Between Protection and Precarity: Professional Intervention in Migrant Reception and Social Inclusion in Palermo’s SAI System

The intersection of human mobility and social protection is a key challenge in contemporary societies, where migrants often find themselves navigating institutional precarity, administrative restrictions, and economic vulnerability. While reception and integration policies should ensure equal access to rights, essential services, and long-term inclusion, in practice, professionals working in migrant support systems must mediate between protection mechanisms and structural constraints. This study, drawing on the Global-ANSWER project (H2020-MSCA-RISE-GA-872209) interviews, explores how professionals in Palermo’s SAI (Sistema di Accoglienza e Integrazione) centers respond to these tensions through everyday intervention strategies. Through a thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted across 7 SAI centers (January–March 2024), this research will examine: 1. The Fragility of Protection Systems – How institutional bottlenecks, bureaucratic delays, and funding limitations impact the ability of professionals to provide comprehensive social protection. 2. Professional Mediation Between Policy and Practice – How social workers, educators, and legal experts develop adaptive strategies to bridge gaps between restrictive policies and migrants’ actual needs. 3. Social Innovation and Good Practices – Identifying successful intervention models that enhance autonomy-building, participation, and rights access for migrants in precarious situations. This research will contribute to the broader discussion on how social protection can move beyond administrative frameworks to become a more inclusive, rights-based, and sustainable mechanism for migrant reception. By focusing on the experiences of frontline professionals, this study aims to provide concrete recommendations on how professional intervention can inspire more effective policies and resist exclusionary narratives in the current political climate.