CADIAI, a category A social cooperative, was founded in Bologna in 1974 and is a registered ONLUS (non-profit social organization).

It provides social, healthcare, and educational services to the public (often in cooperation with public bodies), and healthcare surveillance, occupational health services, and safety training programmes to companies.

CADIAI operates primarily in the province of Bologna, where it was founded. It develops projects outside this province by creating partnerships with local cooperatives that share its spirit.

It is a member of Legacoop Bologna, emphasising its ties to the city and province, and participates in conferences (especially in the social sphere) proposed by this trade association, one of Italy’s largest. It is also a member of Legacoopsociali, part of Legacoop.

OUR MISSION

• Provide social, healthcare, and educational services to achieve social integration and to improve quality of life, contributing to the interests of the community in general.
• Ensure our members stable employment, the best economic, social, and professional conditions as well as qualifying training programmes.
• Provide results that best satisfy the needs of users by customising projects and continuously improving the quality of services.
• Base cooperative action on the participation and entrepreneurial responsibility of our members.
• Provide economic and financial management of typical activities to ensure the cooperative’s future growth.

CADIAI operates in the following areas:

Social assistance services for the elderly:
• home care;
• residential services (residential and nursing homes);
• semi-residential services.

Educational services for children:
• nurseries;
• play areas.

Educational services for troubled youths:
• semi-residential;
• day hospital;
• education groups and local projects.

Social rehabilitation services for adults with disabilities, psychological and psycho-social problems, addiction, and deviance:
• residential services;
• semi-residential services;
• local services;
• home care.

Prevention and Protection Service; Occupational Health Services:
• assistance to companies in procedures to protect the health of workers and ensure safety at the workplace.

MEMBERSHIP

Many CADIAI employees are also members of the cooperative. But employees and collaborators are under no obligation to become members: membership is a matter of free choice, a way to play a more active role in the cooperative’s activities.  

Becoming a member of CADIAI
Being a member means participating:

• in the creation of the cooperative’s share capital through the investment of your share, becoming a “co-owner” of the cooperative;
• in the management of the cooperative, having an opportunity to give your opinion of how it is run, together with the other members.  

How to become a member
A potential member fills out an admission request form, which is submitted to the Board of Directors. If and when approved, the member pays up a capital share of € 1032.

Methods for paying the share:

• in a lump sum;
• in instalments, by paying up at least 5% (€ 51.60) at the time of subscription and the balance in instalments, with deductions of 3% of the gross taxable amount from monthly salary.

As the capital share is private capital invested in the cooperative, it is returned when the member leaves (due to resignation, retirement, etc.). When returned, the share is increased by any free revaluations resolved from year to year.

Members play an active role in the cooperative’s management, expressing their opinions and choices by participating in General Meetings of Members, electing the Board of Directors, voting (at Meetings) on the Board’s choices regarding the cooperative’s budget, and voting on changes to its Articles of Association and to its Internal Rules.  

Members who wish to play an even more active role can present their candidature for the Board of Directors.

They can also ask to be part of the editorial staff of Scoop, the cooperative’s house organ, contributing to the flow of information and to internal discussion.

Lastly, they can also take part in thematic focus groups to offer their personal opinions and proposals.

ENHANCEMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES

In line with its policy of ensuring members and employees the best possible economic, social and professional conditions, CADIAI:

• applies the National Collective Labour Agreement for social cooperatives;
• has signed the social cooperatives agreement of the Province of Bologna, calling for a supplement to the salary specified in the national agreement;
• applies the full contribution and not the conventional average salary;
• protects women’s jobs, with particular regard to maternity;
• offers better conditions than those generally applied in the sector.

 The Cooperative:

• ensures approved workers on-the-job achievement of the required skills;
• refreshes operators with continuous training, including via organization of courses at the specific request of work groups;
• duly pays for hours of training.

QUALITY

CADIAI works in many ways to improve the quality of its services.

Our Technical Scientific Committee (composed of psychologists, pedagogists, physicians, and professional consultants) supervises the activities of the various services, constantly analysing the evolution of user needs and updating organizational models.

We conduct study and research activities with our own resources or in collaboration with universities, recognised scientific institutes, and professionals.

We survey the quality of services perceived by users. Every year, we survey the satisfaction of users’ families by asking them to fill out a specific questionnaire for each type of service. The results are presented at general meetings.

We survey operator satisfaction. At regular intervals, we ask our employees to fill out a questionnaire in order to survey their satisfaction with regard to personal and work-related aspects.

We train our personnel. Every professional is annually ensured continuous training and refresher courses programmed in collaboration with certified scientific bodies. Courses are organized based on the needs and requests of each service in order to solve characteristic and specific problems.
Accredited authorities certify that our production processes and organizational procedures conform to national, European, and international quality standards.

Quality Certification

CADIAI has ISO 9001:2000 Quality Certification issued by UNITER.

CADIAI also conforms to the following specific standards:

UNI 10881 (certificate no. 029)
for Residential Assistance to the Elderly;

UNI 11034 (certificate no. 030)
for Services to Children;

UNI 11010 (certificate no. 042)
for Residential and Daytime Services to persons with disabilities.

A CADIAI “snapshot”

Our co-op has 1.081 employees and a turnover of about 27 million euros.
55% of our employees are members.  Membership is a free choice according to the so-called “open door” co-operative principle.
86% of our employees are women and women are well represented in the Board of Directors (ten out of thirteen) and in the Management (five out of nine). The President of the Board and the CEO are also.