After almost 42 years of service as a social worker in Bitonto, a key figure in the social services of our Municipality, Angela Colaianni is approaching retirement. Barese, a graduate in Social Service Sciences, arrived in Bitonto in 1982 after winning a competition. «I was a complete stranger to this country – he tells BitontoLive – but I learned to know it little by little, even in the smallest nuances, so much so that I never wanted to leave it again. I have always felt part of the institution”.
Have you ever had second thoughts? Difficult moments?
«Of course, there have been moments of crisis, we are always few compared to the stimuli of the territory. We social workers should be twelve but there are fewer of us and I myself share the “minor and family” area with a colleague. We also had moments of conflict with the councilors on duty. Over the years, however, relationships that go beyond the single case and reveal a world of shared intentions, a get involved for balance».
You’ve been doing this job for more than forty years… how much has it changed?
«Many years of service lead to being able to have more precise overviews. Sensitivity on certain issues has changed and having studied the regional guidelines has refined the responses to critical issues. The difference is made by power sew appropriate responses to every situation, such as the possibility of having economic tools and the possibility of using them to create responses that take into account the individual and his needs. Of course, we must respond ethically to our institutional mandate, but analysis and freedom of movement make the difference. We are few in number but we manage to self-determine professionally with user-friendly services, for example we have extended the time children spend in day centers… we offer an extension until 9pm, from leaving school until dinner”.
Among the cases that struck you the most, is there one in particular?
«In 2016 there was a feminicide. In my long career I have seen more than one but the response has completely changed, we have set in motion responses that have started an operational model that has spread to respond in these cases. Professionally it made me reflect on how we have all changed in a certain topic. In these cases, children lose both parents for life. We in response have a range of operations and activities to support them. Before no one had bothered to make us reflect on a whole series of aspects”.
Have you ever had any regrets about managing critical issues?
«A story never ends. We see the children we care for grow. Of course, we would have done more if there had been another service. For example, we are still defining i family centers, a place that offers mediation for conflict and support for educational methods. If this reality were operational, the answers would have had a different depth. But the comparison with a colleague makes the difference, a touch of passion is expressed and a touch of rationality increases, the attention must be very high. It’s a delicate balance, we are careful not to hurt others and not to hurt ourselves. Having good colleagues makes the difference”.
«In our work – he adds Silvia Altamuracouncilor for social services – regret can be a symptom of professional immaturity. The interventions result in a great maturation of the people involved. Alone you have no power to save anyone, and creating relationships of trust with people to stimulate them is very important. In our work, training is continuous.”
The relationship between Silvia Altamura and Angela Colaianni is a relationship of friendship, respect and esteem born years ago precisely by sharing the role of social workers. «For those who studied social work sciences in my generation, she is known for being a person of great respect. I met her from a distance – says the councilor – during my professional internship, and then collaborating together during Franco Scauro’s department. From 2015 onwards, as a new social worker, I had the opportunity to get to know her better by being involved in discussions and reflections on some cases, and this allowed me to grow a lot. We have always dealt with one great opening of professional visions of the other. Counting on the person and the professional makes the difference. For our Municipality, Angela Colaianni is a great source of pride, she has experienced the change in social services.”
«There is nothing more beautiful than a young colleague who enters into your professional perspective. Each of us has our own style when making reports, and seeing a young colleague come into your wake means having participated in the same pathos» concludes Angela Colaianni.
Sunday 23 June 2024
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