Alongside its activities in the prevention of violent phenomena in the population and the enforcement of rules and regulations, the 'City without Violence' program also promotes the treatment of damages caused by violence. The core activity in this field is completing and centralizing the therapeutic solutions for all types of violence and all those involved in it. The aim is to develop the lacking and necessary solutions for the field of violence that have yet to be treated in an institutionalized and comprehensive manner. Such fields are: Sexual violence, abuse and neglect of the elderly, and violence among adolescents.
The field of welfare is under the authority of social services departments and divisions in local authorities; and it is operated in unison and in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services. The program's approach is that therapeutic solutions should be provided for anyone involved in violent incidences, of any type and in any sphere.
Basic Principals
- Treating anyone, who is involved in cases of violence- victims, attackers, and witnesses; including children, spouses, elderly people, people with special needs, and public workers, all in accordance with each sector within the authority.
- Treating all types of violence- physical and verbal violence, domestic violence, sexual violence, abuse and neglect, and any other type of violence.
- Treating all spheres- the home, the community, the streets, and such institutions as: retirement homes, schools and medical centers.
The working principals in the field of welfare refer both to the systematic aspect and the individual treatment aspect. The systematic aspect requires close cooperation between all the relevant factors on the division and the authority levels, as well as the national level, in order to increase awareness of violence among residents and professionals and encourage people to detect and report cases of violence around the city. The treatment aspect requires an expansion of all fields of treatment in order to provide solutions for areas that have not been treated before, such as sexual violence and violence towards the elderly. It is also necessary to address the issue of multiculturalism (immigrants from different countries, the Arab sector, and the ultra-orthodox population), and to add professionalization to these areas by conducting guidance and training sessions.
There are two core programs operating as part of the field of welfare, as well as a package of auxiliary programs. Each authority chooses its own core program, which it later operated in combination with the activities suggested in the auxiliary programs' package.
One core program deals with upgrading the therapeutic frameworks available at treatment centers, such as the Center for the Treatment and Prevention of Domestic Violence, and transforming them into multi-disciplinary centers that would gather all types of treatment for all types of violent occurrence in the city under one roof.
The second core program is the employment of the City without Violence social worker as a detection unit. As part of his/her job, the social worker will handle the overall coordination and monitoring activities of all cases of violence in the city.
The auxiliary programs' package offers an alignment of supporting programs that would guide the chosen core program, such as conducting seminar days, instruction and training for professionals, or a prevention activity within the community.