressed the importance of the figure, to date insufficiently outlined, of the ”family relations expert" as a tool to intercept fragility early and avoid traumatic measures.
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