99668 - People Care and Social Services

Course contents

The course is aimed at students who wish to delve into the theoretical conceptual elements and empirical tools that new welfare professionals use in the conception, design, implementation and evaluation of personal services at the territorial level.

Through face-to-face lectures first, and thematic seminars later, the following concepts and related social intervention tools will be explored:

- welfare, needs and aspirations of citizens related to welfare development;

- the specificity of care relationships: approaches, forms, content and actors;

- the characteristics of care services in the current welfare scenario;

- the establishment of the multi-actor territorial network for care (local authorities; Third Sector entities; enterprises) and its governance.


The following topics will be explored in the seminar lectures.


- care and services for children and adolescents (with specific reference to the new National Childhood and Adolescence Plan)


- care and services for families (with specific reference to the new Family Policy Plan)


- care and services for the elderly with reference to plans related to Law 33/2023.

Readings/Bibliography

Giacomo Beccatini, La coscienza dei luoghi. Il territorio come soggetto corale, Donzelli Editore: Roma, 2025.

- Flavia Franzoni, Marisa Anconelli, La rete dei servizi alla persona: dalla normativa all’organizzazione. Terza edizione, Carocci: Roma, 2022

- Giorgio Merlo, Gianfranco Bordone, Guida alla programmazione sociale. Teorie, pratiche, contesti, Carocci Editore: Roma, 2025.

[capitoli 1; 6; 8; 13; 16; 17; 18; 21]

- Luigina Mortari, La pratica dell’aver cura, Pearson: Torino, 2022.

- Piano Nazionale per la famiglia 2025-2027, https://famiglia.governo.it/media/c01jdgrr/piano_famiglia_2v_2025_2027.pdf

- The Care Collective, Il Manifesto della cura: per una politica dell’interdipendenza, Edizioni Alegre: Roma, 2021

Teaching methods

The course is organized into lectures and seminars.


The first section consists of lectures and aims to introduce students to the acquisition of basic conceptual and theoretical tools.


The second section, organized in seminar mode, is aimed at the application of knowledge and its deepening.


Attending students will be divided into small working groups for in-depth seminar work on selected topics inherent in different types of personal services


Meetings and exchanges with practitioners from the six personal services sector are planned during the course


The examination tests and evaluation criteria that will be adapted will be declined consistently with the objectives and content of the two different parts of the course.

Assessment methods

Attending Students


To be considered attending, 80% of the lectures must be attended, the in-depth study and presentation of the assigned topic in the seminar must be done, as well as all the in-depth activities that the lecturer will propose during the course.


- The final grade will be the result of a series of partial tests, the contents and characteristics of which are given below.


- Presentation of a paper agreed with the lecturer, participation and classroom discussion during all lectures (these activities will contribute to 30% of the final grade).


- Preparation of an in-depth written thematic paper related to a course topic agreed with the lecturer (The grade achieved will contribute 30%).

- Oral discussion of the course content (The grade earned will contribute to 40% of the final grade).


- NON-attending students:


Non-attending students must take an oral test related to the texts indicated in the bibliography for non-attending students.


(The grade earned will contribute to 55% of the final grade).


In addition, during the oral test, the student/student must discuss a paper capable of presenting analytically and critically the text chosen for the monograph part.


The paper should be submitted via e-mail to the lecturer 10 working days before the roll call.



The paper must have a maximum length of 20,000 characters, must contain an abstract, 5 keywords and must be complete with bibliography of reference.


(The grade earned will contribute 45% of the final grade).


The purpose of the final exam is to test the student's ability to apply the notions and knowledge learned and to make the necessary logical-deductive connections. Grading of the final grade is based on the following criteria:


- Insufficiency: not even approximate or incorrect knowledge of the topic, insufficient expository ability and use of appropriate vocabulary;


- Preparation on a very limited number of topics covered in the course and analytical ability emerging only with the help of the lecturer, expression in overall correct language: grade 18-19;


- Preparation on a limited number of topics covered in the course and ability to analyze independently only on purely executive issues, expression in correct language: grade 20-24;


- Preparation on a large number of topics covered in the course, ability to make independent choices of critical analysis, mastery of specific terminology: grade 25-29;


- Substantially comprehensive preparation on the topics covered in the course, ability to make independent choices of critical analysis and connection, full mastery of specific terminology, and ability to argue and self-reflect: grade 30-30L.

Students with DSA or temporary or permanent disabilities: it is recommended to contact the responsible Athenaeum office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it) in good time: it will be their responsibility to propose to the interested students any possible adaptations, which must in any case be submitted, 15 days in advance, for the approval of the teacher, who will also assess their appropriateness in relation to the educational objectives of the teaching

Teaching tools

Supplementary teaching materials (texts, Italian and foreign essays, research reports, etc.) will be provided to students during the course, which will be useful for deepening specific topics related to the program.


The Virtual platform will be used as a support for course organization, timetabling and sharing of in-depth materials cited in the classroom.

Office hours

See the website of Elena Macchioni