200 families per social worker: New demand to party leaders

Less than three months before the elections, the Social Workers Union is demanding that party leaders commit to setting a maximum cap on the number of cases per worker. The demand comes in response to an exceptional burden in welfare departments that has worsened significantly since the beginning of the war.

According to Ministry of Welfare data, a social worker currently handles an average of 200 families, a figure four times the target set by the ministry. The burden is not limited to local authorities and is also evident in the security establishment, where a single social worker handles an average of about a thousand disabled IDF veterans. The union explains that these figures illustrate a deep crisis in the rehabilitation and care systems.

In addition to setting a caseload cap, the union is demanding an increase in the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs budget by at least 20 percent. At the same time, they are calling for the enactment of a new social services law to replace the Assistance Law of 1958. It is argued that reliance on the outdated law leads to significant gaps in the quality of service provided across different local authorities.

Chair of the Social Workers Union, Inbal Harmoni, noted that the upcoming elections will serve as a test of the next government's ability to rehabilitate Israeli society.

"When a social worker is responsible for about 200 families, or when a social worker in the Ministry of Defense handles an average of about 1,000 disabled IDF veterans, it is impossible to provide citizens with proper care," she stated.

These demands are being raised against the backdrop of a persistent shortage of professionals in the welfare field, a situation exacerbated by the sharp rise in social, rehabilitative, and mental health needs following the events of October 7 and the ongoing war.