Family in the woods, new clash between the Child Advocate and social services

New institutional clash over the case of the family in the woods in Abruzzo: on one side, the National Ombudsman for Children Marina Terragni, who visited the children last Thursday, and on the other, the social services of the foster home, with mutual accusations also regarding the failure to meet between Terragni and the assigned social worker.

Meanwhile, amidst the controversies, a new development emerges for the management of minors: "the operators of the foster home - reads a statement from the lawyer representing the social services - have restored good relations with the minors, thereby eliminating the reasons for the ordered transfer, and therefore, the Court can now evaluate this new arrangement."

Lawyer Maria Pina Benedetti, representing the manager of the social service of the municipalities of Alto Vastese, emphasizes that the statements from the Ombudsman are "claims not corresponding to reality" regarding "both the functioning of the social service and the training, competence, and conduct of the social worker assigned to the family unit."

According to Benedetti, "the social workers of Ecad 14 all operate with competence, acquired through academic studies, the state exam qualifying for the profession, ongoing training, supervision, and experience."

Benedetti clarifies that "the function and role of the social worker are not comparable to that of a 'relative' or a 'friend', but certainly do not position themselves as 'antagonists,' and that "the language difference has not been and is not an obstacle. The difference in culture or values has not been and is not an obstacle for the social worker, who has never expressed judgments in this regard."

Ombudsman Terragni responds to the accusations from social services without mincing words, categorically denying the claims about the failure to meet with the social worker. "With lies - she emphasizes - you get nowhere and communication becomes increasingly complicated. The social worker did not make herself available for a meeting with me. Social services did not even provide me with the phone contact, which I had to obtain through other means."

Terragni also clarifies that he has "said and written that the children are physically well, but their significant psychomotor agitation, along with a fearful and distrustful attitude towards strangers, reveals an evident discomfort that is not surprising, given the repeated traumas they have been subjected to."

Benedetti concludes by emphasizing that the media coverage given by a guaranteeing authority to unverified facts has exposed the appointed professional and the entire service to public disgrace and potential risks to personal safety, as well as undermining citizens' trust in institutions.

On the judicial front, the president of the Juvenile Court of L'Aquila, Cecilia Angrisano, will leave her position in April and may lead the one in Perugia. She will be replaced by Nicoletta Orlando, former deputy of the Pci-Pds, pending the ratification of Justice Minister Carlo Nordio. Angrisano is under police protection due to threats received on social media.