scholarly journals Social work and social workers in Italy

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 1-29
Author(s):  
David Benassi ◽  
Teresa Bertotti ◽  
Annamaria Campanini ◽  
Paolo Rossi
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
National Level ◽  
Social Assistance ◽  
Welfare Regime ◽  
Organizational Settings ◽  
Welfare Benefits ◽  
The Social ◽  
Academic Courses ◽  
Fiscal Austerity

The article tackles the characteristics of social work in Italy, focusing on some specific features of this professional domain within the broader frame of the Italian welfare system. Indeed, given the historical roots of Italian welfare regime and the model of governance of policies, social assistance benefits and services are the less developed component of welfare provisions. This is one of the reasons for the late full acknowledgement and regulation of the social worker at the national level. In the first part of the article, we present the development of social work in Italy, with particular attention to the creation of academic courses and the formal regulation as a profession. Then we present the current situation of social work and social workers in Italy, taking into consideration the weakness of social assistance and the effects of the financial crisis. In fact, the crises had an impact on the dimensions and composition of vulnerable population, which is more and more large and fragmented, putting a growing pressure on social workers. At the same time, because fiscal austerity, resources for welfare benefits have been reduced in these years, changing the organizational settings and worsening the working conditions of social workers.

scholarly journals Política social e família: desafios colocados aos assistentes sociais do Brasil e de Portugal | Social policy and the family: challenges faced by social workers in Brazil and Portugal

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (42) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cilene Sebastiana da Conceição Braga ◽  
Maria Inês Martinho Antunes Amaro
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Assistance ◽  
Social Rights ◽  
Social Policies ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Family ◽  
America Latina

Esse artigo parte de reflexões produzidas na pesquisa Serviço Social e famílias: análise das demandas postas aos assistentes sociais do Brasil e de Portugal, iniciada em 2017. Países da América Latina e da Europa têm enfrentando uma gama de desafios frente às tensões sociais decorrentes da ofen­siva neoliberal. O objetivo desse artigo é levantar algumas preocupações de assistentes sociais em vista da redução de direitos sociais. Existe a necessidade de capacitação e de reflexões dos profissionais com as mudanças nos processos de reorganização dos arranjos familiares e com o aumento da desigualdade. Em paralelo, assistiu-se, sob o signo da austeridade, a uma viragem das políticas sociais para modelos mais assistenciais e focalizados.Palavras-Chave: austeridade; assistência social; famílias.  Abstract – This article is based on reflections produced in the research “Social work and families: an analysis of the demands placed on social workers in Brazil and Portugal” started in 2017. Countries in Latin America and Europe have a range of challenges facing the social tensions arising from the neoliberal advance. The purpose of this article is to raise some concerns of social workers about the diminishing social rights. There is a need for training of and reflection by professionals with the changes in the processes of reorganization of family arrangements and increase of inequality. In parallel, austerity was seen as a shift in social policies towards more assistencialized and focused models.Keywords: austerity; social assistance; families.

scholarly journals Social connections of convicted (on the example Nizhny Novgorod and Vologda regions)

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (4) ◽  
pp. 139-146
Author(s):  
Dmitry Shpilev ◽  
Anna Eremeeva
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Ties ◽  
Social Assistance ◽  
Social Connections ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
The Social

The article presents the results of the author’s research, the purpose of which is to analyze, study and identify the features of the organization of social work with convicts to restore, maintain and strengthen socially useful ties of convicts serving sentences in male and female correctional colonies in the Nizhny Novgorod and Vologda regions. Based on the opinion of social workers of penitentiary institutions, the main characteristics of the social ties of convicts serving sentences in places of detention, the main ways of maintaining them, as well as the technologies used by specialists in social work within the institution, contributing to the development of ties, are identified and systematized. The results of the research can be used to adjust the work of the territorial bodies of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia in order to optimize and improve the activities for the development of social ties of convicts in order to reduce the recurrence of crimes, as well as in organizing work to improve the quality of social assistance provided to convicts to develop their social ties, develop appropriate decisions in law enforcement.

Satisfaction with the Social Work Profession: A Ten-Year Analysis of Undergraduate Students' Perceptions

1997 ◽  
Vol 80 (3) ◽  
pp. 835-838 ◽  
Author(s):  
James G. Hanson ◽  
James G. McCullagh
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Career Choice ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Perceived Satisfaction ◽  
High Satisfaction ◽  
The Social

A 10-yr. study of 746 social work undergraduates' perceived satisfaction with seven factors related to their career choice suggested high satisfaction with social work as a career; with the purposes and functions of social work, and the students' initial volunteer experience. There were no significant changes in satisfaction over the 10-yr. period, which findings parallel those of other studies in which similar methods have been used with practicing social workers.

Social workers, critical theory and the political sphere: addressing political misrecognition and marginalisation in the Republic of Ireland

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Flynn
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Democratic Party ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Critical Commentary ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Electoral Representation ◽  
Irish Politics

Despite the traditional social justice mandate of social work, and critical and radical theoretical traditions that pursue egalitarian and just societies, the engagement of the social work academy with Irish politics has been underwhelming at best. While there are abstract analyses that address sociopolitical theory and ideological wrongdoings related to neoliberalist rationality, attention in social work academia to the nuts and bolts of everyday political life in Ireland, such as democratic party politics and electoral representation, leaves much to the imagination. This article therefore pursues a more grounded reading of social justice in Irish politics for social workers. The supporting proposition is that to effectively interject in political misrecognition and marginalisation, social workers must understand the present political state of play. Towards achieving this, Axel Honneth’s theory of recognition aids thematic critical commentary on the literature.

Social work education in action: How studying for the profession facilitates the adaptation of internationally educated social workers in Canada

2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 114-127
Author(s):  
Annie Pullen Sansfaçon ◽  
Marion Brown
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Educational Background ◽  
Work Skills ◽  
The Social ◽  
Theory Project ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Adaptation Processes ◽  
Depth Interviews

This article presents the results and theorization of a 4-year Grounded Theory project that sought to understand the processes and dynamics involved in the professional adaptation of internationally educated social workers now practicing in Canada. In-depth interviews with 66 participants, who undertook social work education outside of Canada and have subsequently settled to practice in the country, were conducted. Results highlight that the social work educational background of the professionals not only offers key conceptual, theoretical, and analytical foundations needed to adapt knowledge and skills to practice abroad, but also provides tools to navigate and negotiate professional adaptation processes as a whole. We conclude that ultimately, social workers may adapt well to their new work contexts because of the transferability of social work skills, knowledge, and values to new practice settings, thus facilitating interventions with services users and also their own process of professional adaptation.

Head Start and Social Work

1997 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 172-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur J. Frankel
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Head Start ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Service ◽  
Financial Resources ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Service Component ◽  
Work Involvement ◽  
The Social ◽  
Head Start Programs

The author states that the social work profession is not sufficiently involved with Head Start. Data from a representative sample of Head Start programs shows the minimal role professional social workers play with Head Start even when ample financial resources to hire BSWs or MSWs are available. Evidence suggests, however, that Head Start is open to increased professional social work involvement. The author presents reasons social work professionals are underrepresented in Head Start and recommendations for increasing professional involvement and influence. The author also discusses the history and current status of Head Start, including a thorough description of Head Start's social service component.

Conclusion

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liz Beddoe ◽  
Allen Bartley
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Service Users ◽  
The Social ◽  
Country Specific

This chapter summarises the recurring themes and lessons from the preceding substantive chapters and reflects upon their implications. It draws together the different issues, laws and culture in social work across the five countries examined, and compares the country-specific challenges raised in the chapters. The editors make recommendations for how the social work profession can take a more active role in the transition of Transnational Social Workers, and highlight good practice in preceding chapters. Finally, they comment on the need for more research in the area, including with service users.

Readiness and regulation: perspectives of Canadian stakeholders on the labour mobility of internationally educated social workers

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Brown ◽  
Annie Pullen Sansfaçon ◽  
Kate Matheson
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Research Council ◽  
Knowledge Exchange ◽  
Labour Mobility ◽  
Cultural Adaptations ◽  
Social Welfare System ◽  
The Social ◽  
Neoliberal Ideology ◽  
Regulatory Bodies

This chapter synthesises the data from two knowledge exchange fora where the findings of a four-year research study funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) were shared with, and subsequently responded to by, social work employers and provincial regulators as well as internationally educated social workers. The key themes of knowledge, values, and skill transfer, cultural adaptations, and understanding of the Canadian social welfare system align with the priorities of migrant social workers themselves (Pullen Sansfaçon et al, 2014), suggesting a congruence of central concerns. At the same time, tensions exist between the actual, lived experiences of the social workers and the expectations and practices of the stakeholder group. In this chapter we analyse these points of convergence and divergence, shaped as they are by Canadian social welfare’s prevailing neoliberal ideology and its structural manifestations brought to bear on social work service employers, supervisors, and regulatory bodies.

State regulation of the social work profession: an example from Poland

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazimiera Wódz ◽  
Krystyna Faliszek
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Professional Autonomy ◽  
State Regulation ◽  
The European Union ◽  
New Members ◽  
The Social ◽  
Polish Government ◽  
And Control

This chapter examines how regulation from the state can shape conditions and practices for welfare professions. New members of the European Union, such as Poland, often lack a tradition of social work as an integral part of the welfare state. Challenges for these countries are both to educate social workers and to create legislative solutions stipulating the responsibilities and professional jurisdiction of the social work profession. In the chapter, it is argued that strong regulation and control from the Polish government has resulted in the standardisation of social work. This has curtailed professional autonomy in a manner that is unfavourable to social workers as well as to clients.

Reconfiguring professional autonomy? The case of social work in the UK

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Chandler ◽  
Elisabeth Berg ◽  
Marion Ellison ◽  
Jim Barry
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Professional Autonomy ◽  
The Third ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Uk

This chapter discusses the contemporary position of social work in the United Kingdom, and in particular the challenges to what is seen as a managerial-technicist version of social work. The chapter begins with focus on the situation from the 1990s to the present day in which this version of social work takes root and flourishes. The discussion then concentrates on three different routes away from a managerial-technicist social work: the first, reconfiguring professional practice in the direction of evaluation in practice, the second ‘reclaiming social work’ on the Hackney relationship-based model and the third ‘reclaiming social work’ in a more radical, highly politicised way. Special attention is devoted to a discussion about how much autonomy the social workers have in different models, but also what kind of autonomy and for what purpose.

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