[Psychiatric services, social cooperation, voluntary activities. New relationships for new strategies].
OBJECTIVE
Eighteen years after the 1978 reform law no. 180, psychiatric services have to find new roles and goals in the social arena, in order to continue to effectively pursue the improvement of mental health in the community. The aim of the present paper is to show some theoretical and practical elements that could stimulate in the psychiatric services a deep consideration about the relationship between psychiatric services and "private social" bodies, particularly social co-operatives and voluntary organisations.


METHODS
The elements shown in this study come from an analysis: a) of the literature about the crisis factors of the Italian welfare state, particularly in the Public Health Service and in the social assistance; b) of the literature about the development of the "private social" and about the relationship with the public services; c) of national and regional laws, particularly of Veneto region; d) of the present experiences in South Verona Psychiatric Service.


RESULTS
The crisis of the traditional welfare state, the emergence in large sectors of general population of needs related to social fragmentation and relational impoverishment, the aspiration of a great number of individuals excluded from society to benefit of the right to full citizenship, all this urgently questions the traditional roles and responsibilities, the organisation, operational modalities, and the community orientation of existing health and human services. Within this framework, the relationship between psychiatric services (or, broadly speaking, public services in general) and "private social" bodies, particularly social co-operatives and voluntary organisations, has become part of a foreseeing, strategic new awareness of mental health workers.


CONCLUSIONS
A shift from a relationship of mutual exploitation between organisations, to one of co-operation between them, each considering the other as an equal partner, may be a critical step forward a new model of welfare. This, in turn, would hopefully meet the needs for health of the population in terms of efficiency, quality, relevance and consideration of the users' resources and social competencies.
Guerriero
E
E
D006801:Humans; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D012944:Social Support; D014838:Volunteers