משמעויות של קהילה בשכונה בעיר בעידן החדש

Background: In crisis situations, community social workers can be of great help in leading the organization and development of community coping mechanisms. In Israel, the crises focused upon in the past have been mainly those associated with security. However, since 2019, the crisis that arose from the COVID-19 pandemic has also become prominent. There is little knowledge about the character of the community social worker’s role during crises, in general, and during the COVID-19crisis, in particular.Aims: To describe the characteristics of the role required of community social workers during theCOVID-19 crisis and to examine the continuity and the changes required in their role.Method: Interviews were conducted with 18 community social workers and a content analysis was performed in search of principles and insights for identifying the characteristics of the community social worker’s role during the COVID-19 crisis.Main findings: The crisis shifted the attention of the community social workers to six themes:identification and definition of the target communities corresponding to the crisis; transition from long-term planning processes to decision-making processes and immediate implementation;change in the levels of cooperation; reinforcement of social capital; orientation towards action and hope; and the degree to which volunteers should be instructed.Conclusions and practical implications: The research findings indicate that in the COVID-19 crisis,the role of the community social workers is grounded in knowledge and experience previously accumulated in routine times. This knowledge and experience, however, needs to be adapted to the crisis. The training institutions and employers of community social workers should prepare social workers for their roles in times of crisis and teach them skills that will enable them to cope with new,unpredictable challenges.