Alessandro Sicora
Biographic Data
| ID | 3560067 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Alessandro Sicora |
| GIVEN NAMES | Alessandro |
| FAMILY NAME | Sicora |
| SIGNATURE | SICORA A |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Trento |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-7944-8144 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 16 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 93 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 15 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Cultivating Joy and Mindfulness in Social Work
The article explores joy experienced by social workers—an area often overshadowed by research focused on burnout and emotional strain. Drawing from a selection of nearly 400 “bonsai stories” (an extremely concise form of reflective writing) collected through international workshops, the article identifies common sources of joy, including successful interventions, client trust, gratitude, and collaborative achievements. These bonsai stories were p…
Joy and sadness among social workers in Italy
The exploratory research reported in this article sought to identify sources of joy and sadness among social workers and to infer the possible implications for social work practice from the findings. After considering the theoretical context of social work approaches to joy and sadness, this article outlines the methodology deployed here based on the concept mapping approach. It involved forty-seven Italian social workers recruited via social net…
Making Sense of Risk
‘Risk’ has become a central concept for social work practice in countries with more developed social welfare systems. As argued by Hazel Kemshall and colleagues, ‘risk’ has often replaced ‘need’ as the main driver for social work interventions as societies seek to avoid harm to citizens. This shift of focus raises a tension between care (support for the individual or family in their own right) and control (seeking to prevent harm to themselves, e…
Service user violence against social workers in Italy
Client violence in social services is perceived as constantly increasing in Italy, raising deep concern. This article presents the results of the first online survey on the phenomenon. Involving 20,112 social workers, the aim was to determine the prevalence and forms of client violence towards social workers and to identify key factors associated with such events. Findings The results suggest that the vast majority of Italian social workers exper…
Exploring mistakes and errors of professional judgement in social work in China and Italy
This article reports the results of an exploratory comparative study that investigated errors made by social work practitioners. Two groups of social workers, one in Italy and one in Mainland China, answered questions about the causes and effects of mistakes, professional errors and reactions to errors committed by their colleagues, and the influence of intuition on the decision-making process that generates mistakes and errors of professional ju…
Using intuition in social work decision making
Social workers must make ‘justifiable’ decisions, but ‘intuition’ is also important in assessment, decision making and working with risk. We discuss intuition within professional judgement as being part of our cognitive faculties; emotionally-informed reasoning processes connecting workers with clients and families; and intuition making use of internalised learning. Challenges discussed include intuition as a taboo topic; communicating intuition-…
‘A Community no matter what’
The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated socio-economic crisis are posing unprecedented challenges both globally and locally, raising many unknowns and imposing difficult trade-offs. One of the side effects of this pandemic, with the ensuing physical distancing rules and quarantine, has been the condition of isolation that is affecting vulnerable populations disproportionately across the world. Against this background, one of the major tasks for …
Shame and Social Work
One, not one, or one hundred thousand? Voices of social workers in international comparison
This article focuses on features of contemporary professional debates and reactions of social workers to social policy and reforms in five European countries (Italy, Spain, Turkey, Portugal, United Kingdom) and in the five so-called BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa). It considers these features as they appear in different national arenas, for instance professional bodies, associations and journals/newsletters specialise…
Mapping social work across 10 countries
An emerging global consciousness and rising attention given to international social work development has seen the recognition of comparative research within the profession. Understanding the functioning and organisation of social work within various country contexts is critical in order to formulate knowledge around its overall impact, successes and challenges, allowing social workers to learn from one another and build professional consolidation…
Why do they stay? A study of resilient child protection workers in three European countries
Whilst 50% of child protection workers across much of Europe and the affluent ‘West’ leave after two years, many stay and develop substantial professional careers. This paper discusses research in Italy, Sweden and England examining what factors explain ‘remaining’ for more than three years in this stressful job. Underpinned by a hermeneutic epistemology, qualitative interviews were undertaken and subject to an interpretative thematic analysis. T…
Learning from mistakes in social work
A growing number of cases of professional errors in the realm of health and social services appear on media and raise significant public debate. This article focuses on mistakes in social work and looks at how their negative impacts might be reduced through the lens and framework of reflective practice. Using conclusions from the most relevant literature on this topic and some of the outcomes of recent research, the author describes errors in soc…
Current challenges and emerging signposts
This themed issue of the journal contains a collection of articles that were developed from presentations given at the European Association of Schools of Social Work (EASSW) conference, held in par
The implications of neoliberalism for social work
The near global implementation of public sector and social welfare reform as a result of neoliberal economic reform has impacted on social work and social inequality. State strategies to reduce social and economic inequality are being challenged and rolled back. This article uses the reflections from a six-country EU-funded social work research collaboration to promote debate and compare global social work perspectives, to highlight the complexit…
Reflections on a process model for international research collaboration in social work
This article seeks to reflect on knowledge and experiences gained from an International Research Staff Exchange Scheme (IRSES). Challenges and opportunities inherent in the development and management of a large-scale international research project in social work are explored. Through a synthesis of conceptual frameworks a process model for international research collaboration is constructed based chiefly on the stages of group development, a conc…
Práctica reflexiva y profesiones de ayuda
Con la presente contribución se pretende abordar el tema de la práctica reflexiva en el ámbito del trabajo social. Las teorizaciones sobre la reflexividad, si bien numerosas y heterogéneas, pueden agruparse en torno a conceptos clave de «conocimiento» y «sociedad». Para pasar de la teoría de la reflexividad a la práctica de la reflexividad es necesario estructurar el propio análisis identificando objetivo, niveles y herramientas propias de un «tr…
The implications of neoliberalism for social work
The near global implementation of public sector and social welfare reform as a result of neoliberal economic reform has impacted on social work and social inequality. State strategies to reduce social and economic inequality are being challenged and rolled back. This article uses the reflections from a six-country EU-funded social work research collaboration to promote debate and compare global social work perspectives, to highlight the complexit…
Mapping social work across 10 countries
An emerging global consciousness and rising attention given to international social work development has seen the recognition of comparative research within the profession. Understanding the functioning and organisation of social work within various country contexts is critical in order to formulate knowledge around its overall impact, successes and challenges, allowing social workers to learn from one another and build professional consolidation…
Why do they stay? A study of resilient child protection workers in three European countries
Whilst 50% of child protection workers across much of Europe and the affluent ‘West’ leave after two years, many stay and develop substantial professional careers. This paper discusses research in Italy, Sweden and England examining what factors explain ‘remaining’ for more than three years in this stressful job. Underpinned by a hermeneutic epistemology, qualitative interviews were undertaken and subject to an interpretative thematic analysis. T…
Using intuition in social work decision making
Social workers must make ‘justifiable’ decisions, but ‘intuition’ is also important in assessment, decision making and working with risk. We discuss intuition within professional judgement as being part of our cognitive faculties; emotionally-informed reasoning processes connecting workers with clients and families; and intuition making use of internalised learning. Challenges discussed include intuition as a taboo topic; communicating intuition-…
Learning from mistakes in social work
A growing number of cases of professional errors in the realm of health and social services appear on media and raise significant public debate. This article focuses on mistakes in social work and looks at how their negative impacts might be reduced through the lens and framework of reflective practice. Using conclusions from the most relevant literature on this topic and some of the outcomes of recent research, the author describes errors in soc…
Reflections on a process model for international research collaboration in social work
This article seeks to reflect on knowledge and experiences gained from an International Research Staff Exchange Scheme (IRSES). Challenges and opportunities inherent in the development and management of a large-scale international research project in social work are explored. Through a synthesis of conceptual frameworks a process model for international research collaboration is constructed based chiefly on the stages of group development, a conc…
One, not one, or one hundred thousand? Voices of social workers in international comparison
This article focuses on features of contemporary professional debates and reactions of social workers to social policy and reforms in five European countries (Italy, Spain, Turkey, Portugal, United Kingdom) and in the five so-called BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa). It considers these features as they appear in different national arenas, for instance professional bodies, associations and journals/newsletters specialise…
Práctica reflexiva y profesiones de ayuda
Con la presente contribución se pretende abordar el tema de la práctica reflexiva en el ámbito del trabajo social. Las teorizaciones sobre la reflexividad, si bien numerosas y heterogéneas, pueden agruparse en torno a conceptos clave de «conocimiento» y «sociedad». Para pasar de la teoría de la reflexividad a la práctica de la reflexividad es necesario estructurar el propio análisis identificando objetivo, niveles y herramientas propias de un «tr…
Práctica reflexiva y profesiones de ayuda
Con la presente contribución se pretende abordar el tema de la práctica reflexiva en el ámbito del trabajo social. Las teorizaciones sobre la reflexividad, si bien numerosas y heterogéneas, pueden agruparse en torno a conceptos clave de «conocimiento» y «sociedad». Para pasar de la teoría de la reflexividad a la práctica de la reflexividad es necesario estructurar el propio análisis identificando objetivo, niveles y herramientas propias de un «tr…
The implications of neoliberalism for social work
The near global implementation of public sector and social welfare reform as a result of neoliberal economic reform has impacted on social work and social inequality. State strategies to reduce social and economic inequality are being challenged and rolled back. This article uses the reflections from a six-country EU-funded social work research collaboration to promote debate and compare global social work perspectives, to highlight the complexit…
Reflections on a process model for international research collaboration in social work
This article seeks to reflect on knowledge and experiences gained from an International Research Staff Exchange Scheme (IRSES). Challenges and opportunities inherent in the development and management of a large-scale international research project in social work are explored. Through a synthesis of conceptual frameworks a process model for international research collaboration is constructed based chiefly on the stages of group development, a conc…
Why do they stay? A study of resilient child protection workers in three European countries
Whilst 50% of child protection workers across much of Europe and the affluent ‘West’ leave after two years, many stay and develop substantial professional careers. This paper discusses research in Italy, Sweden and England examining what factors explain ‘remaining’ for more than three years in this stressful job. Underpinned by a hermeneutic epistemology, qualitative interviews were undertaken and subject to an interpretative thematic analysis. T…
Learning from mistakes in social work
A growing number of cases of professional errors in the realm of health and social services appear on media and raise significant public debate. This article focuses on mistakes in social work and looks at how their negative impacts might be reduced through the lens and framework of reflective practice. Using conclusions from the most relevant literature on this topic and some of the outcomes of recent research, the author describes errors in soc…
Current challenges and emerging signposts
This themed issue of the journal contains a collection of articles that were developed from presentations given at the European Association of Schools of Social Work (EASSW) conference, held in par
Mapping social work across 10 countries
An emerging global consciousness and rising attention given to international social work development has seen the recognition of comparative research within the profession. Understanding the functioning and organisation of social work within various country contexts is critical in order to formulate knowledge around its overall impact, successes and challenges, allowing social workers to learn from one another and build professional consolidation…
One, not one, or one hundred thousand? Voices of social workers in international comparison
This article focuses on features of contemporary professional debates and reactions of social workers to social policy and reforms in five European countries (Italy, Spain, Turkey, Portugal, United Kingdom) and in the five so-called BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa). It considers these features as they appear in different national arenas, for instance professional bodies, associations and journals/newsletters specialise…
‘A Community no matter what’
The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated socio-economic crisis are posing unprecedented challenges both globally and locally, raising many unknowns and imposing difficult trade-offs. One of the side effects of this pandemic, with the ensuing physical distancing rules and quarantine, has been the condition of isolation that is affecting vulnerable populations disproportionately across the world. Against this background, one of the major tasks for …
Shame and Social Work
Exploring mistakes and errors of professional judgement in social work in China and Italy
This article reports the results of an exploratory comparative study that investigated errors made by social work practitioners. Two groups of social workers, one in Italy and one in Mainland China, answered questions about the causes and effects of mistakes, professional errors and reactions to errors committed by their colleagues, and the influence of intuition on the decision-making process that generates mistakes and errors of professional ju…
Using intuition in social work decision making
Social workers must make ‘justifiable’ decisions, but ‘intuition’ is also important in assessment, decision making and working with risk. We discuss intuition within professional judgement as being part of our cognitive faculties; emotionally-informed reasoning processes connecting workers with clients and families; and intuition making use of internalised learning. Challenges discussed include intuition as a taboo topic; communicating intuition-…
Service user violence against social workers in Italy
Client violence in social services is perceived as constantly increasing in Italy, raising deep concern. This article presents the results of the first online survey on the phenomenon. Involving 20,112 social workers, the aim was to determine the prevalence and forms of client violence towards social workers and to identify key factors associated with such events. Findings The results suggest that the vast majority of Italian social workers exper…
Making Sense of Risk
‘Risk’ has become a central concept for social work practice in countries with more developed social welfare systems. As argued by Hazel Kemshall and colleagues, ‘risk’ has often replaced ‘need’ as the main driver for social work interventions as societies seek to avoid harm to citizens. This shift of focus raises a tension between care (support for the individual or family in their own right) and control (seeking to prevent harm to themselves, e…
Cultivating Joy and Mindfulness in Social Work
The article explores joy experienced by social workers—an area often overshadowed by research focused on burnout and emotional strain. Drawing from a selection of nearly 400 “bonsai stories” (an extremely concise form of reflective writing) collected through international workshops, the article identifies common sources of joy, including successful interventions, client trust, gratitude, and collaborative achievements. These bonsai stories were p…
Joy and sadness among social workers in Italy
The exploratory research reported in this article sought to identify sources of joy and sadness among social workers and to infer the possible implications for social work practice from the findings. After considering the theoretical context of social work approaches to joy and sadness, this article outlines the methodology deployed here based on the concept mapping approach. It involved forty-seven Italian social workers recruited via social net…
Social Work Education and Practice (14 works) · Political science (13 works) · Social Work (13 works) · Psychology (11 works) · Sociology (11 works) · Social Psychology (10 works) · Law (9 works) · Public relations (8 works) · Mental Health and Patient Involvement (7 works) · Work (physics (6 works)