The SALUT@MI (Say hi to me) project was created to improve the integrated psycho-social-health care of unaccompanied foreign minors (MSNA in Italian). SALUT@MI developed an intervention model that increases the ability of workers in reception structures to identify situations which pose a risk to mental health. Moreover, it aimed to disseminate the Diagnostic Therapeutic Treatment Path (PDTA) for MSNA to avoid the potential worsening and chronicisation of discomfort and acute decompensation. For this, greater integration between the social and healthcare spheres is needed, starting with the sharing of good practices and the strengthening of links between the two spheres to favour the mixing and dissemination of knowledge and practices.

Codici was in charge of monitoring and evaluating the individual project activities and supported the working group in the construction and implementation of several tools capable of improving the ability to observe and detect signs of risk for MSNAs and make the referral of individuals at higher risk to specialist services more timely. Codici’s work led to the construction of a self-assessment form of quality indicators for the reception facilities to promote a better placement of MSNA, to the analysis of the risk-signs grids compiled by each reception facility, and to the development of a screening procedure. The quantitative analysis of the risk-signs grids initiated a research path to identify possible correlations between the most common symptoms within the areas of anamnesis, adaptation and behaviour of MSNAs in reception facilities.

Photo ☉☉ La foresta millenaria. (Jirō Taniguchi, Edizioni Oblomov)