Annamaria Campanini

Country Perspectives: Social work in Italy

Social work was introduced in Italy at the end of the Second World War but only received legitimacy and juridical recognition in the second half of the 1980s when the first academic courses started, a professional register was established and the deontological code was drawn up (Campanini, in Campanini & Frost, 2004). Before this, in the climate of economic and social reconstruction following the war, the development of Italian social work emerged from the joint initiatives of people motivated and inspired by the values and ideals of the Italian Resistance to set up the first training schools for social workers. A meeting at Tremezzo in 1946 represents the theoretical turning point between the first charitable-auxiliary attempts and ‘the public role of bureaucrats, for the execution and provision of benefits to rejected and proletarian groups and social strata’ with the function of ‘. . . monitoring, for the isolation and constraint of the potential area of social deviance’ (Donati, 1981, p. 6). This led to a first period, during which the training of social workers started with the contribution of teachers whose awareness on this theme came from their own personal and different knowledge, acquired during sojourns abroad or international and European meetings. Then, in the 1950s, social work methodologies began to draw on the contribution of foreign experts through a series of meetings organised by the Italian Administrazione Aiuti Internazionali (AAII, a post-war aid agency). Thus, ‘casework’ as well as ‘group-work’ and ‘community work’ techniques and methodologies started being included in social work training. Similarly, the so-called auxiliary methods of social service management and applied research were also progressively introduced (Bernocchi et al ., 1984). The initial fragmentation of social work interventions gradually gave way to the acquisition of a methodological knowledge which enabled social workers to provide help to needy people, to mediate between citizens’ needs and institutional resources, to prevent chronic and risky situations and to remove material and moral causes of

Inclusivity, process and product in writing for European social work education

In 2004 the EU funded ‘European Social Work: Commonalities and Differences’ Thematic Network produced an edited volume on pan-European social work. This project is the first of its kind to include contributions from all regions of the EU, represented by original first-hand chapters from a total of 24 countries. This paper firstly considers the Thematic Network as a context for advancing social work education. It then examines some of the process factors involved in such a multi-cultural project, including issues of gender, inclusivity, academic status and ‘voice’. Finally the findings of the project are briefly considered. The paper reflects on the differences that including perspectives from previously neglected regions, such as Central and Eastern Europe, make to current ideas about European commonalities, for example, in relation to shared histories and ideologies.

Outsiders and learners: Negotiating meaning in comparative European social work research practice

This paper draws on two experiences of undertaking comparative research in England, Sweden and Italy, and offers a discussion of the kinds of dilemmas raised in relation to language and meaning surfaced by these. Its primary focus is to examine the reflexive construction of meaning, both in relation generally to the workings of an international research team and, more specifically, how such construction of meaning impacts on the process of qualitative interviewing across linguistic and cultural boundaries. The article argues that a culture of reflexive research practice is helpful for approaching national differences, to facilitate understanding in internationally mixed research teams and to support and empower participants in research, in second languages and differing cultures. Overall, the paper attempts to advance some tentative ideas that other international researchers may be able to consider and deploy in relation to their own research ambitions.

International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW): Promoting environmental and community sustainability:

The International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW) reaffirms its commitment to the Global Agenda for Social Work to promote a more just and inclusive society, in partnership with the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW), and the International Council on Social Welfare (ICSW). The Global Agenda intended to engage with the post-2015 development agenda by supporting, influencing and enabling structures and systems to address the root causes of oppression and inequality. Theme three aligns with the focus of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which acknowledges that both people and the planet are important for sustainable development (UN, 2015). These similarities were stressed in the social work response to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) consultations in 2015 (Dominelli, 2015). In its commitment to the Global Agenda (IASSW, ICSW and IFSW 2012), IASSW endorses the vision of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development for social work and social work education, namely to transform the world to a more ‘just, equitable, tolerant, open and socially inclusive world in which the needs of the most vulnerable are met’ (United Nations, 2015a: 4). IASSW seeks to stay abreast of international movements on sustainable development, especially in terms of decisions about climate change. To pursue these goals, it has become an accredited RINGO with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Issues related to sustainability and climate change have had and will continue to have a significant influence on social work and social work education. As stipulated in the Paris Agreement on climate change, IASSW recognises that ‘climate change represents an urgent and potentially irreversible threat to human societies and the planet’, and acknowledges that climate change is a ‘common concern of humankind’ (UN, 2015b: 1). IASSW follows and engages in processes following the Paris agreement, and, through its Committee on Disaster Interventions, Climate Change and Sustainability, IASSW responds to calls for evidence and comments on policy documents that the UNFCCC produces. At the most recent of the UNFCC meetings, the 23rd Conference of the Parties (COP23), which concluded in Bonn on 18 November 2017, the UNFCCC has succeeded in keeping the process of the Paris Agreement alive by setting up the rules that will be deliberated upon in 2018 in Poland. This move was a step in the right direction. However, many issues remain unresolved and people all over the world are likely to continue to face the effects of climate change, natural disasters and environmental degradation. IASSW was represented at COP23 by the Chair of its Committee, Lena Dominelli, who also organised its side-event, The Social Dimensions of Climate Change Disasters: Social Work Perspectives and Interventions, which was held in the Fiji Pavilion, on 13 November. COP23 was hosted by Fiji who holds the Presidency until 2018. COP23 ran from 7-18 November 2017 in Bonn, Germany. The speakers at the side event were: Lena Dominelli from Durham University who presented an overview of the endeavours of social work education and practice on climate change issues globally; Julie Drolet from Calgary University at Edmonton, Canada, who spoke 770563 ISW0010.1177/0020872818770563International Social WorkBrief Note research-article2018

Why do they stay? A study of resilient child protection workers in three European countries

ABSTRACT Whilst 50% of child protection workers across much of Europe and the affluent ‘West’ leave after two years, many stay and develop substantial professional careers. This paper discusses research in Italy, Sweden and England examining what factors explain ‘remaining’ for more than three years in this stressful job. Underpinned by a hermeneutic epistemology, qualitative interviews were undertaken and subject to an interpretative thematic analysis. The findings proved to be complex and multi-layered and this paper presents an overview of these. The theoretical framework for the project mainly drew on organisations and resilience, and the initial sections of the paper consider how formulations of resilience as contextual and relational can elucidate professional sustainability. Organisational issues are considered, including the impact of work management, of supervision and of allocation in different national contexts. The paper also focuses on the role of friendships and informal support at work. Threaded through these established themes are more, perhaps surprising, concepts: for example, creativity, power, reflexive spaces and interpersonal relations as explanatory of remaining in child protection work.

Book Review: Healy, L. (2008) International Social Work: Professional Action in an Interdependent World, Oxford University Press, New York, second edition. ISBN13: 9780195301670, 432 pp

That this is the second edition of International Social Work: Professional Action in an Interdependent World testifies to the growing interest in this topic. Judging by the content of academic discussions and the specific interest of international associations (IASSW and IFSW particularly), the influence of international social work on the structure of curricula in social work education and on debates at social work congresses is increasing. In the literature it is now possible to find a growing number of publications (articles and books) that are addressing this topic. What makes this book special and particularly useful to a broad audience? In my opinion, the author Lynne Healy, director of the Center for International Social work Studies at the University of Connecticut and past secretary of the International Association of Schools of Social Work, has been able to present the divergent facets of international social work, combining a good level of theorization with a range of evocative case studies and images that exemplify very clearly the key elements of the discourse. The presentational technique of using boxed text to focus on specific questions, and an informative series of documents in the appendix, render the text even more accessible and useful. What international social work is and why it is important are the two core questions that Healy discusses in the first chapter, using practice examples from social work around the world and analysing specific cases to illustrate the debate. The review of definitions of the term ‘international social work’ gives a sense of the complexities of the debate. Healy’s suggestion for conceptual clarification is that international social work refers to all international social work actions as well as to the ability for international action by the social work profession. The author also underlines four dimensions connected to this view of international social work:

Book Review: K. Lyons, K. Manion and M. Carlsen (eds) (2006) International Perspectives on Social Work: Global Conditions and Local Practice. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 13: 9781403939517; ISBN 10: 1403939519, 258 pp:

in the regulation of social space, homelessness continues to remain a key responsibility under the militia, despite no longer being defined as a crime under statute. In considering the overall evidence and whilst taking into consideration the provision given by social services and charitable organizations, the author asserts that pathological discourses of street homelessness continue to flourish in contemporary Russia, with ‘special’ abnormal categories dominating both political and mainstream narratives. As a consequence, the popular perception of ‘outcasts’ contravening both the spatial and moral boundaries of society remains. This book provides a timely and important contribution towards an international understanding of homelessness. The author’s research supports the development of an interesting theoretical framework, which explores the impact on individual identity and self-worth when faced with the loss of physical space and denied rights of citizenship. The book will therefore be of importance to students and practitioners working in the field of homelessness research and who are interested in comparative approaches. Although this publication does not directly concentrate on social work practice it is an interesting read for both social work students and practitioners as it explores the experiences of marginalized and stigmatized people who may well seek and/or be denied welfare services. Whilst fundamentally its focus relates to individuals who may in general be isolated from standard social work assessment and intervention, they nonetheless remain some of the most disadvantaged, vulnerable and socially excluded people in society.