Emanuela Fato is a specialist social worker, PhD in Social Work and Personal Social Services, university lecturer, trainer, and professional supervisor. Her research focuses on social work, the sociology of professions, and organisational processes. Her main interests include the development and recognition of professional competences, supervision as a tool for transformative learning, the sustainability of social work, professional workload, social innovation, and cultural welfare. Her most recent research also explores the Ecological-Narrative Approach and the use of narrative and visual methodologies in education, professional reflexivity, and participatory knowledge production.
Education
In 2009, she graduated with honours in Social Work from the University of Bologna and, in 2014, completed a Master’s Degree in Social Work, also with honours, at the same university.
In 2015, she obtained a second-level university Master’s Degree in the Management and Development of Emotional Resources from Auxilium – Pontifical Faculty of Educational Sciences in Rome. She subsequently completed specialist training in adult education, professional coaching, and social work supervision.
In 2025, she was awarded a PhD in Social Work and Personal Social Services, academic field SPS/07, from the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan. Her doctoral thesis was entitled Circular Solidarity Economy and the Ecological Transition of Social Work: A Qualitative Study in Third-Sector Organisations Belonging to the National Coordination of Welcoming Communities.
Academic Career
Since 2019, she has been engaged in university teaching in the fields of social work and the social sciences.
She has taught Social Work Methods and Techniques at the University of Parma and the University of Bologna. At the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, she served as a subject expert for the course Social Work Methodology III.
Since 2021, she has collaborated continuously with the University of Bologna, initially as lecturer and tutor for Social Work Methods and Techniques I and subsequently as Adjunct Professor of Principles and Foundations of Social Work at the Department of Sociology and Business Law.
She is an Associate Professor at the IPU University Institute, an affiliated institution of the Salesian Pontifical University, where she teaches General Sociology and Sociology of Cultural and Communication Processes.
Teaching Activities
Her teaching activities primarily focus on the theoretical, methodological, and ethical foundations of social work, general sociology, the sociology of cultural and communication processes, and the education of social professionals.
At the University of Bologna, she currently teaches Principles and Foundations of Social Work within the Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Social Work. Her teaching combines theoretical content, case analysis, narrative methodologies, and visual tools aimed at supporting students’ reflexivity, value awareness, and construction of professional identity.
At the IPU University Institute, she teaches General Sociology and Sociology of Cultural and Communication Processes within the Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Educational Sciences. She also teaches in university training programmes for social work supervisors.
Research Activities
Her doctoral research examined the relationship between the circular solidarity economy, social inclusion, and the ecological transition of social work. The study was conducted using a Delphi method with a panel of national experts and case studies carried out in Italian and European third-sector organisations.
Since 2024, she has conducted research on the mismatch between professional competences and organisational contexts, as well as on the role of supervision as a tool for transformative learning. The findings were presented at the 10th SISEC Conference in the paper Reconnecting Competences and Contexts: Supervision as a Tool for Transformative Learning.
Since 2025, she has contributed to the development of research on the Ecological-Narrative Approach, professional sustainability, and the care and support of social workers.
She has presented her work at national and international conferences, including the European Conference for Social Work Research, the Italian Conference on Social Work Research, the SISEC Conference, the International Academic Conference on Research in Social Sciences, and the International Conference on Art Studies.
In 2023, she chaired a session at the 12th European Conference for Social Work Research, held at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan.
Institutional Activities and Academic Appointments
She is Vice President of COMEFO – Counselling Mediazione Formazione Società Cooperativa Sociale, a social enterprise active in research, social innovation, cultural welfare, training, and professional supervision for public and private organisations.
Within COMEFO, she coordinates applied research projects, professional supervision programmes, and interdisciplinary working groups. She has coordinated and continues to coordinate single-profession, multiprofessional, and individual supervision projects for local authorities and public administrations, including the Municipality of Modena, the Caulonia Territorial Social District, and the Alta Valsugana e Bersntol Community.
She is registered in Section A of the Emilia-Romagna Regional Register of Social Workers.
Membership of Scientific Committees and Research Networks
She is a member of the European Social Work Research Association and the International Visual Sociology Association.
She participates in scientific and professional networks dedicated to social work research, visual methodologies, university education, and the development of professional competences.
Selected Publications
Her most recent publications include:
Fato, E., Parisi, G. (2026), Il carico professionale nel lavoro sociale: una lettura multidimensionale, LUSU Edizioni.
Fato, E., Lombardi, G. (2026), “Not Always Available”, in The Palgrave Handbook of Global Social Problems, Palgrave Macmillan.
Fato, E., Parisi, G., Lombardi, G., Campisi, F.M.A. (2026), “The Ecological-Narrative Approach”, in The Palgrave Handbook of Global Social Problems, Palgrave Macmillan.
Fato, E., Parisi, G. (2026), “Ecological Narrative Approach in Co-Creating the Social Work Curriculum. A Pathway to Inclusive and Holistic Education”, in Curriculum Cocreation in Social Work: International Perspectives, Bristol University Press.
Fato, E., Lombardi, G. (2026), “Fieldwork Supervision as a Space of Professional Becoming”, in The Palgrave Handbook of Global Social Problems, Palgrave Macmillan.
Fato, E., Parisi, G., Lombardi, G., Campisi, F.M.A. (2025), “Ascoltare, narrare, riconoscere. Percorsi narrativi con persone anziane tra cura, dignità e partecipazione”, Studi e ricerche di lavoro sociale, 2(2), pp. 65–82.
Fato, E. (2024), “Eco-Social Work: Theoretical Foundations and Implications for Sustainable Inclusion”, in Networks, Markets & People – NMP 2024, Springer.
Fato, E. (2024), “Promoting Emotional Intelligence in Social Work Students”, in The Routledge International Handbook of Social Work Teaching, Routledge.
Fato, E. (2023), “Social Work and Sustainable Living: Palmi Koinsep’s Inspirational Journey”, Relational Social Work, 7(2), pp. 61–68.
