Lombardy social workers and municipalities discuss welfare future in Tremezzo

The Regional Council of the Order of Social Workers (CROAS) Lombardia and the National Association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI) Lombardia held a two-day conference in Tremezzo to discuss the future of social policies. The event, titled “From Tremezzo to the Future,” marks 80 years since a 1946 convention that transitioned Italian welfare from state charity to formal citizenship rights.

Simona Regondi, president of CROAS Lombardia, described social workers as “operators of democracy” responsible for connecting individual needs with public resources to uphold the substantive equality defined in Article 3 of the Italian Constitution. She emphasized the profession's autonomous mandate and warned against using social workers as scapegoats for political issues.

Mauro Guerra, president of ANCI Lombardia and mayor of Tremezzina, addressed the financial challenges facing local authorities. He noted a significant gap between actual needs and available resources, stating that while municipalities spend over 9 billion euros on welfare, officially recognized needs do not reach 5 billion euros.