ENSACT: European Social Action Network

European Social Action Network / ENSACT

ENSACT: Statement of Concern 29 April 2009

Xenophobic direction of new proposals approved by (a branch of) the Italian Parliament

The Italian government is heading in the regrettable direction of promoting xenophobic legislation by approving a new law entitled ‘safety measures’ that criminalises undocumented migrants, the homeless and the needy in general. Under the new law, health and even public officials such as social workers are expected to inform authorities when undocumented clients seek public health and social services. 

This law not only carries the danger of turning social challenges into problems of public order, it undermines professional intervention by placing a ‘policing’ duty upon health and social practitioners . As it is now, the law puts forward a position that contradicts the social professional code of ethics and professional conduct, including client confidentiality.        

ENSACT supports the protest of the President of the EASSW, the Secretary of AIDOSS (Italian Association of Social Work Teachers) and of the association of the Professional Register of Italian Social Workers against the new Italian legislation and, as such, strongly opposes the direction of the Italian Parliament, requesting it to retract its intention to obstruct the indispensable work of health and social professionals with needy populations and, essentially, avoid an escalation of xenophobic tendencies in Italy.

Nol Reverda

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ENSACT stands for professional quality. It fosters social professionals, teachers, lecturers, trainers and social services in innovating and strengthening their practices, concepts and theories.

ENSACT voices social professionals, teachers, lecturers trainers and services in Europe: the Council of Europe, European Union and European Parliament. It is essential for the quality for social policies and the provision of social services that social professions have a strong voice nationally and in Brussels and Strasbourg.

ENSACT promotes the consistency and effectiveness of professional qualifications and the quality of social services across Europe, including work on the Bologna process and the EU mutual recognition of qualifications processes.

ENSACT is a European Network of professional associations, faculties of social work and national councils of social welfare.

ENSACT integrates the efforts of the partners in a synergic way, to optimise the activities of each and to reach our goals separately and jointly. We draw upon the richness of customs embedded in social professional education and social professional practice throughout Europe.

ENSACT intends to develop more effective contacts with service users organizations at national and European level. ENSACT will not support statements or actions which work against the interests of service users.

The main activities of ENSACT are:

• Voicing its members on the European Level in taking part in policy making processes and to come up with statements and studies.
• Bringing the members together at joint conferences and expert meetings.
• Providing the members with information on common issues, and activities and documents from the different partners.
• The ENSACT members work together to create a formal partnership structure which will provide a framework for planning and delivering our common vision and programme.

 

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