‘Between the social worker and the rabbi’: Help-seeking perspectives of Ultraorthodox IPV survivors and insights into social work practice

Abstract

Social workers are standing on the front line in preventing, disclosing and intervening in intimate partner violence cases and in promoting survivors’ safety and well-being. However, for survivors with strong religious affiliations, social workers are not the only actors involved. This study aimed to retrospectively explore the help-seeking experience of Ultraorthodox survivors of intimate partner violence who received help from social workers and rabbis. Findings suggest that social workers should acknowledge the care barriers connected to child outcomes and that rabbis may not be the preferred source of care unless they possess a good background in family matters.