1,721,020 research outputs found
Go and return home. A mutual/self-help group between parents with looked-after children
No full textStudies that investigate the experience of parents of looked-after children demonstrate that the removal of children from the home deeply marks the lives of the people involved and that the birth parents feel pain, anger and guilt. This is due to a lack of confidence in the interventions proposed by social services, along with the feeling of not receiving any kind of help. Mutual/self-help groups allow people to share their similar, difficult situations and to develop collaborative, supportive and trustworthy relationships. Following the logic of "helper therapy", each member of the group is at the same time both helper and helpee. This paper presents the experience of a mutual/self-help group with parents whose children are in care, carried out in 2010 within the Child Protection Service of the Municipality of Modena, a city in central-northern Italy. It provides a description of the process of constructing the group and a summary of the main issues that emerged. The group helped participants overcome the barrier between helpers and helpees and increased mutual trust between parents and social workers. Relational Social Work provided the theoretical and methodological framework in which the mutual/self-help group was realized
FOSTER CARE AND RESIDENTIAL CARE: WHAT FACTORS AFFECT THE TYPE OF PLACEMENT OF CHILDREN? AN ITALIAN STUDY
No full textWhen social workers need to place children outside their birth family, the choice between placing them in a foster family or in residential care is crucial. There are many factors that influence the decision for one option over another. This study takes into account figures collected by the Child Protection Services related to 8,438 out-of-home children in a northern Italian region. Four types of placement are taken into account (full-time foster care, part-time foster care, full-time residential services and day care centre). Through bivariate analysis, subsequently verified by means of simple linear regression models, each type of placement has been cross-checked with the variables relating to socio-demographic characteristics of children (gender, age and nationality), prevailing problems of children and prevailing problems of the families, to identify significant correlations. The article reports the results of the analysis and the possible implications of the findings for the professional practice of social workers
Social workers dealing with situations of abuse against adults and older people: a research study in an Italian region
Full text linkPurpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the point of view and the interventions of social workers working in local authority social services on the issue of abuse against vulnerable adults and older people. The cases are analyzed from the perspective of dangerous care, considering the interpersonal level of violence and the structural and contextual conditions.
Design/methodology/approach
This research uses a qualitative methodology; 49 semistructured interviews with social workers across seven districts in a province in Northern Italy were carried out. The interviews included both open-ended questions and the description of specific cases.
Findings
This study highlights how the shortcomings in the welfare system (lack of legislation, dedicated services and protocols between different services) and the complexity of cases (often involving family members with personal issues) negatively impact social workers’ professional practice. Social workers often operate in solitude and encounter ethical dilemmas. This isolation can lead them to adopt an approach aimed at controlling situations, which may not always take into account the preferences of the individuals directly involved.
Research limitations/implications
This study captures the perspectives of social workers within a limited geographic area. To gain a more comprehensive understanding, it would be beneficial to extend research to a national level. Another limitation is the absence of the opinion of those directly involved.
Originality/value
There is currently no research in Italy that explores the opinions of social workers on this issue, which, in general, is little studied. The findings of this research can be highly valuable for professionals and policymakers to organize services and develop intervention protocols, which are currently lacking in the areas where the study was conducted
Discriminiamo le persone anziane?
No full textLa discriminazione verso le persone anziane oggi ha un nome preciso: gli anglosassoni la chiamano ageism. E' un fenomeno più diffuso di quanto si pensi e riguarda anche il lavoro sociale. Nell'articolo si presentano i diversi tipi di ageism e si forniscono indicazioni su come contrastarlo
RSA e Covid-19. Un'emergenza non solo sanitaria
No full textIn che modo il Covid ha colpito il mondo che ruota attorno alle RSA: ospiti, operatori e famiglie? Una ricerca condotta dal Centro di ricerca Relational Social work si interroga su questi punti riscoprendo la cura della relazion
Sfidare la complessità. Il lavoro sociale con le persone anziane
No full textL'invecchiamento della popolazione in Italia obbliga gli operatori sociali a riflettere sul tema del lavoro sociale con le persone anziane. A lungo quest'ambito è stato considerato molto più semplice rispetto, ad esempio, al lavoro con le famiglie e alla tutela dei minori, in realtà i professionisti si trovano ad affrontare diverse sfide nella loro pratica professionale. Nell'articolo vengono analizzate alcune di queste sfide, focalizzando l'attenzione sul livello del lavoro con le persone e le famiglie, il cosiddetto "lavoro di caso"
Progettare percorsi di cura e assistenza: il confine tra autodeterminazione e protezione
Full text linkL’articolo tratta il tema delle funzioni di supporto degli operatori sociali nei confronti degli anziani e delle loro famiglie. Il punto di vista a partire dal quale si articola la riflessione è quello dell’assistente sociale, capace di portare alla luce i
principali nodi critici nonché i possibili spazi di intervento e miglioramento della progettazione dell’assistenza
L'assessment nel servizio sociale. Metodi relazionali di valutazione e indagine sociale con i minori e le famiglie
No full textIl tema della valutazione costituisce da sempre un aspetto centrale nel lavoro sociale con le famiglie. Si tratta di un compito spinoso, che da un lato richiede agli operatori abilità tecniche raffinate e dall'altro genera ansia e preoccupazione nelle persone sottoposte ad assessment. A fronte di questa complessità, cosa significa valutare le competenze genitoriali e i bisogni dei nuclei familiari? Quali sono i contenuti della valutazione e quali i possibili strumenti a disposizione degli operatori, in particolare degli assistenti sociali? Come riuscire a coniugare la partecipazione e il coinvolgimento delle famiglie con l'obbligo di valutazione? Attraverso la lente del Metodo relazionale, il volume, corredato da esempi pratici e da stralci di interviste, intende dunque definire i contesti e i contenuti principali della valutazione e fornisce una descrizione dettagliata degli strumenti operativi per l'assessment
Children in out-of-home care placements: an Italian research study on outcomes and processes
No full textThe study examined data about 8,438 children placed in out-of-home care by Child Protection Services in a region in the Northern Italy, during the time span of 2008-2012, to understand whether out-of-home placements have led to an effective improvement in their conditions. Starting from literature analysis and available data, a range of outcome and process typologies was developed in order to analyse data. In particular, five outcome types (in family, stable; out of family, stable; adopted; on-going placement; unknown) and six process types (evolving; regressive; oscillating; static out-of-home; uncertain at home; undetectable) were detected. Each types was divided into sub-types. Than each child was given a tags attuned to an outcome and a process type. Descriptive analysis about outcomes and processes was carried out. The types and sub-types used in the study seemed to be an useful instrument for analysing the children’s route outside their birth families. The importance of overcoming the observation of the situation at the end of intervention to adopt a perspective stance was confirmed. Implication for social work are discussed
L’accertamento della verità nelle procedure giudiziarie minorili. Suggestioni per i social workers
No full textThis paper aims to reflect about the topic of “establishing the truth” in juvenile justice. On this issue there is a debate among several professionals, in particular social workers, psychologists, judges and lawyers. Starting from the perspective of the relational approach in social work, this article presents a reflection on the meaning and implications of the issue of “establishing truth” for social workers.
After some theoretical considerations, the topic of social (or psycho-social) assessment is addressed through the description of two ideal-typical models, the first refers to a traditional approach and to a diagnostic viewpoint, the second refers to a relational approach and a planning viewpoint
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