Role of Social Workers Concerning Forced Migration in Greece and Italy

This chapter explores the challenges for social work practice with forcibly displaced migrants in two key gateway countries to Europe: Greece and Italy. The first part briefly examines the main features of the practice of rights-based work within an increasingly repressive framework in Greece, both at the entry points and in the reception sites to which asylum seekers and unaccompanied minors are transferred. The second part of the chapter reviews the evolution of the Italian reception and integration system over the last 20 years, critically analyzing social work practices that balance support and control within the multi-level governance system. It also presents a positive model of public response to the training and support of voluntary guardians of unaccompanied minors in the Italian Piedmont region, led by universities and the regional ombudsman for children and young people. The chapter outlines how social work principles and interventions aimed at the welfare of asylum seekers collide with restrictive control and deportation policies in both countries, reflecting on the risks of discriminatory practices and ethical dilemmas for social workers in reception centers. The text concludes with implications for the future of social work practice, research, and education.