The Functions of Professional Teams in Addressing the Challenges of Reception Work with Young Migrants

In reception settings, young migrants often arrive with difficult life histories and traumatic experiences that are deeply entangled with ongoing global challenges, from geopolitical conflicts to climate crises and socio-economic disparities. While existing literature often approaches care as an individual relationship, less attention has been paid to the collective practices that underpin educational and care pathways. This ethnographic study explores the work practices, resources, and challenges of practitioners employed in reception services for young migrants in Italy. Although the research did not initially set out to study teamwork as such, the iterative engagement with field data gradually highlighted teamwork as a key resource for addressing everyday challenges in reception work. The study is informed by the perspective of communities of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998), which offers a conceptual framework for interpreting socially distributed and negotiated practices. The research was conducted at an educational and social community in Rome that hosts approximately 180 adolescents and young adults aged between 16 and 22 each year. The data corpus includes 11 ethnographic visits (approximately 50 hours of observation) and 9 narrative interviews with practitioners and coordinators. Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006, 2022) was conducted on observational reports and interview transcripts. The findings show that the work team perform four interrelated functions: (1) consolidating belonging, identity, and shared values; (2) preserving and transmitting practical knowledge; (3) enabling coordination and connectivity across boundaries; and (4) managing critical situations through collective reflection and emotional containment. In this way, the team’s local action creates a transformative environment not only for the young people in care but also for the professionals themselves, supporting continuity and long-term sustainability. The analysis also highlights the “costs” of collaborative work. Teamwork is time-consuming, may complicate the inclusion of newcomers, requires continuous negotiation, and can generate conflict, particularly when operational urgencies and institutional constraints limit opportunities for dialogue. The study highlights the importance of investing in both formal and informal team practices as key social infrastructures that sustain coordination, learning, and professional identity in complex, resource-limited care contexts.