Dr. Rachel Szabo-Lael

The study goal was to examine the implementation process, outcomes, and implications of the Family Preservation Model pilot program and the stability of the outcomes six months after the program had ended.

Citing suggestion: Nijim-Ektelat, F. Ben Rabi, D., & Szabo-Lael, R. (2018). Intervention Practices Adapted to Arab Society in Israel’s Social Service System RR-778-18. Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute. (Hebrew)

In the past two decades, Israel’s welfare system has contended with the delivery of more effective services to at-risk children and their families while making more efficient use of its limited resources. In this period, the welfare system made notable strides even as it faced barriers and challenges, some ongoing. The Engelberg Center for Children […]

The goal of the National Program for Children and Youth at Risk is to change the way that Israeli society copes with children and youth at risk and to enhance and strengthen the services for them in the community. This is the third report in the series.

In May 2015 the MeHalev Initiative was launched under the auspices of the Haruv Institute. It was designed to promote activities for the prevention and reduction of child maltreatment in Israel. As part of the Initiative, the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute was asked to develop an inclusive national index to measure the extent of the problem. In this report, we present the process of developing the index, the guiding principles, and the recommendation for implementation.

The care of children who cannot grow up with their parents due to poor parenting has until now focused essentially on the children themselves, while strengthening the functioning of the parents has not been emphasized. Without a change in their parenting, the children’s chances of remaining with their families or returning to live with their […]

Emergency Centers are designed for children at high risk who require immediate protection and treatment. One serious dilemma facing professionals is setting policy for the desirable length of time that a child should stay at the center. This period allows professionals to provide protection, perform diagnosis, and make recommendations as to out-of-home placement or return […]

The Family Court Social Services (FCSS) work with families whose domestic conflicts have brought them to litigation. The service is provided free of charge, mainly through social workers, and its main purpose is to bring the disputes to a rapid and consensual conclusion through mediation. The FCSS address a range of issues: Divorce and separation, […]

360°– the National Program for Children and Youth at Risk – is an inter-ministerial program headed by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Services (MOSAS) and in partnership with the ministries of Education, Health, Immigrant Absorption, and Public Security. The program goal is to significantly expand and upgrade community services for children and adolescents at […]

Foster care is the main out-of-home framework for preschool children on the continuum of risk. Foster families offer a response to children at risk or in danger from deficient parenting. Foster care lasts until a permanent home is found for a child – whether return to one’s birth family or adoption – or until the […]

This study, conducted in 2011-12, examined the implementation of foster services from the perspectives of the implementing organizations and the foster families. It reviewed the trends and changes in foster care from 2000 to 2012.

The Counseling-Treatment Units (CTUs) at Emergency Centers for Children and Youth are an important community service for children and youth at the far end of the risk continuum. The study was conducted following efforts to upgrade and expand the CTUs.

This study examines one of the main programs currently being implemented to improve and upgrade the child protection system in Israel – Magen ("Shield") – a program developed by the Children and Youth Services at the Ministry of Social Affairs and JDC-Ashalim.

The report describes the extent and needs of the children and youth identified in the National Program localities, including demographic characteristics, risk situations and measures of the complexity of their problems.

The evaluation aimed to provide policymakers and service developers with information to improve implementation and as a basis for decisions on future expansion.

This report summarizes the findings of an evaluation study of the Protection Center. The study examined the characteristics of children seen at the Center, the extent of referrals, the Center's interventions, and its impact on the service system.

In 2004, the Service for Children and Youth at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services began implementing its "Towards the Community" policy to reduce risk among children and youth. The study examined the preparations for implementation, as well as the implementation and its effect on arrangements and outcomes for parents and children.

This study was the first to examine in depth the work of Child protection officers (CPOs) in Israel, and the division of roles between CPOs and other social workers in the social service departments.

The study, which is one of the few follow-up studies of youth at risk conducted in Israel, examines the perceptions of former Miftanim students of the time they spent at Miftanim; their achievements at Miftanim; their subsequent integration into and achievements in school, employment, and the army; their well being and their satisfaction with their social status.