Abstract

From a research project aimed to establish evaluation criteria for children residential care with reference to the ecological theory of human development, the article shows some results of a survey on workers of 80 residential communities for children and of 45 social services. Professional and institutional integration is crucial for the operation of residential communities for children. In the ecological model of human development, this level is defined as eso-system. The results presented focus on relations between the services involved in residential interventions; they highlight the interdependence that occurs between different levels of ecological environment and show the affect on outcomes of the articulation between these levels.