Social work online: a recognition of experiences and practices in Italy

ABSTRACT

‘The Internet is the fabric or our lives’ [Castells, M. (2001). The Internet Galaxy: Reflections on the Internet, Business, and Society. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 1] – but which are the weaves that nowadays connect Italian social workers into such a fabric? Herein we aim at answering this question through a survey of on-line resources, nodes and practices of e-Social Work in Italy. We shall be discussing ICT impact on the Italian context, and the utilization of ICT by Italian social workers, in order to build up the internal and external factors that determine the current utilization levels of these emerging tools within the professional community. A review of the major on-line social work portals will identify their key features and peculiarities and aim to provide an overview of the substance and current on-line functions of Italian social work, with a summing-up of criticalities and opportunities that might prompt reflection on possible future developments.

SOMMARIO

“Internet è la trama delle nostre vite” [Castells, M. (2001). The Internet Galaxy: Reflections on the Internet, Business, and Society. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 1] – ma quali sono oggi le trame che collegano gli assistenti sociali a questo tessuto? Con questo contributo ci proponiamo di rispondere a questa domanda attraverso un’indagine sulle risorse online, sui nodi e sulle pratiche di e-social work in Italia. Discuteremo dell’impatto delle ICT sul contesto italiano e sull’utilizzo delle ICT da parte degli assistenti sociali italiani, al fine di ricostruire i fattori interno ed esterni che incidono sui livelli attuali di utilizzo di queste risorse emergenti all’interno della comunità professionale. Verrà poi presentata una rassegna dei principali portali di servizio sociale, descrivendone caratteristiche e peculiarità in una panoramica sulle caratteristiche chiave e le funzioni attuali sul web del servizio sociale italiano, seguita da una riflessione sulle possibilità, criticità e prospettive presentata dall’e-social work in Italia.

KEYWORDS:

• E-social work
• ICT
• Italy
• technology
• critical perspectives

PAROLE CHIAVE:

• servizio sociale on line
• ICT
• Italia
• tecnologia
• prospettive critiche

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Roberta Teresa Di Rosa, Social Worker and Sociologist. PhD in Sociology. Senior Researcher and Assistant Professor of Social Work and Sociology of Migrations.

Gaspare Musso, Social Worker, collaborates with the University of Turin for Internship office of the Course in Social Work Degree and with Italian Society of Social Work (SocISS).

Marilena Dellavalle, Social Worker and Sociologist. Senior Researcher and Assistant Professor of Social Work at the University of Turin (Italy). Member of the board of the Italian Society of Social Work (SocISS).

Gaetano Gucciardo, Sociologist. PhD in Sociology. Senior Researcher and Assistant Professor of Sociology and Research Methods.

ORCID

Roberta Teresa Di Rosa http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6062-8559

Marilena Dellavalle http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7979-5595

Gaetano Gucciardo http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0204-4560