747,227 people in Sardinia live in municipalities or organizations that are members of the Network
On October 14th, Nuoro hosted the Third Regional Convention of the Family Network in Italy, during which, 14 more municipalities on the island were certified as Family-friendly networks. A total of 348,671 people now live in the certified Sardinian municipalities, accounting for about 22 percent of the population, a significant increase over last year that testifies to the path taken by the Family project on the island. The desire for family welfare policies in Sardinia is widespread, both in the institutions pushing to ensure support and fight against denatality, and among citizens. This explains how Sardinia is the region with the highest number of adhesions and certifications after Trentino.
Present at the convention were the Mayor of Nuoro Andrea Soddu, Regional Councillor for Social Policies Carlo Doria, the president of ISRE – which hosted the event moderated by journalist Carlotta Lucato – Stefano Lavra, the mayor of Alghero Mario Conoci, the director general of the Agency for Social Cohesion Luciano Malfer, the director general for Social Policies of the RAS, the president of the CIDIS Orbassano (TO) Consortium, ELFAC president Regina Maroncelli, mayors and aldermen of certified municipalities and those in the process of certification. “The third regional convention on the Family Network is an opportunity to share ideas, listen to the needs of families and work together to develop more effective policies,” says Mayor Andrea Soddu in the opening greetings of the convention, “We are here to listen, learn and strengthen our commitment to family welfare. In the Municipality of Nuoro, we believe that family well-being should be promoted through concrete policies and targeted actions. We have invested significant resources to ensure access to quality services, such as education, health care and social support, that are inclusive and open to all,” stressed Mayor Andrea Soddu. Promoting the family, putting its wellbeing at the center, is the strategic objective that has driven forward the virtuous path that sees the Island’s municipalities committed to family policies. There are many reasons that affect denatality, but there is a necessary awareness that it is necessary to do our utmost to reverse the trend, starting with the need for a regional Family Agency in Sardinia as well, as Trentino teaches. “The Trentino Agency for Social Cohesion pushes on the method it applies to start that cultural revolution that brings forward real family-friendly municipalities,” Luciano Malfer, Director General of the Trentino Agency for Social Cohesion, explained in his speech. “Family municipalities in Italy are almost 170, but the results are visible in the long term, which is why it is necessary to start and tenaciously carry on the process. It is important to network and create a system among all actors: state, companies, territory, sports and culture, these are the elements of today’s Welfare,” concludes Luciano Malfer.
The Third Regional Convention of the Family in Italy Network also marks the conclusion of the Master’s Degree in Management of Family Welfare Policies, a strategic lever for the development and growth of skills in the territory, as recalled by the Director General for Social Policies of the Region of Sardinia Giovanni Deiana. “Today we are celebrating so many achievements of the Family process in Sardinia: the certifications of the new Family Municipalities and the conclusion of the Master’s degree in Management of Family Welfare Policies, which has allowed us to consolidate technical skills in the subject matter covered but has enabled the creation of a team that will be the region’s first support to ensure advancement processes for family policies. We believe in the process and believe that the human factor is what determines success and cultural change that puts the family at the center. The hope is that every year the convention will highlight good results, the goal is for family policies to be overall policies of institutions across the board, rooting and sedimenting these processes,” explained Giovanni Deiana, director general for Social Policies of the Region of Sardinia. At the end of the speeches the venue for the 2024 Convention was announced and with the symbolic passing of the baton Silvano Arru, mayor of Borutta took the stage to receive the nomination to organize the fourth regional Convention of the Family Network in Italy next October.
THE NEWLY CERTIFIED MUNICIPALITIES
Bosa, Busachi, Erula, Fordongianus, Orgosolo, Osilo, Quartucciu, San Vito, Sant’Antioco, Sant’Antonio di Gallura, Settimo San Pietro, Teulada, and Usini are the municipalities that received Family Certification this morning. These 14 municipalities bring the number of certified Sardinian municipalities to 29 and the number of family organizations in Sardinia to 45.
In contrast, the municipalities of Atzara, Bono, Buddusò, Cagliari, Ghilarza, Nuoro and Uri received the European Certificate.
THE PATH
The path is being carried out on the island by the Municipality of Alghero, led by Mayor Mario Conoci, who through the Office for Family Policies, entrusted in agreement with the National Association of Large Families, has the task of promoting the process throughout Sardinia and accompanying Sardinian municipalities on the certification path. This is an authentic and significant example of subsidiarity through which family associationism plays a dual role: on the one hand a planning partner and stimulator of innovative processes and on the other hand an operational partner in their concrete implementation.
“The work carried out in recent years by the Family Policy Office of our Municipality has allowed the desire for active family welfare policies to take root in the Island. What we are doing as the Municipality of Alghero is the result of a team effort that involves the entire Council,” said Councillor for Quality of Life Maria grazia Salaris, contact person for the Project.
“From 2021 to date there have been 82 missions to Sardinian municipalities, more than 22,000 kilometers traveled to illustrate and teach the Trentino method, the existing mapping system and the identification of effective actions for family welfare to be included in Municipal Family Plans. This work has allowed us to meet and accompany the 29 administrations certified to date but many more have expressed their intention to activate the process,” recount Filomena Cappiello and Mauro Ledda of the Alghero Office and National Coordinators of the Family Network in Italy.
With the collapse of births on the island, which is at the tail end for birth rates in Italy, and driven by the desire to repopulate small towns and preserve the humanity and livability of the larger municipalities, the Region of Sardinia has invested resources to raise awareness among the island’s municipalities to Certify Family by signing, as early as 2018, a protocol with the Autonomous Province of Trento aimed at exchanging experiences gained and promoting and disseminating good practices in the field of family policies.
With the memorandum of understanding, the Region of Sardinia made use of the experience gained by the Agency for Social Cohesion of the Autonomous Province of Trento on family certifications (Family Friendly Municipality, Family Audit), Family Districts and on the way of active involvement of family associations.
Numerous actions have already been put in place including the training course for Family Audit consultants and evaluators, the call for companies that want to activate the process, the Master’s degree on family welfare policies, and the implementation through the Municipality of Alghero of Family Certification in Italy.
Sardinia believes in and invests for Families, with the hope of reversing the negative trend in the birth rate and supporting their life projects.
Where the family is well, society is well and the economy grows.
