By Sharmeen Ziauddin and Ruth Hardy-Mullings

Social workers across the UK have been deeply affected by the Israel-Gaza war, which began in October 2023.

Community Care spoke to three social workers to understand how the conflict has affected them, how they are supporting service users and what more organisations can do to support their staff. We also interviewed a Palestinian social worker working in the West Bank, who told us about the direct impact of the conflict on him and the children he works with.

The toll of the Israel-Gaza war

On 7 October 2023, attacks led by Hamas in Israel caused the deaths of about 1,200 people, with a further 253 taken hostage. In response, Israel launched a war in Gaza, in which over 34,000 people have been killed so far, many of them women and children.

Approximately 1.9 million people –  85% of Gazans – have been forced to flee their homes, while the entire population of the Gaza Strip is facing high levels of acute food insecurity, with famine predicted, due to the war. Infectious diseases are spreading in Gaza but much of its healthcare system is no longer functioning due to attacks by Israeli forces.

Widespread calls from across the world for a ceasefire – from the United Nations Security Council, over 150 states, charities and social work organisations – have so far fallen on deaf ears, and Israel is reportedly poised to enter Rafah, where over a million Palestinians are sheltering.

Meanwhile, in the UK, both antisemitism and Islamophobia have risen sharply since October 2023.

‘As Muslims, we are deeply grieving’

“As a Muslim, I feel we are stuck between a rock and a hard place. We are deeply grieving,” says Alshad (Ash) Dustagheer, children’s social worker and creator of New Generation Social Work, a productivity brand for social workers.

“I watch the news every night and am updated on my phone every day, so it’s niggling in the background on my mind all day. I was reading the news this morning and you just start your day thinking: how many more children are going to die today? It’s a tough time for the Muslim community and for the [social work] profession.”

Dustagheer works with children and foster carers who are personally affected by the conflict.

“I’m working with children who come from Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan and have lost family members. They’re directly affected by it, a lot of their family members are connected to Palestine. As part of my direct work with them, I’ve asked, ‘How do you feel about Palestine?’.

Having difficult conversations

“For me, it’s really key because it’s very difficult for practitioners to have that conversation with children and young people, but I’m raising it with my young people and they’re telling me their feelings around it. And again, they’re really traumatised by what’s happening, they’re confused, they don’t feel safe when they’re out in the community to talk about it.”

Nicole Valens is head of social work at the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR), a charity which supports Holocaust refugees and survivors living in Great Britain.

“One of the main things that has happened since 7 October is the steep rise in antisemitism in this country and around the world,” she says. “A lot of our clients are scared to leave the house or worried about antisemitism, worried that people would find out that they’re Jewish.”

Many of the clients AJR works with have friends and family in Israel and are concerned for their safety. Tragically, one client has been directly impacted, as her grandchildren in Israel were killed in the 7 October attack.

Valens adds that there is ongoing concern for the people of Gaza and the suffering they are experiencing.

‘Believe service users’

Social workers at AJR are offering service users space to talk if they would like to, through one-on-one support as well as outreach events and social groups.

Valens says that it is vital to believe what service users are telling you, and validate their feelings. “If they say they feel scared in London, for example, believe them. Because some people might say, ‘Well, you know, it’s perfectly safe here. I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ But actually, it’s how someone feels.”

Yohai Hakak is a social work lecturer at Brunel University. He is part of the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) Diaspora special interest group, for practitioners originating from overseas, and is a Jewish Israeli.

He says: “Social workers should be aware that these events are very triggering for people here, definitely people who have relatives or come from these areas and also people who fled from other war-torn areas. Social workers should apply a trauma-informed perspective that I don’t know if we talk about enough in social work but it definitely needs to be talked about.

The importance of reflection

“The other thing is the need to be reflective as a practitioner and be aware of your positioning. Where are you coming from? Why are you seeing the things the way that you’re seeing? And how are you making sure you are separating your own views, which you’re entitled to hold, from how you work with the people you work with, with the focus on their needs?

“Just make sure one thing doesn’t bleed into the other and that you’re not imposing your values, your way of seeing the world on other people that you’re working with.”

Dustagheer works with several Muslim foster carers.

“When I go to their houses for supervision they have the news on, and they’re watching it. We start our supervision and it’s like they’re venting to me because they feel they can, and they feel safe to do that with me as a professional.” He feels this can create tension between his personal and professional boundaries.

“I’m finding myself saying, ‘Well actually I can’t delve too much into it but I understand your position on a personal level’.”

Valens manages a team of social workers, half of whom are Jewish and half who aren’t.

“So the impact is obviously different for different people. But the social workers are also impacted by the rise in antisemitism, all of the fears about friends and family in Israel, the impact just of ongoing, you know, six months of watching a war unfold in such a horrible, devastating way. Obviously, it impacts on people and the longer it goes on the more difficult it is for people.”

Promoting self-care

In October, Valens arranged reflection meetings for staff to come together, talk about how they were feeling and support each other. She also has an open-door policy, so any of her team can come to her and talk about how they are feeling and the difficulties they are going through.

Valens also says that self-care is important, particularly, encouraging social workers not to get fixated on the news.

“Every time you saw another news article, all of emotion, all of that stress and anxiety and distress would become overwhelming. So yes, keep up with it if you need to, but really try and take a break from the news and social media.”

Instead, she suggests practical tips, like donating to charity, so that people feel more empowered.

“It’s a very difficult situation. It’s incredibly complex and multi-layered and we all have to be kind to ourselves and to each other to get through it.”

The need for a safe space to talk about the conflict

Dustagheer would like to see social work leaders being more vocal about the conflict, as well as offering staff a safe space to talk about how they have been affected.

“There isn’t an invitation or a safe space for practitioners to talk about how they’re feeling. There isn’t. For me it’s a lack of leadership, because I think the leadership in the social work profession should be saying, ‘Well actually, let’s talk about this’. That alone is an invitation – it’s a more empathetic and compassionate response.”

He adds: “What I would like to see is more convincing statements [from leaders] in social work, with a balanced view. Statements that show and recognise that this is ongoing, and we are here listening to those who are affected by it.”

BASW and the Social Workers Union’s position

The latest statement from BASW and the Social Workers Union (SWU) on the conflict was released on 20 February.

In it, they state: “This war must not be allowed to continue. We continue to call on the UK and international governments and all political parties to press for an immediate, permanent ceasefire. This means an end to Israeli military action in Gaza and for Hamas and Hezbollah to stop sending rockets into Israel and to move out of civilian areas. We call for the immediate release of all Israeli hostages held by Hamas and an end to Israel’s siege that is restricting delivery of humanitarian and medical aid to Gaza.”

Hakak also thinks that safe spaces for discussions among staff about the conflict would be useful and should happen.

“These spaces should be moderated or guided by someone capable, so that indeed these are safe spaces. So I would encourage that.”

Hakak has talked about the war with his students.

“Students are clearly interested. It’s a good opportunity to learn, think and educate ourselves and our students. We do try and do that despite the sensitivities and the complexities.”

Social workers ‘should be free to express their views’

He also stresses the importance of free speech within the profession, combined with understanding of others’ perspectives.

“I do think that social workers should be able to express their opinions, including their political opinions, freely […] We stress the importance of empathy, of understanding the other side’s point of view and of finding peaceful resolutions.

“I want to think that as professionals, these are the things we teach our students and encourage in the people we work with.”

The Social Work Community Podcast is a new offering from Community Care.

This episode is about racism within social work. We speak to Nana and Ash, both children and family social workers, about their experiences of racism. There is discussion about racism from families they have worked with but also from within the organisations they have worked for.

• What should a team manager do if a family asks for a different social worker based on their race or religion?
• How much support is available for social workers who receive abuse from service users?
• How important is allyship? Is there a need for more cultural competency within social work?
• And how much has changed since the death of George Floyd?

They discuss this and much more in this unmissable episode.

More on racism in social work

Over a quarter of social workers faced racism from colleagues or managers in 12-month period, finds survey

My role as England’s first anti-racist lead practitioner

Conference calls on senior leaders to take action to embed antiracist practice

The podcast is available on most podcast platforms, including Spotify , Audible (Amazon) and Apple podcasts, or you can find it by putting ‘the social work community podcast’ into your search engine.

Listen now:

Listen to “Racism in social work” on Spreaker.

You can read the transcription here.

This podcast is also part of our new community site, The Social Work Community, which offers a safe, positive space to share careers guidance, network with peers and exchange experiences of social work. If you haven’t already, you can sign up now!

Did you catch the first two episodes? Listen back here:

The pros and cons of being a young social worker

What is the impact of negative media coverage of social work?