Social workers’ policy practice in Israel: internal, indirect, informal and role contingent

Weiss‐Gal, Idit; Gal, John; Meital, Schwartz-Tayri, Talia; Gewirtz‐Meydan, Ateret; Sommerfeld, Daphna

doi:10.1080/13691457.2018.1499614

Cited by 27 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…On the practical level, the findings of this study can get in-depth understanding with the findings of a previous study that refer to the complexity of engaging in policy practice (Weiss-Gal et al 2020). The study findings show that although social workers engage in policy, this engagement is rather limited.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 55%

Policy Practice Is Important But…Voices of Social Service Departments Directors

Makaros

Baum

Levy

2020

J of Pol Practice & Research

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The purpose of this study is to enhance knowledge about the involvement of social workers in policy practice at social service departments in Israel from the perspective of department directors, as well as to identify the driving and restraining forces for involvement in policy practice. The research is based on a qualitative method. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 13 social service departments' directors. The duration of the interviews was from about 60 to 90 min each. The investigators identified differences in the extent social workers engage in policy practice. Most of the directors indicated that policy practice is a major part of the job of social workers, but there were also those who believed that policy practice is not part of the profession at all. About half of the directors believed that social workers should engage in policy practice, whereas half believed it is the sole domain of the directors. The findings also show that despite the importance they attributed to policy practice, the directors gave three main explanations why it cannot be done: the sensitivity of local politics; the social workers' workload and lack of time to deal with policy practice; and the social workers' lack of knowledge and skills for such engagement. The study findings shed light on the complexity of social workers' involvement in policy practice in social service departments in Israel and indicate potential directions for promoting this issue.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 55%

Policy Practice Is Important But…Voices of Social Service Departments Directors

Makaros

Baum

Levy

2020

J of Pol Practice & Research

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“…Of these variables, RNs' administrative position, perceived policy skills, and perceived organizational support for policy involvement contributed the most to on‐the‐job policy involvement. These variables were also significant in previous studies that examined on‐the‐job policy involvement among frontline social workers in general hospitals in Israel (Weiss‐Gal, Gal, Schwartz‐Tayri, Gewirtz‐Meydan, & Sommerfeld, 2020), and the policy advocacy of nurses, social workers and medical residents employed in acute‐care hospitals in Los Angeles (Jansson et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictors of hospital‐based registered nurses' engagement in on‐the‐job policy activities

Yosef

Weiss‐Gal

Kagan

2020

Research in Nursing & Health

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Nurses have been urged to participate in public policy‐formulation processes as an integral part of their professional role through collective and personal policy activities. However, there is only limited empirical data on this participation. This cross‐sectional study examined the level and the predictors of the personal policy activities of 200 Israeli hospital‐based registered nurses undertaken in their work setting and aimed at furthering hospital, local or national policies. The nurses completed questionnaires that examined policy activities, policy skills, political interest, political efficacy, political and professional network involvement, and organizational support for policy activities. The overall engagement of nurses in on‐the‐job policy activities was limited and focused primarily on their immediate surroundings, their departments and their hospitals, and much less on local or national policies. The most common policy activities were internal and indirect and included receiving feedback from patients to improve nursing care policy and calling colleagues' attention to policy issues. Positive significant correlations emerged between motivational and organizational factors and personal policy activities, and these contributed 55% to the explained variance. The findings enhance the relevance of integrating motivational and organizational factors in understanding the policy activity of nurses. As such, increasing personal involvement of hospital nurses in policy formulation processes requires professional training that seeks to improve nurses' policy skills, to enhance their political interest and efficacy, and to encourage their involvement in political and professional networks. In addition, hospitals need to cultivate an organizational culture that supports personal policy activities by nurses.

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“…Although the number of asylum seekers entering Israel grew rapidly since 2007, and despite new needs for social work interventions, Israeli social work schools offered few courses focusing on asylum seekers (Tartakovsky and Walsh, 2016). The lack of preparation may reflect the fact that implementation of the human rights approach to social work and policy practice in Israel was still in its infancy, and it was limited in scope (Weiss-Gal and Gal, 2008;Nuttman-Shwartz and Ranz, 2017;Weiss-Gal et al, 2018). This also reflects a more general gap between repeated statements about the significance of human rights for the social work profession on the one hand and the professional reality on the other, in which the actual scope of social workers who implement policy practice and advocacy is limited (Kwong-Kam, 2012;Hawkins and Knox, 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, the fact that many, if not most, of Israel's social workers involved in working with the community of asylum seekers are employed directly either by the government or by specialised municipal services may also explain the limited, needs-based, focus of their activities. In that connection, a recent study revealed that the organisational context in which Israeli social workers operate is a significant factor influencing their level of willingness to engage in policy practice (Weiss-Gal et al, 2018). The adoption of a traditional needsbased paradigm and caring for urgent needs is not enough to secure the basic human rights of asylum seekers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Asylum Seekers in Israel: Challenges to Social Work

Nuttman‐Shwartz

Levanon

2019

The British Journal of Social Work

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The challenges facing social workers in addressing the migration crisis are myriad and complex. Against this background, the current article presents a case study on the response of Israeli social work to the asylum seekers, which allows us to identify gaps between the social work profession’s global agenda and its implementation. The article examines how recent immigration policies have impacted Israeli social workers’ responses to these challenges. Following a brief description of Israel’s policies for controlling and limiting the entrance of asylum seekers to the country, the article offers insights into social workers’ involvement in some of the main social services that aim to assist asylum seekers in Israel. Insights are also offered into the response of Israeli social workers to the community of asylum seekers, which focuses on individual needs and on urgent needs. Several explanations for these emphases was offers, noting that they may reflect a more general gap between repeated statements about the significance of human rights for the social work profession on the one hand and the professional reality on the other. Finally, several strategies for social work in the community of asylum seekers and in society as a whole are recommended.

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Social workers’ policy practice in Israel: internal, indirect, informal and role contingent

Cited by 27 publications

References 48 publications

Policy Practice Is Important But…Voices of Social Service Departments Directors

Policy Practice Is Important But…Voices of Social Service Departments Directors

Predictors of hospital‐based registered nurses' engagement in on‐the‐job policy activities

Asylum Seekers in Israel: Challenges to Social Work

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