Social workers dealing with situations of abuse against adults and older people: a research study in an Italian region
| Date | 09 December 2024 |
| Pages | 4-14 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JAP-08-2024-0047 |
| Published date | 09 December 2024 |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Vulnerable groups,Adult protection,Safeguarding,Sociology,Sociology of the family,Abuse |
| Author | Francesca Corradini |
Social workers dealing with situations of
abuse against adults and older people: a
research study in an Italian region
Francesca Corradini
Abstract
Purpose –The purposeof this paper is to explore the point of view and the interventionsof social workers
working in local authority social services on the issue of abuse against vulnerable adults and older
people. The cases are analyzedfrom the perspective of dangerous care, consideringthe interpersonal
level of violenceand the structural and contextualconditions.
Design/methodology/approach –This research uses a qualitative methodology; 49 semistructured
interviews with socialworkers across seven districts in a province in NorthernItaly were carried out. The
interviewsincluded both open-ended questionsand the description of specificcases.
Findings –This study highlights how the shortcomings in the welfare system (lack of legislation,
dedicated services and protocols between different services) and the complexity of cases (often
involving family memberswith personal issues) negatively impact social workers’professional practice.
Social workers often operatein solitude and encounter ethical dilemmas. This isolation can leadthem to
adopt an approach aimed at controlling situations, which may not always take into account the
preferencesof the individuals directly involved.
Research limitations/implications –This study captures the perspectives of social workers within a
limited geographicarea. To gain a more comprehensive understanding,it would be beneficial to extend
researchto a national level. Another limitationis the absence of the opinion of thosedirectly involved.
Originality/value –There is currently no researchin Italy that explores the opinions of social workers on
this issue, which, in general, is little studied. The findings of this research can be highly valuable for
professionals and policymakers to organize services and develop intervention protocols, which are
currentlylacking in the areas where the studywas conducted.
Keywords Older people, Social services, Ethical dilemmas, Social workers, Dangerous care,
Violence against adults
Paper type Research paper
Introduction: interventions in situations of abuse against vulnerable adults and
older people
Abuse against older people and adults with disabilities is recognized by the World Health
Organization (WHO) as a significant public health problem (WHO, 2008) and it is
considered a violation ofhuman rights (Araten-Bergman and Bigby, 2023).
The WHO estimates that globally, at least one in six individuals over the age of 60 has
experienced an episode of abuse in the past year (WHO, 2022). Research indicates that adults
with disabilities, particularly those with intellectual disabilities, are at a higher risk of experiencing
abuse (Stone, 2018). Similarly, older individuals with dementia are also more vulnerable to acts
of abuse; however, the phenomenon is likely to remain underestimated (Sethi et al., 2011).
Studies agree that when abuse occurs within family contexts, it becomes particularly
challenging for social or health service practitioners to identify, because people tend to hide it or
Francesca Corradini is
based at the Relational
Social Work Research
Centre, Sociology
Department, Universit
a
Cattolica del Sacro Cuore,
Milan, Italy.
Received 23 August 2024
Revised 21 October 2024
4 November 2024
Accepted 15 November 2024
©Francesca Corradini.
Published by Emerald
Publishing Limited. This article
is published under the Creative
Commons Attribution (CC BY
4.0) licence. Anyone may
reproduce, distribute, translate
and create derivative works of
this article (for both commercial
and non-commercial
purposes), subject to full
attribution to the original
publication and authors. The
full terms of this licence may be
seen at http://creativecom-
mons.org/licences/by/4.0/
legalcode
The author acknowledges the
Universit
a Cattolica del Sacro
Cuore of Milan for funding this
study.
PAGE 4 jTHE JOURNAL OF ADULT PROTECTION jVOL. 27 NO. 1 2025, pp. 4-14, Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1466-8203 DOI 10.1108/JAP-08-2024-0047
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