Social Services Reform and Social Worker’s Professionalisation: a Mutual Renforcement

Institutional approach emphasizes the role of professions in the broader development of political, social and economic institutions. Within this perspective, the paper offers a contribution on the development of the welfare field in Italy, highlighting the mutual relationships between the State and social worker. Statal regulation is currently defining Essential Social Services Levels (ESSL) to guarantee throughout the country and the responsibility of their provision has been attributed to social worker. As a gateway to social services, the State is favouring Social workers’ recruitment, with their consequent increase in public institutions. Social workers’ supervision has been provided as ELLS, to guarantee public interest for adequate provisions, stressing its function to foster the “ability to influence decisions and to negotiate with the organisations, on a technical-methodological level”. Albeit within aims and organisational constraints external to the profession, Social worker seems to have a new, relevant responsibility in organisational decision-making and its professional organisation have contributed to set guidelines for ELLS’ management. The paper, by documentary analysis shows the way in which the statal regulation influences the social workers professional project and, in turn, how the latter is affecting ELLS development.