Changes and Future Challenges in the Social Work Profession in Israel Based on Stories of Veteran Social Workers

Zaher Accariya

doi:10.4236/ce.2016.712178

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify: the fluctuations and the changes in the social work profession in Israel reflected in the perceptions of veteran social workers, the origins of the profession in Israel, and the changes in the role of the social worker from its inception in Israel until today. This study used a qualitative research method. Interviews were conducted by students studying for their master of social work degree in the school of social work and social welfare at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in a course on the historical and philosophical origins of the social work. the findings highlight the differences in the veteran social workers’ perceptions of the definition, nature, and role of social work in the country that parallel major developments of the profession in the country from its first days until the present, as reflected in the different periods of growth, expansion and development of the state of Israel.

Highlights

The interviews revealed a long list of changes regarding the profession itself, the status of the social worker, and the identity and range of the social worker’s responsibilities
The findings of this study show that the changes in the profession and the role of the social worker in this country are linked, among other things, to social and political factors, and to the economic policies that characterized each period in the history of the profession
This study came to fill this void in the literature, and it focuses on the personal experience of the veteran social workers and development professionals in this country

Summary

Introduction

Development of Social Work Profession Much of what is written about social work grew out of professional and academic thinking. Payne (Payne, 2005) indicates social workers contribute to how social work structured by social construction. Little written about how social workers themselves define and describe the social work. In the United States and other countries the purpose of social work involved in helping underprivileged populations by helping individual adaptation and improvement of social conditions through social action and. How to cite this paper: Accariya, Z. Changes and Future Challenges in the Social Work Profession in Israel Based on Stories of Veteran Social Workers.

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Conclusion