Social Work in Reception Services for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Italy

This chapter falls within the domain of social work, but looks more specifically at the role and perception of social workers and other professionals working in refugee reception centres. It is a comprehensive - diachronic and synchronic - analysis of reception services in Italy from the 1970’s to the present day. The author shows how the reception services provided for migrants and particularly refugees are closely tied to the prevailing political climates. The novelty of his analysis - in itself useful for anyone who would like to have a better understanding of Italy’s approach to refugees and how it has developed over the last decades - focuses specifically on staff who work at the reception centres and how they see their own professional roles and interactions with the migrants and asylum seekers.