Between Othering and solidarity: crisis intervention with children at risk

The third chapter of Part Four of the book tells the story of a social worker who came to an apartment following a complaint from the neighbours that young children had been left there on their own only to discover that the apartment was flooded with sewage. The response of the social worker is analysed as an example of a ‘standing against’ position. The possibility of standing by is presented in the chapter as a tentative choice.

Active rights exercising: advanced

The third chapter of Part Three delves into the practice of the active exercising of rights and addresses the difficult issue of working with service users under circumstances where they have no legal rights that can be actualized. This might happen when service users do not have citizenship, or when certain needs of citizens are not covered by law. Based on examples from the field, the principles of dealing with such situations are explored, emphasizing the importance of the social worker’s analysis of these situations in the framework of poverty as a violation of human rights.

Poverty, recognition, therapy

This chapter opens Part Two of the book, which is dedicated to the PAP’s version of relationship-based practice. The chapter introduces readers to the concept of recognition, linking it to poverty and therapy. Based on a review of works by philosophers and psychoanalysts, this chapter argues that recognition is a basic component of the therapeutic relationship that enables the psychological experience of one’s subjectivity. Nevertheless, in the context of the power relations that constitute the helping relations with people in poverty, recognition must overcome specific obstacles. The chapter argues that in order to give recognition to service users living in poverty, social workers should acknowledge four aspects of service users’ inner worlds: their needs, their knowledge, the emotional pain caused by poverty, and their ways of resisting poverty. Acknowledging these four aspects enables full recognition and makes it possible to see the full humanity of service users and establish close relationships with them. The recognition of these four aspects are further detailed and exemplified in the next three chapters.

What is active in the active exercising of rights?

This chapter is the first of the book’s third part, titled “Rights”. Thinking about rights-based practice as a necessary complement to relationship-based practice is an organizing principle of the PAP. This chapter serves as a theoretical and conceptual introduction to the discussion on rights. In addition, it describes the guidelines of the new role of rights-exercising social workers, which was adopted by the Ministry of Welfare and Social Services. In line with the PAP’s commitment to seeing the emotional and the material worlds as interconnected, this chapter explains how a rights-based practice can become therapeutic.

How to speak critically about poverty

This is the first of the four chapters that comprise Part One of the book, which is dedicated to the issue of transformation. This chapter focuses on the transformation of the professional spoken vocabulary regarding poverty. Through a close look at the words that social workers use to describe service users in poverty, links are made between language (rhetoric), attitudes, and practice. The chapter presents an overview of six basic principles of the paradigm and translates them to guidelines regarding the way in which social workers should speak about and with service users. It urges social workers to be aware of the language they use and to change it.

When Douby looked for a home: ‘standing by’ within the establishment

This is the first chapter of Part Four of the book, which is titled “Solidarity”. Solidarity is an ethical principle that dictates the positioning of the social worker vis-à-vis service users. The chapter tells the story of a woman who was evicted from the apartment that she had occupied for 12 years and the struggle of her social worker to change the eviction order. The chapter addresses the tension between practice based on solidarity and mainstream social work practice in local social services.

Frequently asked questions about poverty and poverty-aware social work

This chapter, the fourth of Part One of the book, asks ten questions regarding poverty and the Poverty-Aware Paradigm and answers them. Among the questions are the following: Are people who are busy with basic survival and the attempt to meet their primary existential needs available for emotional therapeutic processes? If structural issues have such a crucial impact on poverty, how can we understand that in the same neighbourhoods, the children of some families manage to escape poverty while others do not? Does poverty-aware social work free people of their responsibility for their situations? How can social workers avoid encouraging dependency among service users?

On needs and knowledge: Sarit’s story

Following the introduction of the concept of recognition in the previous chapter, this chapter focuses on the recognition of service users’ needs and knowledge. The chapter presents the difference between “voice” and knowledge and urges social workers to listen to service users and relate to them as having valuable knowledge regarding their lives and society. In addition, the chapter argues that Maslow’s popular hierarchy of needs reduces the humanity of people in poverty, whose basic needs are often not fulfilled. The chapter exemplifies the recognition of service users’ needs and knowledge through a close reading of the life story of Sarit, a 23-year-old single mother of three.

In the face of social injustice: a panel

The fourth chapter of Part Three brings to life the voices of activists, students, and social workers as they were heard in a panel discussion that took place at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in 2015. The chapter is a transcription of the discussion, which reveals the participants’ personal experiences with active excercising of rights, their attitudes toward it, the characteristics needed for this kind of practice, and the pros and cons of it.

How to write a critical case study

The second chapter of Part One is based on an analysis of the rhetorical aspects of a case study written by a social worker for a group supervision. It covers ideas regarding the politics of representation and exemplifies how awareness of the power of professional writing can change a written case study through the presentation of three versions of the same case study. In addition to contributing to social workers who wish to gain insight into this aspect of their work, the chapter is suitable for teaching purposes.