Exploring the multifaceted role of social workers in Italy’s Reception and Integration System: three scenarios from Tuscany

Research on social work with refugees has gained growing prominence in academic debate, highlighting challenges social workers face in contexts shaped by increasingly restrictive migration policies. Studies show ambivalent effects of these challenges on social work practices: while professionals report feelings of powerlessness and frustration, they also exhibit agency and advocacy. A distinction, often assumed but rarely examined, lies between social work practices in institutional settings and those in third-sector organisations, while local governance models show that boundaries between them vary in proximity and permeability. This article investigates the integration of professional social workers within Italy’s Reception and Integration System (SAI). Findings from an exploratory study conducted in Tuscany reveal three scenarios, each reflecting different ways of incorporating social workers in SAI projects: as employees of third-sector organisations; as employees of the local authority promoting the project; and as employees of local social services in the project area. This analysis enables a critical reflection on professionals’ scope of action and, more broadly, on the integration between refugee reception and local social services. By acknowledging the multifaceted nature of social workers’ roles, this study highlights the need to contextualise structural limitations and opportunities for social interventions with refugees within reception governance.