Social Work with Refugees and Migrants in Italy

Abstract

Social Work in Italy has been tackling the internal migration phenomenon since the post-WW II period, when more than 1,300,000 Italian citizens from poor southern regions, where employment was scarce, moved to the center and to the industrialized north of Italy (Simone 2016). Since then, and as early as the late 1980s, social workers have had to deal with flows of migrants and refugees from other countries. Faced with the growing commitment of Social Work to the field of migration, the professional community has been called to reassess both the training of social workers and the updating of methodology and functions, especially with regard to the adaptation of professional work and ser- vices tackling immigrant needs. This paper firstly gives an overview on data relating to the presence of migrants and immigration policies in Italy; then, the contemporary situation regard- ing migrants, Social Work and social services is illustrated, focusing on specific vulnerable groups of migrants. The paper concludes with a short discussion about the challenges, risks and prospects for Social Work with migrants in Italy today, linked to the ongoing social and political changes.