Abstract
This research project aimed to observe what settings and conditions of the local social services were most appropriate to respond to the new needs and to the increasing diversity of the population. In order to answer the research question, a case study was carried out, observing the connectivity between social actors in a local space. The implementation of a pilot project in a district of Bolzano was the selected field. The pilot project aimed to integrate healthcare, social care, and ECEC in order to offer more suitable services for families and children in the 0-3 age group. The case study method was combined with a collaborative approach. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews, participant observations, and discussions with the participants that included the use of visual tools (relational maps). In a context of increasing fragmentation and specialization of services and diversification of actors (OECD, 2017a), inter-organizational networks for early childhood interventions appear as an innovative solution and have become popular at European level (Vermeiren et al., 2018). Space-based orientation in social work and social innovation suggest considering the lifeworld of families and children as well as fostering more democratic forms of governance in terms of multidisciplinarity and multi-actor settings (Elsen & Lorenz, 2014; Moulaert, 2014; Thiesen, 2018). The findings are consistent with the theoretical premises and highlight the context-embeddedness and path-dependency of the process (Moulaert et al. 2010; Spatscheck, 2012b). The data collected seem to confirm the sectorialization and fragmentation of the local welfare which might have hindered horizontal and vertical connectivity between sectors and services (Bode et al. 2016; Moulaert et al. 2014). In this context, the pilot project has been an exemplary space of multidisciplinary reflexivity. However, the process of inclusion of social actors has shown some limitations. The theoretical background suggests that integrative approaches and transformative change require further reflection. In this sense, space-based orientation in social work might be a trigger for social innovation.