Value Profiles and Perceived Job Performance of Social Workers in Israel

Abstract

AbstractValues play a crucial role in the credo of social work. Recent definitions of the profession delineate the values that should guide social work worldwide. At the same time, social workers’ employment patterns and changes in the traditional welfare state have resulted in fragmentations in the profession, highlighting the importance of shared professional values. This study is the first to examine value profiles endorsed by social workers, as well as the association between such profiles and social workers’ perceived job performance. Participants in the study were 519 social workers, working in various organizations and with diverse populations in Israel. Its findings delineate three value profiles identified among our sample—growth-focused, social-focused and growth-self-focused. Differences between social workers endorsing each profile were found in terms of workers’ perceived job performance and perceived job-related abilities. These findings are discussed with relation to their unique contribution to what is known about values supported by social workers, as well as concerning the relationship between these values and social workers’ job-related functioning in the context of the social work profession and social services in Israel.