Dossier n. 191/2010 [Abstract] Service contracts between Local Authorities and Public Trusts for Personal Services. Governance guidelines

Six years have passed since the reform of the Emilia-Romagna regional welfare system was started (with the Regional Law no. 2/2003 “Norms for promoting social citizenship and realizing the integrated system of social interventions and services”) and since Public Institutions for Assistance and Charity were transformed into Public Trusts for Personal Services (ASP). According to the law, these Trusts have public legal status and statute/patrimonial autonomy, and should represent a merging and coordination element of social interventions at District level, to help Local Authorities in realizing a community welfare system.

At regional level, the need is felt to verify “if” and “how” ASPs are playing the assigned role. Moreover, the quality of relationships between these actors and Municipal Administrations is evaluated through content examination of signed service contracts.

Collected documents refer to 17 Trusts (39% of total regional ASPs); 10 ASPs declare that they have not yet signed any contract with their Local Authorities (22% of total ASPs); 17 other ASPs are not participating in the survey (39% of total ASPs).

The structure of the research report is:

• in the first two Chapters, the elements characterizing the governance paradigm are presented, analysing the national and regional reform process that led to the transformation of Public Institutions for Assistance and Charity;
• in Chapter 3 the structural contents of a good service contract are listed, underlining the role of such contracts to enforce a better governance of the system;
• in the last two Chapters the results of the examination of service contracts collected in Emilia-Romagna ASPs are presented and some hints to strengthen the construction and management process of the local welfare integrated system are suggested.