Project management and evaluation of social services

Educational objectives

The course aims to provide students with advanced knowledge of the transformation of welfare systems and migration processes, examining their main social, economic, political and institutional dimensions. Particular attention will be devoted to welfare models from a comparative perspective, social protection reforms, emerging inequalities and the consequences of demographic, economic and labour-market changes.
The course will explore the relationship between migration, social citizenship and access to rights, services and welfare benefits, taking into account migrants’ different legal, occupational, family and housing conditions. It will examine processes of social inclusion and exclusion, discrimination, labour-market segmentation, impoverishment and the specific forms of vulnerability that may affect migrant individuals and families.
The course also seeks to develop students’ ability to critically interpret social and migration policies by identifying their underlying assumptions, instruments, relevant actors and effects on different social groups. Students will acquire skills for the design, management and evaluation of social services and interventions addressed to culturally diverse populations, with particular reference to the coordination of social, healthcare, educational, housing and employment services.
By the end of the course, students will be able to apply the concepts, theories and analytical tools of the sociology of welfare and migration to the analysis of complex social needs, the interpretation of data and indicators, the evaluation of public policies and the development of inclusive, territorially integrated and culturally sensitive interventions.

Educational objectives

The course covers the main institutes of family law and of persons and in particular, by way of example:
natural persons, rights of the personality, bodies, disappearance, absence, presumed death, civil status records
marriage, celebration, conditions and impediments, promise of marriage, putative marriage, civil marriage, concordant, non-religious cults, alien, annulment, personal relations between spouses, patrimonial relations (family patrimonial regimes, family business, family pact), de facto family, homosexual cohabitation, filiation, separation, divorce, short divorce, assisted negotiation, custody of children, adoption, voluntary termination of pregnancy, medically assisted procreation, state actions, food, civil liability in family relationships.

Educational objectives

Students will have a good knowledge of the legal system of the European Union. They will be able to consult and to search sources of primary law and secondary law, as well as to identify and to search the case-law of the Court. Furthermore, they will understand the effects of European Union law on the national legal system.
Student will study and debate on the main case-law of the Court, so that thy will develop a critical thought and communication skills, as well as a correct use of legal language.
Students will be able to continue studying European Union Law independently, for example in the preparation of public competitions or to be employed in the institutions of the European Union.

Educational objectives

The integrated course is divided into two parts. The first part aims to equip students with specific skills in social services planning. To this end, reference will be made to a real-life case involving a call for tenders issued by a local authority, with both the call for tenders and the tender specifications being analysed. Students will then be guided in acquiring the fundamental concepts of planning – at both local and EU level – whilst at the same time gaining first-hand experience of applying these concepts. The lessons will therefore alternate between theoretical and practical sessions, during which students will engage with a real-life case study whilst utilising group work methodology.
The aim is to ensure that, by the end of the course, students have acquired knowledge of:
- the most recent theories in the field of social planning;
- the most up-to-date theories and techniques relating to the design of social interventions and services;
- an understanding of the logic of Project Cycle Management;
- practical skills in interpreting a call for proposals issued by the public administration;
- practical skills in responding to calls for proposals issued by the public administration, with particular attention to identifying needs and ensuring consistency between the response and the needs analysis

Educational objectives

The expected outcomes relate, on the one hand, to basic epistemological knowledge and, on the other, to the techniques and procedures specific to both standard and non-standard social research.
The areas in which students are expected to acquire skills are as follows:
1. The relationship between ‘standard’ and ‘non-standard’ social research
2. The role(s) of theory
3. Theory and hypotheses
4. Social research design
5. Conceptualisation and operationalisation
6. Differences in research design between qualitative and quantitative approaches
7. Primary and secondary sources
8. Qualitative methods based on observation
9. The qualitative interview (various types of structure and organisation)
10. The questionnaire-based interview
11. Types of questionnaire questions
12. What is an attitude?
13. Measuring attitudes: the scale technique
14. The order of questions in the questionnaire
15. Quantitative social research design
16. Sampling (random, typological, etc.)
17. The data matrix and types of variables
18. Univariate analysis
19. Bivariate analysis (contingency table and percentage calculation)
20. Evaluative research

Educational objectives

1) Professions and professionalism: to acquire conceptual knowledge specific to the subject, such as the concepts of ‘profession’ and ‘professionalism’ and other concepts that share a semantic root with these, such as the concept of ‘professionalisation’. Furthermore, students will develop the ability to identify key changes and the resulting process of social differentiation.
2) Professionalism and managerialism in social work: the second part enables students to acquire knowledge regarding the implications of the dialectic between the logic of professionalism and the logic of managerialism, against a backdrop shaped by neoliberal pressures and the crisis in welfare systems, with particular attention to the impact that managerialism has had on the role of the social worker and on the organisational context in which they operate.
3) Service management: the third part provides knowledge on the issues and challenges of social service management, with particular attention to the role of the manager, as a figure called upon to reconcile professional and managerial approaches.
4) Supervision: finally, the fourth part addresses the topic of supervision as a tool for professional support that can help social workers understand and develop strategies for adapting to the principles of managerial logic.

Educational objectives

The integrated course is divided into two parts; the first deals with intra-group and inter-group relationships.
From birth, individuals are immersed in a social reality that shapes their growth, development, and identity, influencing their behaviors and attitudes, and guiding their choices. As social beings, it is impossible to escape the influence of the relational context. Starting from these assumptions, the course aims to analyze the dynamics that characterize groups in terms of the structuring of status hierarchies, role differentiation with particular reference to the leader, the construction of norms, social influence, and group decision-making. It also aims to consider the relationship between the individual and the group, namely, how group initiation, socialization processes, adherence to norms, the development of feelings of belonging, participation in group activities, and exit from the group occur. The topic of intergroup relationships is explored, and how these are profoundly influenced by the sense of belonging to one's own group and the perception of others; diversity. Phenomena of competition, marginalization, or social exclusion, and even explicit violence, can be traced back to the opposition between groups and the perception of different affiliations.
Finally, the course also includes a practical component regarding the focus group research method. Students are encouraged to work in small groups and acquire the group interview technique through simulated classroom sessions under the direct supervision of the teacher. At the end of the course, students prepare a report analyzing and illustrating the data from the interviews.

The second part of the integrated course focuses on the analysis of the factors underlying the onset of psychological distress and on the study of the main mental health conditions, with particular attention to their impact on quality of life, their social costs, and the principal approaches to intervention. The course examines a range of possible developmental trajectories during adolescence, from typical pathways characterised by the resources and risks inherent in the process of growth, to more complex trajectories shaped by migration experiences and life in residential care settings for minors, as well as more markedly maladaptive pathways involving substance use disorders and deviant behaviour. The developmental stages of adolescence and young adulthood are considered in relation to the risk of psychosocial distress arising from both internal demands, such as physical changes and identity formation, and external demands originating from school, society, and the labour market.
Particular attention is devoted to the helping professions involved in responding to psychological and social distress among minors, together with intervention tools that may support the effective management of vulnerable situations. The course also includes the analysis and discussion of illustrative case studies in order to develop
students’ understanding of how to design preventive and rehabilitative interventions in health and social care settings for individuals experiencing mental, physical, economic, or social disadvantage.

Educational objectives

The course provides students with the theoretical, methodological, and operational tools required to analyse governance processes and participatory practices promoted by public institutions. Particular attention is devoted to social policies, personal social services, and socio-community interventions. Through lectures, seminars, and laboratory activities, students will explore the transformations of welfare systems and public decision-making processes. The course examines top-down forms of participation, the conditions that have fostered their diffusion, the relationships among the actors involved, and their potential effects. It also aims to develop basic skills in the design, management, and facilitation of participatory processes. Students will experiment with techniques such as MetaPlan, Idea Prioritization, World Café, and Open Space Technology, together with selected techniques and tools used in co-research, such as Photovoice. Laboratory activities will enable students to apply these methods to the design of social
and community-based interventions. The overall approach promotes a plurality of perspectives, active listening, and
the co-production of knowledge.
Knowledge and Understanding
Upon successful completion of the course, students will have acquired a critical understanding of the main theoretical
approaches to governance and participation in public decision-making processes. In particular, they will be able to:

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 understand the main theoretical perspectives and analytical categories related to political participation and
the analysis of participatory processes;
 identify the characteristics of institutionally promoted forms of participation and the socio-institutional
transformations that have encouraged their diffusion;
 analyse the relationships among changes in welfare systems, multilevel governance, the involvement of
social actors, and participation;
 understand the theoretical, methodological, and organisational foundations of the main participatory
techniques;
 recognise the benefits, limitations, paradoxes, and unintended effects of participatory processes, including in
relation to the political and institutional dimensions of social work.
Applying Knowledge and Understanding
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
 apply theoretical concepts to the analysis of decision-making processes and participatory practices in
different institutional and territorial contexts;
 analyse emerging needs, contextual characteristics, and the strengths and limitations of top-down
participatory practices;
 contribute to the design of social assistance and community-based interventions by selecting participatory
techniques appropriate to the objectives, actors, and contexts involved;
 design, organise, and facilitate different participatory practices while promoting active listening, dialogue,
and inclusion;
 use observation, analysis, and feedback tools and prepare concise reports on the design, implementation,
and outcomes of the activities carried out.
Making Judgements
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
 critically evaluate the main theoretical interpretations of participation and governance, considering their
benefits, limitations, and unintended effects;
 recognise power asymmetries, the different resources available to the actors involved, and the roles played
by institutions, professionals, experts, social organisations, and citizens;
 assess the degree of inclusiveness, transparency, and influence of participatory processes;
 formulate independent judgements concerning the appropriateness of participatory techniques in relation to
the objectives, target groups, and characteristics of the context;
 adopt a reflexive and situated approach that takes into account the complexity of social problems and the
ethical, political, and professional implications of methodological choices.
Communication Skills
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
 present and critically discuss theoretical and laboratory-based content in a clear, structured, and well-argued
manner, using appropriate terminology;
 communicate and justify the choices made in the design of participatory processes and socio-community
interventions;
 prepare and present, both individually and collaboratively, project proposals and the results of analytical and
simulation activities;
 actively participate in discussions and group work while engaging with different positions and perspectives;
 facilitate group discussions and communicate the outcomes of participatory activities clearly and
transparently, promoting listening, cooperation, and inclusion.

Learning Skills
The course promotes the development of competencies that enable students to pursue further study and professional development independently. Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
 identify and critically analyse academic literature, institutional documents, and empirical materials
concerning governance, participation, and social policies;
 independently explore and integrate sociological, political science, and methodological approaches in the
analysis of social needs and the design of interventions;
 adapt participatory tools to different organisational, institutional, and community contexts;
 apply reflexive, collaborative, and interdisciplinary learning approaches developed through group work and
laboratory activities;
 develop an autonomous approach oriented towards continuous learning in the design and management of
participatory processes and socio-community interventions.

Educational objectives

The integrated course is divided in two parts.
By the end of the political economy course, students will have learnt the basics of national accounts, which are essential for understanding reports and analyses on the Italian and international economies and for studying macroeconomics. They will gain an in-depth understanding of neoclassical theory – which remains dominant, albeit in modern forms – and its limitations, as highlighted by the critiques of Keynes and Sraffa. Keynes’s theory will be explained in detail. Students will acquire analytical tools that are extremely useful for understanding and analysing the capitalist system.
The statistic module aims to provide students with the fundamental statistical and methodological tools for reading, analysing and evaluating the social phenomena relevant to welfare policies. The course starts from the basic concepts of descriptive statistics — frequency distributions, graphical representations, measures of central tendency and variability — and then addresses the issue of measurement in the social field: the operational definition of concepts, the passage from concepts to indicators, the quality of statistical data and the requirements of validity and reliability of measures. The module then examines in depth the indicators for measuring poverty, inequality and social exclusion — absolute and relative poverty lines, the Gini index, European indicators — and the construction of composite indicators for the measurement of multidimensional phenomena, with reference to the stages of selection of elementary indicators, normalisation, weighting and aggregation, and to the main examples at national and international level. The programme is completed by the analysis of relationships between variables (contingency tables, measures of association, correlation and an introduction to the regression model), index numbers applied to the analysis of social expenditure, and the use of official national and European statistical sources, with particular reference to surveys on households' living conditions. Lessons alternate between theoretical sessions and practical exercises on real data, also through group work methodology, so that students acquire the ability to critically read statistical reports and to produce simple analyses in support of the design and evaluation of social interventions and services.

Educational objectives

The primary objective of this internship is to enable students to acquire competencies in the analysis of national, regional, and local social welfare policies, the assessment and analysis of the needs of local communities, and the development of proposals to address the care and support needs of the population. Furthermore, it is expected that students will become familiar with the wide range of organizations operating within the local community, including voluntary associations and organized non-profit organizations, which play an increasingly significant role in the provision of social services. The learning objectives of the internship will be agreed upon in advance with the internship supervisor and can be summarized as follows:
a) Develop the ability to critically analyze the organizational and institutional context of the host organization and to understand the professional practice carried out by the supervisor within that context.
b) Work alongside the external supervisor in the activities previously identified as the main focus of the internship. Students are expected to be entrusted with one or more specific tasks to be completed, according to what is considered beneficial for the organization, its functioning, and the supervisor's professional activities. Particular emphasis will be placed on activities that involve students in initiatives aimed at increasing stakeholder participation in the decision-making processes related to the public policy agenda.
c) Reflect on and critically evaluate the internship experience, identifying strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement regarding both the organizational context and the current structure of local social policies. This reflection should also consider the institutional and organizational constraints within the host organization, with the aim of promoting the continuous development and improvement of both social services and social policies.

Educational objectives

The aim of the elective modules is to enable students to choose, from the wide range of courses offered by the university, those subjects that best complement and round off their education.
The aim is to ensure that students’ education is aligned with the professional goals they have developed during their studies.

Educational objectives

During the final examination, the student must demonstrate an ability to defend a thesis on a specific topic – whether traditional or innovative within the profession – by integrating theoretical, regulatory and practical aspects of professional practice.