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

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.