Social workers and refugee service users (re)constructing their relationships in a hostile political climate

Abstract

Summary This article explores the relationship between social workers and adult Eritrean refugee service users in the context of a hostile political climate and restrictive state policies. It examines the implications of politics and policies on the formation of this relationship based on findings from a qualitative study conducted in Israel and Germany. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 38 participants – 16 Eritrean refugees and 22 social workers who work with refugees. Findings Despite different political, social and organizational contexts, especially in the asylum policies towards Eritrean refugees, our thematic analysis yielded two main themes common to both countries: First, changing relationship structures, in particular moving away from a ‘traditional’ conceptualization of the social work relationship towards ‘informal’ practices. These included modifications of the setting, of professional boundaries and of the therapeutic language. Second, shifting power relations, characterized by a friend-like dynamic, which enabled more egalitarian relations, and a parent–child dynamic, which included increased power imbalances and dependency. Implications An increased understanding of the role of restrictive policies, everyday racism and exclusionary political discourse in the reconstruction of the user-worker relationship dynamics could inform social work education and practice. Beyond the refugee arena, establishing informal relationship structures could help to reduce power differentials, increase trust-building and improve therapeutic outcomes with refugees and other service users. The possible risks of informal relations, such as misunderstandings or worker burnout, are also discussed.

Between Crisis and Opportunity: Eritrean Refugee Men in Israel Negotiating Masculinity

“…As described earlier, Israel’s temporary protection mechanism restricts Eritreans to an enforced and extended “permanent temporariness.” Eritrean refugees live with constantly evolving restrictions, without access to formal integration mechanisms and with almost no social rights (Birger and Nadan 2021). Holding a “conditional” visa creates a “conditional identity,” as Issac succinctly put it: “In Israel we are conditional.” Kidane described this state as a “limbo”: “We are living in limbo, we are not stable, we get blown with every wind that comes…we can’t even think like in a calm way…we can’t think of what comes next.”…”

“…As described earlier, Israel's temporary protection mechanism restricts Eritreans to an enforced and extended "permanent temporariness." Eritrean refugees live with constantly evolving restrictions, without access to formal integration mechanisms and with almost no social rights (Birger and Nadan 2021). Holding a "conditional" visa creates a "conditional identity," as Issac succinctly put it: "In Israel we are conditional."…”

Evaluation of Services Provided by Non-Governmental Organizations to Syrian Women in Turkey in the Context of the Social Work Intervention Process: A Case Study

“…It was seen that the service providers who worked with Ş.Y. adopted both the empowerment approach (Saleebey, 1996) and the approach of the feminist theory that focused on women's strengths and considered them as active subjects (Dominelli, 2017) and developed closer, informal, friendly, and egalitarian relationships with them (Birger & Nadan, 2022). The fact that service providers in NGOs are predominantly from social work professions, have experience in the field of migration, and have a political stance that defends gender equality is assumed to be decisive.…”

‘Here, parents become nothing’: ‘Unparenting’ in Israel's policies toward Eritrean refugees

“…Second, since social workers play an important role in addressing parental coping and strengths on an individual level, social workers can question user‐worker power imbalances and strive for egalitarian relations. On this basis, they can form close informal relationships with children and families, thus counteracting the politics of ‘bordering’, which attempts to keep refugees outside both the physical and symbolic realms of society (Birger & Nadan, 2022). Practice should include ‘stepping outside the therapy room’ and accompanying and advocating for refugees before municipal and governmental services.…”