A Groundbreaking Program at Sapir College

Integrating social workers, graduates of Arab universities, into social services in the State of Israel

Social workers are an essential resource for underserved communities in Israel’s periphery. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Bedouin towns and villages, the poorest communities in the country. Qualified Israeli professionals, however, are in short supply. A pioneering initiative at the Sapir College School of Social Work seeks to change the equation – using a very unconventional approach.

Many of Israel’s Arab citizens study social work at universities in the Palestinian Authority. Their Arabic language skills, cultural background and familiarity with their home communities offer them important skills. However, they are not familiar with Israel's standards of practice, they  need to acquire a professional vocabulary in Hebrew and their professional status is perceived as inferior to colleagues who studied at Israeli universities and.

Dr. Nuzha Allassad Alhuzail, senior lecturer at the Sapir's School of Social Work designed this new program, providing Israeli citizens, social work graduates of Palestinian higher education the required theory and practice together with field training from social workers who studied at Israeli universities.  The goal is to bridge gaps in knowledge and experience, enabling candidates to build a career in Israel’s social service system.  The year-long program, launched this June, is a collaboration between Sapir, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, and the local councils of Hura, Kseifa, and Ara’ara in the Negev. Dr. Alhuzail said that: “all you need is the right kind of investment and this human resource  will become a vital asset for social service departments in Bedouin communities.”

Prof. Orit Nuttman Schwartz, Dean of the School of Social Work, sees this as part of the School of Social Work’s mission.  “This program will help Israel’s social welfare system provide quality social services to the Bedouin community in Israel by providing these graduates with knowledge and skills--adapted to Israeli system. In addition, the program will help enrich the entire social work profession in Israel with the cross-cultural sensitivity and knowledge that are so essential to Israel’s multicultural society.