Workers In Israel Research Articles

Social workers’ views on neglect of people with disabilities: From perspectives to practices

Summary This research explores the neglect of people with disabilities from the perspective of social workers in Israel, delving into the key issues and dilemmas surrounding their treatment. A qualitative approach was employed for this research. The study involved 40 social workers, with 25 completing an online qualitative survey and 15 participating in in-depth interviews. Thematic analysis was used to identify major themes related to the studied issue. Findings The research identified three major themes. The first theme focuses on social workers’ perspectives on neglect of people with disabilities. The second theme explores challenges in social workers’ coping with the phenomenon of neglect of people with disabilities. The third theme delves into factors impeding treatment in cases of neglect of people with disabilities. Applications The neglect of people with disabilities constitutes a serious social problem that demands changes in policy and practice. Consequently, there is a pressing need to establish a clear definition of neglect, implement a national protocol for addressing the phenomenon, enhance the training of social workers, and bolster supervision and control to improve the response to neglect experienced by people with disabilities.

Between Choice and Coercion? The Processes of Increased Economic Vulnerability Among Low-Income Older Workers

ABSTRACT The social phenomenon of extended working age has been subject to broad scholarly and social policy interest, as part of such trends as the aging of the population, increased life expectancy, shortage of the labor force, and policy debates on pension reforms. A major question about extending working age, or working after retirement, is whether it is a matter of choice, taking control of one’s later life, or is coerced, part of entering the precariat. This study provides a nuanced examination of the social processes that direct labor market participation among older workers by conducting an analysis of in-depth interviews with 42 low-income older workers in Israel. The study exposed several institutional constraints that increase their economic vulnerability, demonstrating how interrelated structural factors related to the labor market, gender, and immigration shape the precarity of the life of older workers and coerce their continuous labor market participation. We conclude by emphasizing the responsibility of governments to ensure that older workers’ labor market participation truly represents their “choice and control,” rather than being a matter of coercion.

Between Marketization and Demarketization: Reconfiguration of the Migration Industry in the Agricultural Sector in Israel

This paper focuses on the consequences of the implementation of a bilateral agreement between Israel and Thailand for migrant workers in the agricultural sector. Its purpose is to shed light on the key mechanisms of the transition from the marketization to demarketization of recruiting migrant workers, and to show how this transition affects the forms of labor recruitment and its consequences for the labor migrants. The study is based on three face-to-face surveys conducted among 180 agricultural workers from Thailand. Fifty-five were surveyed in 2011 before the implementation of the bilateral agreement, and 125 were interviewed after the agreement was implemented. Relying on a “before” and “after design, we first highlight the ways in which the private recruitment industry operated in Israel in the context of a state-sponsored temporary labor migration program, identifying the actors involved in the process and explaining how they profited from the labor recruitment. Second, we shed light on the importance of bilateral agreements in eliminating illicit practices for recruiting foreign workers in Israel and its practical consequences for the Thai migrants arriving under the new arrangement. We discuss our findings in light of the theories presented in the paper.

The struggles of Arab social workers in Israel: professional success among minority group social workers

ABSTRACT The article investigates the scope, motivations, considerations for, and implications of minority group social workers’ professional success. Data was collected with primary and secondary documents and in-depth semi-structured interviews with 21 Arab welfare bureaus managers in Israel. The message of “success” has almost disappeared from the relevant formal institutions. One nonprofit organization provides a role model of “learning from successes” for Arab social workers, focusing on multi-disciplinary projects. All the Arab bureaus consciously encourage the success of intervention projects acting out of four main motivations: cost-benefit considerations, publicity, covert challenge to the establishment and coping with internal and external challenges.

Explaining Psychological Distress among Men in the Helping Professions: A Serial Mediation Model

ABSTRACT Men in the helping professions face many challenges, including stressors related to the nature of the work itself and work environments typically considered “feminine”, which may be related to psychological distress. The current study used a serial-parallel mediation model to explore whether selected work-related indices are associated with psychological distress among men in the helping professions. Specifically, the model examined the role of self-reported empathy (the ability to feel or act empathetically towards clients), self-efficacy, and job satisfaction, in the association between burnout and psychological distress. Structured questionnaires were administered to a sample of 343 male nurses and social workers in Israel. The results indicated a significant mediating effect of empathy in the relationship between self-defined burnout and psychological distress. Additionally, a mediating effect of self-efficacy was detected in the association between self-defined burnout and psychological distress. Furthermore, a significant indirect effect of self-defined burnout on psychological distress was sequentially mediated by self-efficacy and job satisfaction. These results are highly relevant for reducing psychological distress among men in the helping professions, considering their specific needs and characteristics. IMPLICATIONS A serial-parallel mediation model can help examine the role of empathy, self-efficacy, and job satisfaction in the association between burnout and psychological distress among men in the helping professions. Raising awareness of the challenges men face when working in the helping professions and of barriers to their own help-seeking may help reduce the consequences of burnout among this population, locally and internationally.

When the outside penetrates the inside: the relationship between Palestinian Israeli and Jewish Israeli social workers in mixed cities during the events of May 2021

ABSTRACT The violent national events that occurred in Israel in May 2021 heightened the sense of anxiety and insecurity for Palestinian and Jewish citizens alike, particularly in mixed cities. This study examines the dynamics, emotions, and perceptions of Palestinian-Israeli and Jewish-Israeli social workers in mixed cities against the backdrop of these events. The study included in-depth interviews with 25 Palestinian-Israeli and Jewish-Israeli social workers in welfare departments in six mixed cities in Israel. The analysis was encoded inductively, informed by the principles of content analysis. Two themes emerged: (1) overt and hidden conflicts between social workers of both nationalities; and (2) challenges to cooperation against the background of the conflict. The research findings enable a deep and broad understanding of the complexity of the personal, national, and professional identities of Palestinian-Israeli and Jewish-Israeli social workers in Israel, reflected in their relationships with colleagues of the other nationality. Raising awareness of these aspects will facilitate developing appropriate tools for intervention programs and a direct and sensitive reference to these issues within the curricula of social work schools in Israel.

‘We Taught You How to Teach Us’: An Autoethnography of Decolonising of Social Work Education in a Programme for Bedouin-Arab Social Workers in Israel

Abstract The need to decolonise social work education has become prominent in curricula developed over the past years. The curriculum in social work schools defines and shapes ways of knowing largely in terms of privileged Western knowledge. It is therefore necessary to change it and adopt pedagogical approaches more suitable for populations from different cultures. This article presents a study on a dedicated training programme for Bedouin-Arab social workers in Israel. Its pedagogies are informed by decolonised and culturally adapted social work education. This qualitative study was conducted in a teacher-researcher reflexive autoethnography approach, based on documentation of thirty-six lessons and reflections by the programme lecturers and on a thematic analysis of their experiences as social work educators. The findings present several pedagogies in terms of ‘bridge’: the pedagogic, the cultural sensitivity, the theory–practice and the safe space bridge. These expand the knowledge base in social work education beyond Western knowledge, demonstrating how knowledge practices unique to different cultures and identities may be adopted and adapted within it. Based on these findings, it is suggested to transform and enrich social work education by decolonising it to include new knowledge from diverse populations.

The Meaning of Power for Female Arab Social Workers under the Youth Law

Abstract Israel’s Youth Law (Care and Supervision), 1960 grants social workers power, authority and responsibility to intervene to protect minors at risk. But female social workers in Israel’s Arab population function in a traditional society in which women’s power is often labelled as negative and unfeminine, and power is primarily seen as indicating masculinity. Moreover, the law is perceived as symbolising the Israeli establishment, which the Arab population has experienced as ignoring its substantive problems, such as violence and crime. In this context, a qualitative study using a semi-structured interview was conducted among twenty female Arab social workers employed in Israeli welfare bureaus under the above-mentioned Youth Law, in an attempt to understand the meaning of power for them. The analysis of the findings revealed that some participants used different terminology from the others in describing the power granted them by the law and that this terminology affected how they fulfilled their role, the relation between them and the population they served and their relations with the service users.

Immunogenicity of Co-Administered Omicron BA.4/BA.5 Bivalent COVID-19 and Quadrivalent Seasonal Influenza Vaccines in Israel during the 2022-2023 Winter Season.

Vaccination against COVID-19 and influenza provides the best defense against morbidity and mortality. Administering both vaccines concurrently may increase vaccination rates and reduce the burden on the healthcare system. This study evaluated the immunogenicity of healthcare workers in Israel who were co-administered with the Omicron BA.4/BA.5 bivalent COVID-19 vaccine and the 2022-2023 quadrivalent influenza vaccine. SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody titers were measured via microneutralization while influenza antibody titers were measured via hemagglutination inhibition. No immunogenic interference was observed by either vaccine when co-administered. Antibody titers against SARS-CoV-2 variants increased significantly in the cohort receiving the COVID-19 vaccine alone and in combination with the influenza vaccine. Antibody titers against the A/H1N1 influenza strain increased significantly in the cohort receiving the influenza vaccine alone and in combination with the COVID-19 vaccine. Antibody titers against B/Victoria increased significantly in the cohort that received both vaccines. This study has important public health implications for the 2023-2024 winter season, and supports co-administration of both vaccines as a viable immunization strategy.

Addressing the Ongoing Effects of the Nakba: Experiences and Challenges that Israel’s Arab Social Workers Face

Abstract The Nakba (‘catastrophe’ in Arabic) began in 1948 with the displacement and dispossession of many Palestinians, leaving a lasting impact on Palestinian society and individual identity. To this day Palestinian social workers must address the difficulties of Palestinians deriving from the Nakba whilst they themselves contend with its ramifications. This descriptive qualitative study, conducted in 2021 using in-depth semi-structured interviews, explored the personal experiences of eighteen Palestinian Arab social workers in Israel who are members of the third generation of the Nakba. Four main themes emerged from the data analysis: ongoing pain, the struggle for justice, the comparison of the Nakba to the Holocaust and perseverance following trauma. However, participants from financially and socially established families in villages whose inhabitants were not displaced reported experiencing growth and resilience. The recommendations include creating safe spaces for Israel’s Arab social workers, where their perspectives can be heard and valued; action by national and international social work organisations to help repeal Israel’s Nakba Law, which seeks to suppress discussion of the Nakba; and inclusion of the Nakba and its consequences in social work curricula. The findings are relevant to social workers in silenced minorities worldwide.

Child placement in the community: Socio‐religious challenges for Druze social workers in Israel

AbstractThis article features insights from 15 Druze social workers in Israel regarding their experiences dealing with out‐of‐home placement for Druze children. The study reveals the distinct challenges faced by social workers in bridging professional and socio‐religious values and the caution with which they navigate a complex reality and strive to provide culturally appropriate interventions while facing limitations on their freedom of action. Socio‐religious characteristics of the Druze influence the interventions of social workers including the restriction on adoption and limited interaction between divorced partners. The process of removing a child from their home can be complex and challenging. This is often due to concerns regarding stigma and the strong desire within closely knit communities to preserve the family name and reputation. Moreover, most Druze social workers reside in Druze villages which can blur the line between personal and professional boundaries. This article underscores the importance of hearing the voices of minority therapists in order to promote culturally competent interventions in social work within the community.

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

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.

Factors Associated With Protection From SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Infection and Disease Among Vaccinated Health Care Workers in Israel

A correlation between antibody levels and risk of infection has been demonstrated for the wild-type, Alpha, and Delta SARS-COV-2 variants. High rates of breakthrough infections by the Omicron variant emphasized the need to investigate whether the humoral response elicited by mRNA vaccines is also associated with reduced risk of Omicron infection and disease. To investigate whether the high antibody levels in individuals who have received at least 3 doses of an mRNA vaccine are associated with reduced risk of Omicron infection and disease. This prospective cohort study used serial real time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and serological test data from January and May 2022 to assess the association of preinfection immunoglobin G (IgG) and neutralizing antibody titers with incidence of Omicron variant infection, incidence of symptomatic disease, and infectivity. Participants included health care workers who had received 3 or 4 doses of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Data were analyzed from May to August 2022. Levels of SARS-CoV-2 anti-receptor binding domain IgG and neutralizing antibodies. The main outcomes were incidence of Omicron infection, incidence of symptomatic disease, and infectivity. Outcomes were measured using SARS-COV-2 PCR and antigen testing and daily online surveys regarding symptomatic disease. This study included 3 cohorts for 3 different analyses: 2310 participants were included in the protection from infection analysis (4689 exposure events; median [IQR] age, 50 [40-60] years; 3590 [76.6%] among female health care workers), 667 participants (median [IQR] age, 46.28 (37.44,54.8); 516 [77.4%] female) in the symptomatic disease analysis, and 532 participants (median [IQR] age, 48 [39-56] years; 403 [75.8%] female) in the infectivity analysis. Lower odds of infection were observed for each 10-fold increase in preinfection IgG (odds ratio [OR], 0.71; 95% CI, 0.56-0.90) and for each 2-fold increase in neutralizing antibody titers (OR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.83-0.95). The odds of substantial symptomatic disease were reduced for each 10-fold increase in IgG levels (OR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.29-0.78) and for each 2-fold increase in neutralizing antibodies levels (OR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.76-0.96). Infectivity, assessed by mean cycle threshold value, was not significantly decreased with increasing IgG or neutralizing antibodies titers. In this cohort study of vaccinated health care workers, IgG and neutralizing antibody titer levels were associated with protection against infection with the Omicron variant and against symptomatic disease.

The rate of occupational noise-induced hearing loss among male workers in Israel and implication on hearing surveillance frequency.

To investigate the annual rate of NIHL in Israel, a modern economy with relatively low industrial hazardous noise exposure. To review international protocols of hearing surveillance. To recommend an effective, efficient, hearing screening frequency protocol. A historical cohort study was conducted. Audiometric surveillance data from the Jerusalem occupational medicine registry of male employees in various industries from 2006 to 2017 were used. Mean individual annual threshold shifts simulating 1-8 checkup interval years were calculated. Joinpoint regression analysis was used to assess the interval in which the slope of the calculated ATS variability moderates significantly. A total of 263 noise-exposed workers and 93 workers in the comparison group produced 1913 audiograms for analysis. Among the noise-exposed workers, using the 1-4kHz average, threshold shifts stabilized from 3years onwards at around 1dB per year in all age groups and 0.83dB in the stratum younger than 50years. No enhanced decline was detected in the first years of exposure. Although most countries conduct annual hearing surveillance, hearing threshold shifts of noise-exposed workers become more accurate and show less variability when calculated at 3-year checkup intervals onwards than shorter intervals. Since margins of errors of the test method are much larger than the annual shift found, screening schedule that enables each subsequent test to identify a real deterioration in hearing is necessary. Triennial audiometric screening would be a better surveillance frequency for noise-exposed workers younger than 50years of age in the category of 85-95 dBLAeq,8h without other known risk factors.

Between emotion and occupation: employment promoting practice from social workers’ perspective

ABSTRACT Recent years have seen growing research interest in and application of the social work subfield of employment promotion practices (EPPs), designed to help populations coping with poverty and unemployment to integrate in the labour market. The aim of this study was to identify and conceptualise professional EPP in social work. Data were collected using in-depth semi-structured interviews with sixteen EPP social workers in Israel, who offered direct, practice-oriented knowledge regarding these practices. The results indicated that despite differences between employing agencies, three common themes could be identified as characterising this subfield. First, the content of professional interventions, including an inherent dilemma between emotional therapy and task-oriented occupational interventions. Second, intervention processes, including five main stages: occupational intake, setting occupational objectives, dealing with obstacles and skills improvement, work placement, and on-the-job supervision. Third, the results showed that EPP social workers focused mainly on casework and individual counselling, to the neglect of macro practices aiming to change unjust labour policies. The findings enable conceptualisation of the EPP social worker’s practices and contribute to the developing body of knowledge in this emerging subfield. Implications for further professional development and policy are presented and discussed.

Attitudes of Healthcare Workers in Israel towards the Fourth Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine.

Attitudes of healthcare workers (HCWs) toward vaccines are extremely important for increasing vaccination coverage. We conducted a cross-sectional study at the beginning of the fourth COVID-19 vaccination dose campaign among 124 HCWs to evaluate attitudes towards the fourth dose and willingness to get vaccinated. At that time, Israel was the first country to approve the fourth vaccine dose. Most women were unwilling to get the fourth vaccine dose compared to men; 53.9% of physicians were unwilling to get vaccinated compared to 83.3% of nurses and 69% of other HCWs professions. The most frequent concerns regarding the vaccine were its efficacy, benefit, and necessity. The perceived risk and perceived severity of the health risk involved with getting vaccinated with the fourth dose were higher among HCWs who stated that they would not get vaccinated compared to those who were vaccinated or intended to get vaccinated. In contrast, HCWs who were vaccinated with the fourth dose, or those who were planning to get vaccinated, gave higher scores to the perceived benefit of the booster, its advantages, its perceived safety, its ability to protect from severe illness, and the perceived extent of scientific information about the risk associated with the booster. A logistic regression model revealed that perception of the fourth dose's benefits and risk significantly predict the willingness of HCWs to get vaccinated. Willingness to vaccinate their own children, acceptance of a hypothetical annual booster vaccine, and having less severe adverse effects after prior vaccination were also associated with willingness to get the fourth dose. These findings could help policy makers in developing strategies to expand the acceptance and coverage of the COVID-19 booster doses.

‘The Sane Voice in an Insane Situation’ the Perspective of Arab Social Workers Regarding the Palestinian–Israeli Conflict

Abstract Israel’s Arabs are citizens, but they are an ethnic minority and a national minority (Palestinians) in a Jewish-majority state. The decades-long Palestinian–Israeli conflict has erupted in recent years in violent outbursts between Arab and Jewish citizens. April–May 2021 saw severe violence against individuals and businesses on both sides and damage to holy sites. In this context, a qualitative study using in-depth interviews was conducted amongst 15 Arab social workers in Israel (mean age 45, mean experience twenty years), to examine their perspective regarding the Palestinian–Israeli conflict, particularly the April–May civil dispute. The findings revealed that the social workers wanted to be involved as leaders. The findings also revealed the bind in which they find themselves, caught between local government and the committee that represents the country’s Arab citizens, between the demands of the community and the demands of the employer and between their personal values and their professional values. The study makes a theoretical contribution by addressing the need to create a safe space in the workplace so that social workers can discuss the conflict and its ramifications for them. The study may also contribute to the training of social workers and providing a safe space for another narrative.

Regrets among social workers in welfare bureaus: different types and coping mechanisms

ABSTRACT The article describes the types and strategies for dealing with professional regrets experienced by social workers. It draws data from semi-structured in-depth interviews with 21 Arab welfare bureaus social workers in Israel. Two types of professional regrets were identified: most interviewees expressed their regrets concerning non-intervention in general or not taking necessary steps for the client’s benefit. A few interviewees expressed regret concerning partially or completely failed interventions, or expressed suspicion or denial that there had been a failure. Five coping mechanisms for regrets were identified. Two extremes (succumbing versus release) to cope with regrets concerning not doing something and three (recognition of failure as a systemic rather than an individual product, an attempt to amend the mistakes in the present and sufficing with learning for the future) to cope with regrets concerning actual doing. Participants’ anecdotes reflected the uniqueness of this case study of social workers’ regrets, reinforcing conclusions of the sparse extant literature calling for openness and sensitivity concerning the specific context of the experience of professional regrets. The article increases awareness concerning this issue indicating that social work needs to re-define professional regret as an opportunity, not a challenge, in research, training and practice.

“A breath of fresh air”: mindfulness training for early-career mental health social workers in Israel during COVID-19

ABSTRACT The present study examined the effectiveness of participation in a mindfulness group for Israeli early career social workers during the COVID-19 period. Eleven participants conducting fieldwork in a mental health rehabilitation center were interviewed. The participants described a variety of benefits from their mindfulness training, in three main areas: (1) Personal: applying mindfulness in their daily life; (2) Family: improved work-life balance and family relationships; and (3) Professional: applying mindfulness in their work with mental health clients. Mental support and self-care tools provided to early-career social workers were perceived by the participants as helping them overcome uncertainty, fatigue, and overwork.

"No matter what, I will not give up": Community practice on the front lines of COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has required frontline health care workers to cope with an unexpected and almost unprecedented emergency situation. Community social workers had played a crucial role during the pandemic, working to alleviate its adverse effects on marginalized communities. The present study investigated community social workers' experiences and hardships in coping with the "age of COVID-19." Drawing on in-depth interviews with 30 frontline community social workers in Israel, the findings highlighted three main themes: (a) the hope for recognition and the reality of underutilization; (b) the impact of the dysfunctional state on community social workers; and (c) realizing the core values and activities of community social work practice during the pandemic. Findings pointed to community social workers' professionalism and integrity despite the hardships they endured at the local and national levels. Committing on an altruistic level seemed to be an adaptive coping style, alongside facing "the politics of pandemics." Implications for community practice are outlined. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).