Comparison of the Social and Professional Ideology of Caseworkers and Community Social Workers in Israel

Abstract

This article seeks to study whether caseworkers and community social workers subscribe to similar social work values, such as promoting social change and social justice, by comparing the social and professional ideologies of 123 caseworkers and 113 community social workers in Israel. The findings reveal that the community social workers consistently showed a greater social orientation than the caseworkers. They were more inclined than the caseworkers to believe that the government is responsible for social provision and to support universal benefits. They were less inclined to believe that the welfare state has negative effects on its recipients and placed more emphasis on the social-structural causes of poverty. They attributed greater importance than the caseworkers to the goal of promoting social justice and were more inclined to believe that social workers should engage in community development and policy practice. However, alongside the differences, members of both groups attributed importance to social justice and government responsibility for welfare, and favoured social-structural explanations of poverty.