On February 18, the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore hosted the event “The vulnerability of social-educational work: a collective challenge”, which launched SAVE – Stand by me: Addressing Social Workers’ Vulnerability to Support Youth From Social Exclusion project – dedicated to studying the working conditions of educators serving vulnerable minors. The project is funded by Fondazione Cariplo and run in collaboration with our Foundation.
During the meeting, initial research findings on the educational profession were presented. The data show that educators are largely young and highly educated, but often work for below-average wages, with precarious contracts and limited economic prospects. Added to these challenges are heavy workloads and high emotional involvement, factors that make the sector particularly demanding.
Discussions between researchers and professionals identified several priorities for the future: strengthening training and supervision, clarifying organizational mandates, and promoting greater contractual and social recognition of the profession.
The SAVE project will continue with a national survey targeting educators and coordinators of services for vulnerable minors, with the aim of collecting data on working conditions, well-being, and professional challenges.