Considerazioni in ordine al rapporto tra affido e volontariato

The essay analyses the literature about the binomial ‘foster care- volunteerism’. The analysis of some Italian studies shows that this topic has not been considered very much till now, despite the researches carried out about the reasons, the categories of society sensitive to foster care, the (private) role of the foster family for what is actually a public function and a relation system with public and private institutions. The comparison of essays containing a classification of the volunteerism’ functions leads to the conclusion that some of these functions have been poorly examined. To be more specific, they are: testing effective responses, impulse to the culture of solidarity, solicitation of insti- tution and advocacy. The study highlights two aspects: the concrete commitment of foster families and the risk that, after the fostering, the relation between the family and the volunteers comes to an end . In this way the choice of fostering families loses its social dimension.