״אתה באמת מתנסה במשהו שהוא לא התנדבות קלאסית״: מניעים להתנדבות, אתגרים ודילמות של תומכים מתנדבים בקבלת החלטות

Supported decision-making (SDM) is a recently developed policy alternativeto disparaged guardianship schemes. SDM aims to provide individuals withdisabilities or the elderly support in the decision-making process. Since2016, SDM has been formalized in Israel. One unique and understudiedattribute of the Israeli SDM scheme is the optional appointment of volunteerdecision-making supporters. Given the distinct nature of this role, thepresent study aims to explore the motivations behind volunteering, as wellas the key dilemmas and challenges that volunteers face while fulfilling theirsupport duties. To achieve this goal, open-ended interviews were conductedwith volunteer supporters for people with disabilities. The research findingsreveal that the volunteers are motivated by both universal (e.g., seeking ameaningful and challenging activity) and role-specific motivations, such as adesire to promote an ideologically pioneering social service. In addition, thestudy identifies the challenges and dilemmas that the volunteers haveencountered, such as the need to build trust and close relationships withthose they support and to manage tensions between two competing logics:the person’s own wishes vis-a-vis the volunteer’s perceived conceptions ofsafeguarding the person’s best interests. As the SDM schemes continue toevolve, insights from this research will help to refine recruitment, training,and mentoring procedures tailored to volunteer supporters in SDM.