Florence Municipality – Innocenti Agreement on Supervised and Supported Visits

The Municipality of Florence and the Istituto degli Innocenti have signed a three-year Agreement to introduce services and activities to support the rights of children, adolescents and families. The heart of the Agreement concerns the service of “supervised and supported visits”, a servicefor children aged 0-6 and their families. The service is intended to support and protect the relationship between children, parents and significant adult figures in situations of high conflict or family fragility, on the order of the judicial authority or, in particular cases, on the assessment of the social services. Approximately, 5,500 hours of activities per year are planned, covering both the operational conduct of the visits and their planning, coordination and supervision.

The Agreement, which will run until 30 September 2028, also includes training, monitoring and service evaluation. In particular, six training days are scheduled for social workers of the Municipality of Florence and the third sector, as well as the definition of guidelines and operational procedures on protected and facilitated conferences.

The project involves the professional social service of the Municipality of Florence, the families being looked after and the network of third sector organisations. A multi-professional coordination committee, comprising representatives of the municipality and the Institute, will ensure full implementation and monitoring of the activities.

The contribution of the Municipality of Florence will concern guidance, control and liaison with the Judicial Authority, while the Istituto degli Innocenti will be involved in managing meetings, training, monitoring and reporting.

With this Agreement, the two institutions strengthen their collaboration in the sensitive and fundamental area of protecting the rights of the youngest children, confirming their shared concern for the well-being of the city's children and families.