OVERVIEW

The third-year professional internship is a mandatory activity that continues the previous year's training and, if possible, in the same facility chosen as the internship location the previous year. The lessons of the Professional Internship III course are designed to deepen the student's understanding of the social worker's professional methodology in the assistance process, applied to the operational contexts in which this professional operates and to the intervention process. Students are expected to be able to translate the theoretical content learned during their studies into practical practice in a dynamic and circular process.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The objectives to be pursued refer to the acquisition of skills to activate processes of help and intervention, identify and use conceptual categories in compliance with professional ethics and operate within organized systems of resources.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The third-year professional internship is a mandatory activity and represents continuing education in the context previously identified as the internship location. Specifically, the professional content of the second year is revisited and the professional methodology relevant to first-level social workers is explored. It is typically structured over two semesters, and students are encouraged to continue their learning activities with the supervising social worker—a company tutor—gradually developing and experimenting with opportunities for full autonomy in their work. The program will be supported by moments of reflection and reflection on the experience through a group work methodology.

Specific learning areas will include:

the process of providing assistance and intervention and the testing of professional tools and techniques with individuals, families, and groups; professional ethics through the use of the social worker's code of ethics; and observation and/or testing of projects within the service in which the student is employed, with particular attention to the processes of activating formal and informal networks.

The program includes connections with professional subjects, laboratory work, practical and written exercises, and interdisciplinary seminars.

Attendance at the internship and classroom meetings is mandatory.

PREREQUISITES

The basic knowledge and skills acquired by students to address the content of the final year's course are:

- knowledge of the organizational structures of social services and the third sector in the local area;

- knowledge of local needs;

- knowledge of the legislation regarding social services and the institutional mandates of the various agencies.

TEACHING METHODS

Teaching methods include lectures and active learning, including individual and small-group exercises, case studies proposed by the instructor or based on documentation of the student's field experience, written exercises on problem-solving situations, and role-plays. Students are always expected to participate and engage in learning activities, including through the use of documentation related to the internship. The exercises and documentation of the experience through report writing are designed to develop professional writing skills, analytical skills, and reflective thinking.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The third-year professional internship is a mandatory activity and represents continuing education in the context previously identified as the internship location. Specifically, the professional content of the second year is revisited and the professional methodology relevant to first-level social workers is explored. It is typically structured over two semesters, and students are encouraged to continue their learning activities with the supervising social worker—a company tutor—gradually developing and experimenting with opportunities for full autonomy in their work. The program will be supported by moments of reflection and reflection on the experience through a group work methodology.

Specific learning areas will include:

the process of providing assistance and intervention and the testing of professional tools and techniques with individuals, families, and groups; professional ethics through the use of the social worker's code of ethics; and observation and/or testing of projects within the service in which the student is employed, with particular attention to the processes of activating formal and informal networks.

The program includes connections with professional subjects, laboratory work, practical and written exercises, and interdisciplinary seminars.

Attendance at the internship and classroom meetings is mandatory.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Study text: Sanfelici M., Models of Social Work. From Theory to Internship, Carocci Faber, 2017

Recommended reading:

- Bordogna Tognetti M. (ed.) Internship as Situated Practice. Experiences of Degree Programs in Social Work, FrancoAngeli, 2015

- Mantovani F., Workshop on Social Work Internship Guidance: Training, Self-Knowledge, and Professional Skills, FracoAngeli, 2018

- Internship Handout III (ed. Marcella Valente and Mario Marini).

- Practical Manual on Innovations in the Code of Ethics for Social Workers (ed. by the ethics committee of Croas Liguria, 2017/2021).

- Marini M., Internship: The Great Game. The Internship Supervision Report Revisited with the Contribution of Transactional Analysis and Rogerian Theories: New Possible Interpretations, Rassegna di Servizio Sociale, EISS, No. 2/2004.

- Kadushin A., The Interview in Social Work, Astrolabio, Rome, 1980.

- Anna Maria Campanini, The Areas of Intervention of Social Work, Carocci Faber, 2016.

- Elena Allegri, Community Social Work, Carocci Faber, 2016.

- Milena Diomede Canevini, Elisabetta Neve, Ethics and Deontology of Social Work, Carocci Faber,

- AA.VV. Dictionary of Social Work, Carocci Faber, Rome, 2024

Any reference material will be provided in class.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

I semester from September 17th to November 12th 2025
II semester from February 15th to May 7th 2026

Class schedule

PROFESSIONAL APPRENTICESHIP III A

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Students are required to produce a final report summarizing and elaborating their internship experience for discussion during the exam, complemented by a selection of professional materials.

Furthermore, during the exam, students are required to demonstrate the ability to connect theory with case studies and identify the stages of the support and intervention process within the cases presented in the report, their understanding of the Intervention Methodology, and the use of social work tools and techniques, following the instructor's instructions during lectures and the recommended reading list.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The student's learning objectives will be assessed in the internship report, which must be prepared according to the praxis-theory-praxis framework. That is, the student's ability to re-theorize on the internship experience will be assessed. The report must highlight the knowledge acquired in applying the methodology in the operational context of social services, the acquisition of the method for analyzing problem situations, the use of social service tools, and the acquisition of professional writing skills in drafting minutes, professional reports, and professional documentation. The student's planning skills and use of formal and informal resources relevant to the local area will be assessed, as will the student's ability to develop projects for both individuals and the community. These projects must be attached to the report.