CORSO DI DOTTORATO
Social Work and Personal Social Services
Milan
The doctorate
The multidisciplinary PhD in Social Work and Personal Social Services focuses on the specific skills of Social Work included in the scientific disciplinary sector SPS/07 (General Sociology). From the point of view of research, Social Work borrows the methodological framework and classical techniques of social research from Sociology, while it differs in terms of the disciplinary object and the empirical reality of reference. The object of study on the one hand concerns the suffering and existential vulnerability grasped within relational micro contexts and on the other hand the ability of professional help systems (first and foremost social workers) and public/private welfare organizations (personal social services) to activate personalized (non-standardized) interventions in order to promote, in individual situations of need or risk, better opportunities for care/protection, recovery, prevention or promotion of social well-being.
The PhD in Social Work And Personal Social Services is aimed at preparing specialists who:
- have the ability to understand and analyse the main dynamics of contemporary social and cultural change
- know how to orient themselves confidently in the panorama of international social work;
- know how to carry out articulated bibliographic research in the field of scientific literature;
- are able to carry out social research, in particular social work, and research for the evaluation of social services to the person;
- master the Relational Social Work Method, both theoretically and practically.
From the point of view of research, Social Work mainly borrows the methodological framework and the classical techniques of social research from Sociology, while it differs in terms of the disciplinary domain and the empirical reality of reference.
The disciplinary focus on the one hand concerns the suffering and existential vulnerability grasped within relational micro contexts, and on the other hand the ability of professional help systems (first and foremost social workers) and public/private organizations active in the field of social welfare (personal social services) to activate personalized (non-standardized) interventions in order to promote, in individual situations of need or risk, better opportunities for care/protection, recovery, prevention or promotion of social well-being.
Research in the field of Social Work therefore presents two non-separable fronts: one of a cognitive type, aimed at studying the human experience of life difficulties and the ability of various interested human subjects to associate to cope with existential discomfort; the other of a transformative type, aimed at outlining the methodologies, techniques and skills useful for improving these difficulties.
In particular, the specific empirical study of Social Work (as distinct from pure sociological studies) and that of Social Policy analysis (specifically on the theme of social welfare) can be divided into the following general areas of research:
- Experiences and resilience. This area studies the reality of human existential suffering, in its social dimension, and how associated suffering is accompanied by a capacity for resistance and responsibility for one's own lives;
- Coping and recovery. This area studies the dynamics of coping reactions: how the concern and concern of individual subjects hooks that of others and structures the associated caring ( caregiving and various mutuality relationships);
- Development of experiential skills. How the practice of shared (relational) coping develops in ordinary people relevant skills in terms of existential help, even of a para-professional type (natural helpersor experts by experience);
- Generalizable validation of professional methods. This area studies the field of experimental research, which can be pursued with the counterfactual method, as well as with the systematic analysis of scientific literature;
- Empirical evaluation of interventions already carried out or innovative projects: ex-post evaluation research or action-research, which can be pursued through various traditional methods, both quantitative and qualitative;
- Analysis of best practices and therapeutic efficacy factors, aimed at capturing the cross-cutting efficacy factors of numerous "successful" interventions;
- Professional action, skills, training and well-being of operators. This area studies social professions within existing welfare systems: how professional operators live and organise their daily work within services (workloads, training, experiences and stresses endured, skills acquired or lacking, relationships with management, etc.).
- Analysis of social welfare policies, with specific attention to their repercussions on the management and organizational level at local level, as well as their contribution to the achievement of sustainability objectives.
- Evaluation of social welfare policies, with particular emphasis on the effects (direct and indirect) on the target populations and their sustainability (social and economic).
These general areas, which differ from each other in terms of aims and methodological research frameworks, cross various topics, among which those that are considered most relevant for the PhD Course are the following
- Theory and methodology of Social Work
- Participatory social research techniques
- Social Work education
- Social Work in child protection
- Intercultural Social Work
- Professional Case Advocacy Functions
- Case management functions
- Working with groups and self-help
- Social facilitation and mediation skills
- Development of social capital
- Community Social Work
- Social work to combat poverty
- Social Work for Non-Self-Sufficiency and Disability
- Social work to combat violence and support victims
- Organisational and managerial contribution of the third sector in the field of social welfare, also with reference to the achievement of the sustainability of local welfare.
- Theories and practices of shared administration in local welfare (co-programming, co-design)
- Integration of social services with employment and social and health services
- Participatory practices of the Fourth (informal) sector in the context of service planning and design
In most Western countries, Social Work is a disciplinary area in its own right, and university research specifically dedicated to this area has more than fifty years of experience. Italy sees a very different situation: research in the field of Social Work has found space in universities only in relatively recent years and the structured academic staff who are mainly or exclusively dedicated to this specific discipline is still scarce, compared to the number of courses activated for the training of the professional figure of the social worker: the L-39 undergraduate degree programmes are present in 40 Italian universities, while the LM-87 graduate degree programmes are available in 37 universities (MUR data updated to the academic year 2022/23).
In this context, the training of scholars who are experts in the specific research of Social Work is of crucial importance for the development of the discipline in the Italian context and, consequently, for a greater qualification of the professionalizing teachings given in the degree courses, for the improvement of the interventions and design processes of Personal Social Services for the consolidation of the scientific basis necessary for the updating and supervision of the operators on duty.
This PhD Course is one of only two courses currently active in Italy, alongside the doctoral curriculum in "Sociology and Social Work" established in the PhD in Social and Educational Theory and Research at the Department of Education Sciences of the Roma Tre University of Rome.
The Doctoral Programme in Social Work and Personal Social Services prepares specialists who:
- know how to orient themselves in the panorama of international Social Work, also in a comparative perspective, recognizing the specificities and challenges of a discipline and a profession that are characterized by aspects of permanence and continuous evolution;
- they include the theoretical articulations and declinations of welfare systems, distinguishing different levels and responsibilities that influence the development of aid systems and practices at the level of policy, management and practice;
- know how to carry out articulated bibliographic research in the field of scientific literature;
- are able to carry out social research on issues related to the phenomena of social hardship, Social Work research and research for the evaluation of social services to the person and the community (social welfare);
- master the Relational Social Work Method, both theoretically and practically;
- know how to combine their educational background with the logic of Social Work, putting multidisciplinary knowledge and any professional experience gained as social workers/in the field of Welfare Services at the service of the discipline. In the latter case, they know how to graft theoretical and methodological reflections on knowledge from practice useful for producing knowledge and injecting sensitivity into the design and implementation of social work research.
More generally, PhDs:
- have the ability to read and analyse the main dynamics of contemporary social and cultural change, with particular reference to issues related to social distress and welfare policies;
- have the basic skills for managing research processes;
- are able to document the results of their theoretical or empirical research through scientific articles and monographs, in Italian and English;
- are able to present the results of their theoretical or empirical research in the context of national and international scientific conferences, in Italian and English, and to understand the potential repercussions of their research on social policy and social work.
The PhDs trained in the Doctorate in SW&PSS are equipped with skills for the management of research and university training in Social Work, and for developing research activities within public or Third Sector Bodies (Municipalities and their Consortia, Social Cooperatives and their Consortia, Companies for personal services, Foundations; Study Centres of the Departments). In addition, the title facilitates access to management or coordination positions in personal Social Services
The training activity is divided into the following areas:
1. Theory and methodology of Social Work
- Basic themes: historical evolution of Social Work theories and main international approaches;
- Relational Social Work: methodological foundations; techniques for analysing and facilitating coping networks; applications in work at the case, group and community level, in the planning and management of social services, in the coordination of teams, in social work education.
2. Social policies and services to the person, including their connections with social phenomena, anthropological data, psychological dynamics and psychopathological frameworks related to situations of poverty, disadvantage, marginalization, stigma.
3. Public, private, criminal and penitentiary legal system, with particular reference to weak subjects (minors, people with disabilities, non-self-sufficient, substance addicts, psychiatric patients, etc.), community justice, powers and responsibilities of social operators and services.
4. Research methodology and techniques
- Basic themes: the construction of the research design; qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods social research;
- In-depth studies related to Social Work Research: transversal or common traits and specificities between Social Work Research and social research; the review of the literature in Social Work Research and Social Policy Analysis; participatory research in social work; research for the analysis and evaluation of social welfare interventions; action-research for the experimentation of innovative Social Work interventions and in the design of local welfare policies.
5. Ethics of Social Work and Research Ethics in the Contexts of Welfare and Social Work.
6. Transversal skills: English for Academic Purposes; Public Speaking; Management of research processes.