Call for Proposals

Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping

The Heart of Justice: Social Work Innovations in Israel

Social workers and social services have been an integral part of Israel from its origins. The challenges of Israeli social work are great. In addition to well-developed fields of practice familiar to American social workers, Israeli social workers have carved out special niches of service to groups such as holocaust survivors, immigrants, children and families traumatized by war, non-Jewish refugees fleeing persecution in Arab countries, religious minorities, Arab families coping with issues of freedom and identity in a Jewish state, and foreign workers. Thus, there is much to be learned by examining Israeli social work innovations.

This Special Issue will present narrative reflections of social workers and others who have been in the forefront of social service innovation in Israel—past and present. We seek personal stories written in a narrative style—-stories that explain the helping process and the nature of shaping social service systems. These stories may be told in the voice of the author and that of clients as well. The focus is on the presentation and analysis of personal experience, rather than theory and data.

The Guest Editor of this Special Issue is Dr. James J. Kelly, PhD, President of Menlo College, Atherton California, and President of the National Association of Social Workers.

Prospective contributors should e-mail the following items to jkelly.menlo@yahoo.com by April 1, 2011.

1. A cover sheet with names, degrees, titles, and current positions of the corresponding author and all additional authors. Please include full contact information, including the phone numbers and emailaddress at which you may be contacted. Indicate any dates during which you will be unavailable.

2. A preliminary title for your paper. (Final titles are subject to the approval of Dr. Kelly and the editors of Reflections.)

3. A Summary of the proposed paper. The Summary, of no more than 200 words, must indicate the purpose of the paper, the significance of the topic, and a brief summary of the policies, programs or persons to be discussed.

4. The estimated length of your proposed paper (number of typed, double-spaced pages set in 12 point Times New Roman on Word software.)

Paper summaries will be reviewed expeditiously. Authors whose Summaries are accepted will be invited to submit full-length papers not to exceed thirty typed, double-spaced pages.

Inquiries are welcomed. They may be sent to Dr. Kelly at the above e-mail address.