Understanding the facilitation of Community Future Dialogues through the Relational Social Work paradigm. Findings from an Italian study

This article explores the role of facilitators in Community Future Dialogues (CFDs), a dialogical \r\nmethod rooted in the Finnish tradition and adapted to the Italian context to support participatory \r\nplanning in community social work. Grounded in the Relational Social Work paradigm, CFDs aim \r\nto foster inclusive decision-making processes by engaging citizens, professionals, and institutions \r\nin envisioning desirable futures and co-designing concrete action plans. Drawing on a quali-quantitative study conducted across ten CFDs involving 126 participants and five trained facilitators, the \r\nresearch investigates how facilitation functions are enacted and perceived. Findings highlight the \r\ncentrality of facilitation (i.e. relational guidance) in creating dialogical spaces that promote trust, \r\nreflexivity, and shared responsibility. Facilitators are shown to play a dual role: guiding the process \r\nwhile ensuring clarity and accessibility through transcription and reformulation. The study reveals \r\na strong convergence between facilitators’ and participants’ perspectives, particularly regarding \r\nthe effectiveness of dialogical methods, rule-setting, and future-oriented visioning. Challenges \r\nsuch as time constraints, participant fatigue, and institutional limitations are discussed, alongside \r\nstrategies to enhance inclusivity and adaptability. The article concludes by positioning CFDs as a \r\npromising tool for community empowerment and social change, emphasizing the importance of \r\nprofessional reflexivity and co-facilitation in sustaining participatory processes