Walking the Tightrope: Discretion, Moral Distress and Trespassing Practices Among Social Work Practitioners Within Italian Repatriation Centers

Abstract This article presents the results of a study on the dilemmas and practices of social work practitioners involved in the Italian return procedure, in particular those working within repatriation centers. Although social work plays an increasing role in migration governance in Italy, the knowledge on day-to-day experiences and practices of social work practitioners working within repatriation procedures remains limited. Based on a Horizon project exploring the impact of return policies on migrants and on those involved in their implementation, this article explores how social work practitioners navigate conflicting mandates, restricted discretionary space, and the limited recognition of their role. The study, which uses qualitative research methods, combines three analytical perspectives: Lipsky’s theory of street-level bureaucracy; research on moral distress and ethical conflict; and theories of recognition. The empirical material consists of a number of semi-structured interviews and focus groups conducted in 2025 across a number of Italian regions involving 53 individuals. The findings highlight the persistent tension between care and control, showing how constraints on discretion, conflicting mandates, and limited recognition contribute to experiences of moral distress, while also prompting situated strategies to preserve spaces for care, advocacy, and agency. The fieldwork shows the presence of “trespassing practices”, which refers to actions that emerge as attempts to reclaim discretionary space, alleviate ethical tensions, and maintain the supportive aspects of social work practice, while also functioning as forms of coping and situated agency.