About us:
Efshar association was established in 1981 by professionals in the fields of education and welfare from the government and public sectors and Social Educational Workers, in order to strengthen and institutionalize the work and study in the field of social educational work in Israel.
The association is headed by a management of about 20 professionals who are active in the association's areas of practice, and who served in management and staff positions in the public sector and academia. All management members bring rich experience in the field of educational work, social work and educational-social work with children, adolescents, and juveniles at risk.
The educational-social care of at-risk children and youth, who are in the community and in out-of-home settings (as foster care), has always been an important task in Israeli society.
Hence, training, specialization, support, and advancement of workers with these populations, are at the forefront of our minds as an association. The Efshar Association, its members, and partners in Israel, see their involvement as a national educational-social mission.
Every year, the Efshar Association grows in the variety and scope of its activities. The association approaches and wins public tenders due to the reliability, diligence, consistency, and professional resources invested in it.
Areas of activity of the association:
• The specialization of social and educational workers in Israel
The Efshar Association represents Israel in the management of the International Organization for Educational and Social Workers (AIEJI).
• Treatment for victims of alcohol and gambling
The Addiction Treatment Unit at the Efshar organization operates treatment centers for alcohol victims, gambling victims and victims of other behavioral addictions such as shopping, work, overuse of the Internet and more. The unit has a large treatment center in Ramat Gan as well as treatment branches in Rehovot, Jerusalem and Rosh Pina. The treatment is given to addicts and their families.
• Protection centers for children and youth at risk
The Efshar Association operates eight child and youth protection centers ("Beit Lin") established to address the process of diagnosing and interrogating children and adolescents' victims of sexual, physical, mental abuse and severe neglect, nationwide.
The centers were established in partnership with the Ministry of Welfare, the Israel Police, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health, local authorities, and the Schusterman Foundation.
The protection centers contain under one roof, all the professionals involved in the investigation and diagnosis process – social workers for the youth law, police inspector, pediatrician, lawyer, and management team.
• Production of professional knowledge in these areas of practice and its dissemination
Published as follows: Academic Journal "Mifgash" for Educational-Social Work; Journal for field workers: Efshar for the social educational worker and the journal: All about alcohol. In addition to journals, the association publishes professional books.
In addition, the association holds seminars, "live meetings" and discussion tables both about educational-social work and on a variety of topics related to addiction, alcohol, and gambling.
The goals of the association:
The Efshar Association advocates change, influence and bringing policy makers, professionals and the public to an understanding and recognition of the rights of children, youth and adults at risk, in order to receive preferential care, education and welfare services.
The association emphasizes the need for the appropriate training of social and educational workers, in order to promote and support workers who combine methods, foundations and principles from the fields of education, rehabilitation and care for children and adolescents at risk. These populations have complex difficulties and needs and deserve the highest quality of educators and caregivers.
The goals of the association and its activities are to address some of the problems and challenges facing caregivers of children and adolescents at risk:
• Promoting and establishing the professional and public status of the social educational worker in Israel, in order to improve the services provided for the well-being of at-risk children and youth and their families.
• Initiation and operation of projects in the field of treatment of children and youth at risk and in the field of treatment of addictions and victims of alcohol and gambling.
• Initiating, operating, and executing projects on topics related to social educational work.
• collaboration of organizations, institutions and individuals operating in the field of social educational work in Israel. • Dissemination of professional knowledge and research to academics, trainees and learners, professionals and field workers, policymakers, and the general public.