Personal Social Services

The expenditure for personal social services provided by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services and many non-governmental entities is lower compared to other components of the welfare state in Israel, representing six percent of the social expenditure.

After a period of stagnation during the mid-2000s (2002-2006), there was a growth in the budget directed to these services in the past three years; at the same time changes took place in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services’ policy, as reflected in expanding the privatization trend beyond services that can be provided in the community. Furthermore, as of late, a reform committee completed its deliberations and recommended substantial changes in the array of personal social services, including legislating a Social Services Law.

This paper appears in the Center’s annual publication State of the Nation Report – Society, Economy and Policy 2009.