Ateneo - UPO

The course is divided in three parts:
1. The social and historical origins of Social Work from its first developments in Great Britain and in the United States - National and international definitions of Social Work and their theoretical principles.
2. The deontological dimension of the profession. From its core values to the operational responsibilities.
3. The professional role of social workers in different areas of intervention
These contents area strictly linked and they will be analyzed enhancing their interconnections.

Required texts:
1. Pieroni G., Dal Pra Ponticelli M., Introduzione al Servizio sociale. Storia, principi, deontologia. Carocci, Roma, 2005, capp. 1, 2, 3, 4, 7
2. Campanini A. (a cura di), Gli ambiti di intervento del Servizio Sociale, Carocci, Roma, 2020, capp.: 3, 4, 5, 11, 12, 14
3. Filippini S. (a cura di), Nuovo Codice deontologico dell'assistente sociale: le responsabilità professionali. Carocci, Roma, 2020. Prefazione, introduzione, capp. 2, 3, 4

Other useful texts (the first and the fourth of the list are mandatory for non-attending students)
- Campanini A. (diretto da), Nuovo Dizionario di Servizio Sociale, Carocci, Roma, 2013; in particolare è richiesto lo studio delle seguenti voci: Assistente sociale, Ordine professionale, Processo di aiuto, Servizio sociale, Servizio sociale di comunità, Storia del servizio sociale, Trifocalità.
- Cappello F., Parati R., Rossi E., La difficile gestione dei carichi di lavoro per gli assistenti sociali dei servizi di tutela minori fra mandato istituzionale e contraddizioni organizzative. La realtà di una street-level bureaucracy del territorio genovese, in Calcaterra V., Raineri
M.L., Tra partecipazione e controllo, Erickson, Trento, 2021
- Dellavalle M, Primo: conosci te stesso, Vivere Oggi, n°5 –giugno 1989 – reperibile on line
- Sicora A., Rosina B., La violenza contro gli assistenti sociali in Italia. Franco Angeli, 2019, capp 1 e 2, e capitolo sulla realtà piemontese.
- Definizione internazionale di Social Work: https://www.ifsw.org/wp-content/uploads/ifsw-cdn/assets/ifsw_13127-9.pdf
- Codice deontologico dell’assistente sociale: https://cnoas.org/news/e-in-vigore-il-nostro-nuovo-codice-deontyologico/ https://bit.ly/3chDqvN
- Definizione di salute elaborata dall’Organizzazione Mondiale della Sanità, (traduzione italiana dall’inglese “Preamble to the Constitution of WHO” (Official Records of WHO, no. 2, p. 100), 1946. Fonte: http://www.salute.gov.it)
Additional texts and articles relevant for the learning process will be proposed during the course.

- To provide the knowledge of the basic principles of Social Work, as a field of study and as a profession, with the awareness of the interconnections with the social transformation processes and the recent developments of the welfare system.
- To drive and better target the student in the learning process of the theoretical and ethical dimensions of Social Work, encouraging a critical approach to the evolution of the profession.
- To raise awareness in the students about the relevance of gaining a critical approach about the present mission of the profession and about the different levels where social workers act in the welfare system (with clients, within the organizations, in the community).

None

During the classes there will be workshops and occasional tests.
It is highly recommended to participate to all the course for a better understanding of the chosen field of study

Each student is invited to register to the course DIR page:
https://www.dir.uniupo.it/course/index.php

Oral examination

In the first part the social and historical origins of Social Work will be explored - from its first developments in Great Britain and in the United States – paying main attention to the most recent developments in Italy within the welfare system. There will also be a focus on national and international definitions of Social Work and their theoretical principles.
The second part of the course will analyze the deontological dimension of the profession from its core values to the everyday responsibilities. There will be a deeper analysis of the first, the second, the third and the fourth part of Italian Code of Etichs (professional autonomy, discretion, ethical dilemmas) focusing on the complexity of the relationship with the client.
In the third part of the course there will be a first presentation of the areas of the welfare system where social workers mainly serve (protective service for minors, older people, disability, mental health, addiction).

This course aims to give the students the basic foundations of Social Work in terms of theoretical and deontological principles, in connection with a basic knowledge of the welfare system with its more recent developments.
The student is also required to have a good understanding of the Italian Code of Ethics for social workers and to have started to develop a reflexive approach to the subjects he has learned.
It is, lastly, very important that the student realize the significance of the connection between theory and practice in Social Work that will be experienced mainly during the training on field.