“The behavior of a system cannot be understood merely by knowing the parts of which it is composed.”
— Donella H. Meadows

We live in an increasingly complex, interconnected, and high-intensity relational society, yet family situations are still too often interpreted through reductive paradigms and oversimplified models.

With the risk of:

• misclassification;
• retraumatization;
• escalation of conflict;
• partial readings of complexity;
• loss of trust in institutional systems;
• potentially profound impacts on neurodevelopment and on children’s wellbeing.

It is necessary to move beyond simplistic approaches and develop genuinely interdisciplinary, trauma-informed, and scientifically updated models.

What is required:

• highly specialized training;
• continuous and independent supervision;
• timely, accurate, and shared information;
• common scientific standards;
• interdisciplinary collaboration;
• genuine child-centered focus.

As Prof. Matteo Villanova reminds us:

“From educational failure — understood as Professional Mismanagement — may arise an increase in future devastating situations of distress.”

It is therefore essential to promote best practices, develop shared ethical and scientific standards, and build systems capable of learning, self-correcting, and evolving in response to complexity.

Reducing systemic risk and harm in child protection pathways is no longer an option. It is a collective responsibility.

Francesco Ferzini
President, Associazione Nuova Tutela
Università Roma Tre