摘要：Professionals who work in residential children’s communities face many difficulties and, when the
hosted children have a history of abuse and maltreatment, the risk of vicarious traumatization and
professional burn-out, which has a negative effect on the professional’s work and well-being as well
as on the effectiveness at work, is very high.
This qualitative study aims to explore, via the content analysis of text recorded in some Photolangage®
groups, the representations of social workers and educators in residential children’s communities on
the theme of work management of physical and sexual abuse victims. The participants were 37 social
workers from 6 residential communities for 0-6 years old child in the region of Palermo (Italy).
The analysis of the discourse revealed four main themes: “emotional responses”, “difficulty in coping
with emotions related to abuse”, “relationship with the institutional network” and “work
methods/strategies”, which seem to guide and inform the social workers in our daily relationship with
children. These results, which are in line with clinical observations, indicate the importance of
supporting, through tools such as supervision and analysis of professional practices, professionals who
work with maltreated and abused children, the only way to protect their well-being and the “therapeutic
role” in the care and protection of children which they fulfil.
