Conflicting experiences and identity development of Arab novice social workers in the stage of entering social welfare offices in Israel

Abstract

ABSTRACT The entry into professional life is a critical stage in the professional identity development of social workers; it is a particularly sensitive milestone for Arab novice social workers in Israel. Novice social workers must deal with the gap between the universal, predominantly individualistic social work approaches taught in Israeli educational establishments, and the collectivistic values, which they encounter in social work practice within the Arab community. In addition, they encounter the practical and culturally-sensitive knowledge of experienced social workers in welfare offices in Israel. This gap is intensified due to novice workers’ unresolved identity conflict as members of an indigenous minority, experienced during and since their academic socialization. Despite these critical issues, the challenge has rarely received scholarly attention. This article presents findings from a qualitative study that has examined the conflicting experiences of Arab novice social workers Vis-à-vis their professional identity development and incorporation into Israeli welfare bureaus. It is based on thirty in-depth retrospective interviews with Arab social workers with at least ten years of experience in the field of family and child welfare. Findings are analyzed from a critical multicultural perspective on social work. They show that integration of Arab novice social workers into the Israeli welfare offices is characterized by ongoing tensions and inner conflicts. Findings raise awareness of the need to implement critical multicultural programs in social work education which emphasize cultural sensitivity in order to support Arab novice social worker’s professional identity formation and incorporation into social work practice in the Israeli welfare bureaus.