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No one cares about social workers By Haaretz Editorial Tags: social workers The social workers have been on strike for two months; not to increase their pay, which is one of the lowest in Israel, but to improve the service they give to the public. These people are holding together what remains of the welfare state. They deal daily with the poor, the wretched, the indigent elderly, homeless children, abusers and their victims, drug addicts, prostitutes and the terminally ill, as well as divorcing parents who have no one to mediate their disputes except for the social workers. If anyone can cut crime, it is them. Without them there is no compassion, no remedies and no one to lend an ear. It might have been expected that in a country encouraging Jews to immigrate regardless of their age, their ability to make a living or their general situation, there would be extra social workers to deal with the subsequent difficulties. But the number of positions is out of sync with the huge rise in the number of clients. There are 7,000 social workers in Israel to serve 7 million citizens. Each social worker has some 300 to 400 cases at any given time. That is why the social workers are asking for a 1,000 new positions. Social Affairs Minister Isaac Herzog says that a problem created over many years cannot be solved in one minute. Herzog pledged to add 200 job slots next year, but the Finance Ministry will presumably dissolve that promise. And treasury officials remain in their posts while there is a good chance that ministers will be changing soon, and once again there will be no one to speak up for the social workers and their clients. Social Affairs is not a desirable ministry, and for a long time there was no minister at its helm. Advertisement There is also concern that the finance minister's plan to lower taxes will make it even more difficult to find financing for hundreds of social-work positions. Lowering taxes is a popular act, and the smell of elections encourages the minister's party to support the move. In contrast, hiring more social workers interests no one except the social workers, who are collapsing under the strain. The long strike has not made headlines: Those who are hurt by it lack influence and political backing; they walk among us invisibly, occasionally getting sympathetic television coverage due to an empty refrigerator or a homeless child. The strike has hit family courts hard: Social workers recommend visitation rights in a good number of divorce cases. People who have money have begun using private social workers who are recognized by the court. So the children of the monied are attended to immediately, while other children must wait patiently until the strike is over. A thousand jobs is a relatively modest request in terms of the extent of what social workers do. That work for years has meant putting out fires, since caseloads prevent any long-term treatment. Social workers do not have time to listen, with each client getting on average about five minutes a week. Those caseloads result in damage every day, and even death. A significant increase in the number of welfare workers at the Social Affairs Ministry and in local governments is not a luxury, but a fundamental need, perhaps even an existential one. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Fo shizzle ma nizzle American rapper Snoop Dogg slated to perform in Ramat Gan. Late date Scientists revive 2,000-year-old date seed found at Masada.

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