Evaluating Child-Custody Recommendations of Israeli Arab Social Workers

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate Israeli Arab social workers' custody recommendations, given the unique cultural context in which they operate. Methods: The current study used an experimental-design embedded within a survey. Data regarding custody recommendations were collected from 137 Israeli Arab social workers. Results: Israeli Arab social workers tend to adhere to traditional norms and prefer mother's custody (odds ratio [OR] ¼ 3.74; effect size [ES] ¼ 0.73) over father's (OR ¼ 0.05; ES ¼ À1.65) and joint custody (OR ¼ 0.19; ES ¼ À0.91). Contrary to the hypothesis, males were not associated with father's custody, but female gender increased the chances for mother's custody (OR ¼ 1.27; ES ¼ 0.13). Parents' education level increased the chances for joint-custody recommendation (OR ¼ 1.69; ES ¼ 0.29). Conclusion: Traditional social norms have an impact on the social worker's decision. The relationships between social workers' decision-making processes and their perception societal expectations and norms can be viewed from the perspectives of tacit knowledge, worker's reflexivity, and evidence-based practice. We emphasize the importance of developing and assimilating relevant organizational mechanisms, supervision, and teaching curricula.

Between Professional Norms and Professionalism: Risk Assessment and Decision-Making of Arab Social Workers Regarding Children at Risk

“…Hence, it emerges that social workers who defined themselves as religious, conservative, and/or collectivistic recommended out-of-home placements for children at high risk, despite the contradiction with accepted cultural perceptions in Arab society. This contrasts findings of a previous study on custodial arrangements in divorce in which cultural perceptions were found to influence the social worker's decision (Enosh et al, 2016). Although in both cases, the social worker's decision involves interpretations and perceptions based on cultural values including commitment to preserving children's relationships with their families, communities, and culture, in high-risk cases, there seems to be a cross-cultural consensus regarding the need to exercise only professional considerations to protect and prevent harm to children.…”

“…In terms of education, 75.5% were at the BA in social work level, 24.5% had achieved an MA in social work degree or were studying toward it. This distribution of personal and professional characteristics is similar to the distribution of personal and professional characteristics of social workers in other similar surveys, regardless of religious affinity or ethnicity (e.g., Enosh, Nouman, & Anabtawi, 2016;Nouman et al, 2016). In terms of religious affiliation, 68% were Muslims, 26% were Christians, and 6% were Druze; 77% defined themselves as religious or traditional and 57% defined themselves as conservative (rather than liberal).…”

“…Determining levels of risk and developing a preference regarding professional intervention are the processes of decision-making. Given the traditional collectivist norms that characterize Arab society in Israel, one would expect that to the degree that Arab social workers are more affiliated with their tradition, their professional decision-making would be biased toward traditional norms (Enosh et al, 2016;Haj-Yehia, 2000;Zoabi & Savaya, 2017) rather than determined by rationalprofessional considerations. The study examined the effects of three experimentally manipulated variables (child's gender, improvement, and family collaboration), as well as the role of personal, cultural, and professional characteristics of the social workers on decision-making.…”

“…In terms of religious affiliation, 68% were Muslims, 26% were Christians, and 6% were Druze; 77% defined themselves as religious or traditional and 57% defined themselves as conservative (rather than liberal). In terms of religion within the Arab sector, the percentages of religious affinity and levels of religiousness are representative of the general population, as described in other similar studies (e.g., Enosh et al, 2016;Zoabi & Savaya, 2017). There is no known survey of religious distribution among Arab social workers in Israel, but there is no reason to believe it is different the distribution among the general Arab population in Israel.…”

Child’s Religiosity, Ethnic Origin, and Gender: A Randomized Experimental Examination of Risk Assessment and Placement Decisions in Cases of Ambiguous Risk to Children From Low SES Families

“…However, in cases of great ambiguity regarding the facts or applicable criteria, the social worker will be inclined to use heuristic (intuitive) methods to reach a decision. As a result, decisions in cases of great uncertainty might be sensitive to heuristics and personal biases such as cultural and professional differences or organizational culture and might lead to bias in professional considerations (e.g., Enosh & Bayer-Topilsky, 2014;Enosh, Nouman, & Anabtawi, 2016;Nouman, Enosh, & Niselbaum-Atzur, 2016).…”