Social Coops

Legal framework

In 1980, with Regional Law n. 72 of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region, "Regulation for the Safeguarding of Mental Health", social coops were designated for the first time as a resource for the rehabilitation of persons with mental disorders.
The Law also allocated additional funds to the funds provided by the National Health Budget, to be applied in the following 5 areas:

• occupational training and placement
• rehabilitation/recreational activities
• support for social coops
• habitat
• healthcare education.

Art. 11 of Law n. 72 states that:
"The following rehabilitation centres and alternative structures, working in close collaboration with the Mental Health Department and for the purposes of deinstitutionalisation, are to be considered social integration structures:
- day hospital and overnight hospitality centres
- motor/sensory reeducation centres
- group homes for social re/integration
- professional training courses in day-centres
- occupational rehabilitation centres
- social coops."

In 1991, following the development of social coops in the area of social integration, the government passed Italian Law 381, "Regulation of Social Coops", which states that these enterprises "work in the public interest through the human promotion and social integration of citizens, through:
- the management of social, healthcare and welfare services (Type A coop)
- diverse activities (agricultural, industrial, commercial and services) for the occupational training/placement of disadvantaged persons (Type B coop)."

The Law states that disadvantaged persons must make up at least 30% of the workforce of Type B coops and, to the extent possible, should be members of the coops for which they work. The Law then goes on to specify a list of "disadvantaged" persons: in addition to persons with physical, mental and sensory handicaps, the category includes former inmates of psychiatric hospitals (including forensic hospitals) and persons receiving psychiatric care, persons with problems of substance abuse, alcoholics, minors of working age with difficult family situations and prison inmates or sentenced persons who have been admitted to alternative programmes or work furloughs". The Law also provides for public agencies to stipulate contracts with Type B coops for goods and services not pertaining to social, healthcare or education, in order to create employment opportunities for disadvantaged persons.
Subsequent Regional and National legislation further defined and expanded the functions of coops, especially in terms of the public funding/contribution of resources for training and the kinds of public contracts that can be stipulated with coops, as well as providing for individual coops to form consortiums.

Accredited Social Coops that collaborate with the MHD

The Local Healthcare Agency recognises and accredits social coops based on the services they provide and their occupational training/placement programmes for disadvantaged persons.
The MHD has accredited the following 4 Type A coops for social, healthcare and educational services: 2001 Agenzia Social, Strade Nuove, L.Ri. and La Quercia.
The Local Healthcare Agency tenders public bids for the management of residential structures and modular rehabilitation/therapeutic programmes and in the future will form partnerships with social coops for "healthcare budget programmes" (link). These coops provide services in two main areas:

• residential, including maintaining living areas, providing care for persons and their habitat, sustaining the relearning of daily living tasks/skills and social cohabitation, initiating and supporting training, empowerment and socialisation activities;
• relations and social abilities, through personalised therapeutic/rehabilitation projects (care budgets) and 12 hrs/week "modular interventions, in order to re/build family and social relations and promote emancipation, education and occupational training/placement.

Accredited Type A Coops:

"Duemilauno Agenzia Sociale" Coop
Via Colombara di Vignano 3 – Muggia
Tel.: 040 232 331
Fax 040 232 444
e-mail: segreteria@2001agsoc.it
Sectors: Social-educational and rehabilitation

"L.Ri." Coop
Via della Galleria 15
Cell. 360 877 1222
Sectors: Social-educational and rehabilitation

"La Quercia" Coop
Corso Italia 10
Tel. 040 371362 – 040 368302
Fax 040 630762
Sector: Social

"Strade nuove" Coop
Via Gregorutti 2
Tel.: 040 774 186
Fax 040 775 497
[See Associations: "Comunità San Martino al Campo"]

Type B Coops

"Monte S. Pantaleone" Agricultural Coop
Via de Pastrovich 1
Tel.: 040 577 333
Fax 040 552 89
e-mail: montepanta@virgilio.it
Sectors: Gardening, maintenance of public greenery, cemeteries

"Confini – Impresa Sociale" Coop
Via de Pastrovich 1
Tel.: 040 567 960
Fax 040 570 97 28
e-mail: info@cooperativaconfini.it
Sectors: contact centre, organisation of events, exhibitions and conferences, graphic products and services, silk-screen, data processing publications (CD-ROM).

"Demos" Coop
Opicina – Trieste
Tel. & Fax 040 213 539
Sectors: Gardening, landscape maintenance, nursery.

"Duemiladieci" Coop
Via Colombara di Vignano 3 – Muggia
Tel.: 040 232 331
Fax 040 232 444
e-mail: duemiladieci@impresasociale.it
Sectors: Catering, meetings, cleaning, small-scale maintenance of facilities and motor vehicles.

"Germano" Coop
Viale Miramare 47
Tel.: 040 447 89 – 040 412 089
Fax 040 425 165
e-mail: coopgermano@tin.it
Sectors: Moving and transport, porterage, cleaning, gardening.

"Il posto delle fragole" Coop
Via de Ralli 3
Tel. 040 549 03
Fax 040 350 414
e-mail: coop.fragole@tiscali.it
Sectors: Bar, catering, hotel, radio station.

"La Collina" Coop
Via Querini 6
Tel. 040 832 32 01
Fax 040 816 541
e-mail: la amministrazione@lacollina.org
Sectors: Information technology, public relations.

"Franco Basaglia" United Workers" Coop
Via de Pastrovich 1
Tel. 040 578 490
Fax 040 573 605
e-mail: amministrazione@clufbasaglia.it
Sectors: Cleaning, canteen, laundry, bookbindery, porterage, transport, building maintenance.

"Prospettiva" Coop
Via S. Sabba 8/a
Tel. & Fax 040 823 230
e-mail: cosopro@tin.it
http://www.prospettivacoop.com
(will relocate to : Muggia, Via Cavalieri della Malta 7)
Sectors: Pottery, ceramics courses, interior decoration.

"Querciambiente" Coop
Corso Italia 10
Tel.: 040 761 188
Fax 040 630 762
e-mail: querciambiente@tiscalinet.it
Sectors: Landscape maintenance, salvage and recycling, transport, porterage, management of parking areas/garage.