Department of Public Health, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel.
The Charlotte Jack Spitzer Department of Social Work, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel.
Child Abuse Negl. 2024 Jun;152:106793. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106793. Epub 2024 Apr 17.
Many studies have explored the impact of child removal on both children and professionals, but there is limited research on the experiences of mothers whose children social services had removed from their homes, particularly within Arab society.
This study focused on Arab mothers from East Jerusalem-an ethnic minority in Israel's society, that faces unique challenges-whose children removed from home. The study examines, from the mothers' perspectives (1) reasons for the removal, and (2) relationships with welfare services.
15 Arab mothers from East Jerusalem, aged 25 to 49 who had at least one child removed through a court order participated in the study. Nine of the mothers were divorced, separated, or widowed.
The mothers described several reasons for their children's removal, including domestic violence and lack of support from their own families after leaving abusive husbands, poverty leading to what social services interpreted as neglect, the child's challenging behavior, and false accusations. The second theme reveals a lack of cooperation between social workers and the mothers, and social workers' negative perceptions of the mothers hindering reunification.
The study sheds light, for the first time as far as we know, on the perspectives of Arab mothers concerning their children's removal. Early support could avert removal, and social workers should make greater efforts to promote child reunification. It is paramount that professionals build trust with these mothers, through culturally sensitive and empowering engagement.
许多研究探讨了儿童被带走对儿童和专业人员的影响，但对于社会服务机构将儿童从家中带走的母亲的经历，尤其是在阿拉伯社会中，研究有限。
本研究关注来自东耶路撒冷的阿拉伯母亲——以色列社会中的少数民族，她们面临着独特的挑战，其子女被从家中带走。本研究从母亲的角度考察了（1）子女被带走的原因，以及（2）与福利服务机构的关系。
研究对象为 15 名来自东耶路撒冷的阿拉伯母亲，年龄在 25 至 49 岁之间，至少有一名子女通过法院命令被带走。其中 9 名母亲离婚、分居或丧偶。
母亲们描述了子女被带走的几个原因，包括家庭暴力以及离开虐待丈夫后得不到自己家庭的支持、贫困导致社会服务机构认为的忽视、孩子的不良行为以及被诬告。第二个主题揭示了社会工作者与母亲之间缺乏合作，以及社会工作者对母亲的负面看法阻碍了团聚。
本研究首次揭示了阿拉伯母亲对子女被带走的看法。早期的支持可以避免子女被带走，社会工作者应更加努力促进儿童的团聚。至关重要的是，专业人员应通过文化敏感和赋权的接触方式与这些母亲建立信任。
