Social Work Education in Italy: Backwards and Forwards in the Establishment of the Social Work Discipline

This chapter outlines the development of social work and social work education in Italy. It shows how social work education developed after World War II, during the post-war process of reconstruction. It presents the process of ‘indigenisation’, accomplished more by social work educators than by social work practitioners. The development of social work is outlined against the background of the evolution of the Italian welfare system and social policies. Along with the evolution of the profession, the chapter examines the transition from the period of social work schools, developed outside the academy, to the current academic period where social work courses are offered within universities. This started in 2000, in connection with the Bologna Process. The strengths and weaknesses of the current system, where social work education is offered in almost forty bachelor’s and thirty master’s social work programmes, are discussed. The challenges associated with establishing social work as an independent discipline capable of providing a strong base for the social work profession are also discussed because it is now included as a branch of sociology. A discussion of the challenges faced by social work educators and current efforts being made to improve social work education in Italy closes the chapter.