Professionals in these categories will return to work completely. About half of the people in these jobs have gone on leave since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, impacting the services provided to at-risk children and youth.
The change was made after the Ministry of Justice's inter-ministerial coordinator to prevent juvenile delinquency, Michal Gold, and the Israel National Council for the Child stated that the severe lack of these workers was causing substantial damage to the care and location of at-risk children and youth.
The new regulations were supported by the welfare minister, education minister and interior minister.
Despite several branches of welfare services being listed as 'essential,' a designation which allows them to operate during the coronavirus outbreak, 60% of social workers in the field of domestic abuse are not working, reported Maariv, the sister publication of The Jerusalem Post, in late March.
There was a 5% increase in reports of domestic abuse in February, when the coronavirus outbreak began, compared with the same period last year, N12 news reported in March.
“These social workers perform critical and unique services that respond to populations that without regular treatment may very well be harmed or harm others,” the Social Workers Union warned in March.Tamar Beeri contributed to this report.