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The Israeli Child Protection System

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National Systems of Child Protection

Part of the book series: Child Maltreatment ((MALT,volume 8))

Abstract

The current chapter comprises the first-time inclusion of Israel’s child protection system in a comparative survey of such systems worldwide. Following the introduction, the chapter describes the historical development of social services and child protection in Israel, relevant governmental commissions, and the prevention-oriented ‘360 Degrees – Israeli National Program for Children and Youth at Risk’. The child protection legislative framework for child maltreatment, including the ‘Youth (Care and Supervision) Law’, and the ‘Mandatory Reporting Law’ are additional topics addressed herein. Likewise reviewed are the topics of substantiations and responses, ‘Planning, Intervention and Evaluation Committees’, out-of-home placements and adoption. A critical overview highlighting current pressing challenges facing the system culminates the chapter; followed by a conclusions section comprising a summary and recommendations.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See Davidov, Sigad, Lev-Wiesel and Eisikovits (Davidov et al. 2017) for an overview of the four key occupational groups involved in child maltreatment work in Israel (i.e., mental health professionals, law enforcement agents, medical personnel and educators).

  2. 2.

    See Ben-Arieh and Kimhi (2007) for a review of additional social service laws and children’s rights relevant to this chapter.

  3. 3.

    For added reading, see: (1) Shapira (2010) and Tzimerman et al. (2010), on policy and practice controversies concerning the Israeli mandatory reporting legislation; (2) Shmueli (2010), on Jewish law and Israeli law pertaining to the Israeli mandatory reporting system; (3) English et al. (2015), on the need to pay more attention to emotional maltreatment in child welfare; and (4) Goldstein and Laor (2007), on intercultural aspects relating to the obligation to report, as referring to immigrants from the former Soviet Union, Ethiopia, and the Israeli Jewish Ultra-Orthodox and Arab societies.

  4. 4.

    Further related studies focusing on decision-making in child protection in Israel include Benbenishty et al. (2015), Davidson-Arad and Benbenishty (2010), Enosh and Bayer-Topilsky (2014), and Levin et al. (2016).

  5. 5.

    The topic of partial privatization and its effects on child protective out-of-home services is not reviewed herein due to space limitations (e.g., Sorek et al. 2014).

  6. 6.

    For a relevant analysis of the challenges in implementing Article 12 of the ‘United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child’ (United Nations 1989) in child protection decision-making social work practice; as well as recommended practical solutions, see McCafferty (2017).

  7. 7.

    For additional related findings see Jones et al. (2012) and Taylor et al. (2016).

  8. 8.

    See Schmid and Benbenishty (2011) who focus on the implications for policy of public attitudes toward child maltreatment in Israel.

  9. 9.

    See Zeira (2014) for associated facilitators and barriers that such practices would entail as pertaining to organizational, cultural and social work direct practice climates in Israel.

  10. 10.

    For further reading see Ben-Arieh’s (2010a, b) findings on the pronounced inequalities between Arab and Jewish municipal localities’ social service expenditures.

Abbreviations

EBP::

Evidence Based Practices

ELI::

Association for Child Protection

IMLSASS::

Israel Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services

IMLW::

Israel Ministry of Labor and Welfare

IMW::

Israel Ministry of Welfare

IMWSS::

Israel Ministry of Welfare and Social Services

INCC::

Israel National Council for the Child

PIEC::

Planning, Intervention, and Evaluation Committee

SSD::

Social Services Department

SWAL::

Social Worker to the Adoption Law

SWCP::

Social Worker to Court Proceedings

SWYL::

Social Worker to the Youth Law

SWDL::

Social Worker to the Disabilities Law (i.e., social worker for the law of protection of people with developmental and mental disabilities)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The David Yellin Academic College of Education, Jerusalem, Israel

    Ruth Gottfried

  2. The Haruv Institute and the Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

    Asher Ben-Arieh

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  1. Ruth Gottfried
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    Lisa Merkel-Holguin , John D. Fluke  & Richard D. Krugman ,  & 

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Gottfried, R., Ben-Arieh, A. (2019). The Israeli Child Protection System. In: Merkel-Holguin, L., Fluke, J.D., Krugman, R.D. (eds) National Systems of Child Protection. Child Maltreatment, vol 8. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93348-1_8

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