Quaderni IRCrES 27 – Capitolo 8

Capitolo 8

Quali tutele per il caregiver familiare? Un’analisi giuslavoristica tra teoria e pratica*
What protections are provided for family caregivers? A labour law analysis between theory and practice

Marianna Russo
CNR-IRPPS, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Ricerche sulla Popolazione e le Politiche Sociali, Sede di Salerno, Corso San Vincenzo Ferreri 12, 84084 Fisciano (SA), Italia

corresponding author: marianna.russo@cnr.it

Abstract
Due to the persistent institutional inertia and chronic inadequacy of the Italian Long Term Care system, characterised by public policies aimed at strengthening family care obligations, the risk of social marginalisation and exclusion of the caregiver from social, economic and professional life is increasingly evident and alarming. Compared to this risk – growing under the pressure of the ongoing demographic transition – the protections offered by the legal system appear to be inadequate and fragmented.
In light of the above, this paper aims to investigate the figure of the informal caregiver from a legal point of view, taking into consideration both the current national legislation (in particular, through the analysis of the regulatory definition, introduced by art. 1, par. 255, law 27.12.2017, no. 205, and of the legal protections in force) and the broad and varied rulings on the topic. The most recent legislative interventions in favour of vulnerable people (see, for instance, art. 39 of legislative decree no. 29/2024) repeatedly mention family caregivers and recognise “their economic and social value for the entire community” but do not provide any safeguards for them. Consequently, inadequate protection and its unsatisfactory implementation, as attested by the high level of legal litigation on the matter, offer the opportunity not only to identify the critical issues of the informal care system but also to propose food for thought and give some suggestions to strengthen the protective network of family caregivers.

Keywords: Informal caregivers, non-self-sufficient elderly people, safeguards, legal framework, case law.

DOI: 10.23760/2499-6661.2026.27_08

ISBN: 978-88-98193-42-4

ISSN (online): 2499-6661

How to Cite
Russo, M. (2026). Quali tutele per il caregiver familiare? Un’analisi giuslavoristica tra teoria e pratica. In Bramanti, D., Errichiello, L., Falavigna, G., & Nanetti, S. (cur.). Quale futuro per un invecchiamento sano e attivo? Alcuni spunti di riflessione dalle ricerche del progetto Age-It e prospettive future (pp. 119-129). Quaderni IRCrES 27. CNR-IRCrES. http://dx.doi.org/10.23760/2499-6661.2026.27_08

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* Questo lavoro è stato realizzato nell’ambito del progetto finanziato da Next Generation EU – “Age-It – Ageing well in an ageing society” (PE0000015), CUP B83C22004880006 – Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza (PNRR) – PE8 – Missione 4, Componente 2, Investimento 1.3. Le opinioni espresse sono esclusivamente degli autori e non riflettono necessariamente quelle dell’Unione Europea o della Commissione Europea. Né l’Unione Europea né la Commissione Europea possono essere ritenute responsabili dei contenuti qui riportati.