Israeli Election Spotlight on Support for Children Without Family Safety Nets
As Israelis prepare to vote on October 27 to decide the country's leadership, the election discourse rightly focuses on security, the economy, and cost of living. However, an urgent question remains largely unaddressed: what will political parties do for children and youth who lack family support? For most Israeli children, family provides the first safety net, offering stability and care during crises. Yet many children have no such protective environment, and when public systems fail them, no one else steps in. This makes state responsibility for their welfare critical.
Recent years have intensified this need. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted care frameworks and increased isolation and distress among vulnerable youth. Before recovery could occur, the ongoing war plunged Israeli society into prolonged anxiety and loss. Children with family support may suffer but have someone to hold onto; those without face these challenges alone, often alongside personal crises. The state must therefore provide stable, continuous care and meaningful adult relationships to replace the missing family continuity.
Social workers and care teams, who meet these children in their hardest moments, are overwhelmed and under-resourced. High staff turnover forces children to repeatedly rebuild trust and retell their stories, undermining stability. Treating welfare as a secondary service with insufficient funding is short-sighted, as delayed intervention leads to deeper, costlier problems. Investing now in care, education, and support can prevent school dropout, crisis escalation, and future dependency on public systems.
This is especially vital for young adults aging out of care without family to rely on. Unlike most Israeli youth who depend on parents well into adulthood, these individuals are expected to become independent prematurely. State responsibility must extend beyond legal adulthood until they can truly stand on their own.
National resilience depends not only on defense but on society’s ability to support its vulnerable members. Welfare services are not charity but essential infrastructure for a stronger society. The upcoming election should demand clear commitments: a national plan to address trauma and distress among children, strengthened social work staffing with sustainable conditions, and guaranteed long-term funding for continuous care and support. These are priorities, not optional extras. The state can either wait for crises to escalate or invest early to change life trajectories. Knowledge and dedication exist in Israel; what is missing is a national decision to prioritize these children in budgets and policies. On October 27, voters should ask candidates what they will do for children whose last safety net is the state itself. These children cannot vote yet, so the responsibility lies with all of us.
Nelly Geva, CEO of SOS Children's Villages Israel and former leader of the national program for at-risk youth, draws on extensive welfare system experience to highlight these urgent needs.
