&##9;In this document we have explored the situation of children and young people in Israel: We have reviewed the major issues and problems confronting this population, the services provided by the government, the dominant policy directions and the activities of the voluntary sector in providing services for children and youth. In this section, we suggest some possible priorities for children and youth in Israel.

-&##9;Intervening in a timely way to prevent the emergence and slow the increase of negative social trends among Israel's children and youth.

-&##9;Identifying and promoting the dissemination of effective programs for children and youth while helping to channel Israel's public resources in effective directions.

-&##9;Encouraging programs that promote inter-organizational coordination and more comprehensive approaches to the problems of children and youth.

-&##9;Strengthening the forces that promote private philanthropy in Israel in the service of children and youth.

-&##9;Strengthening the role and impact of the voluntary sector as a force for innovation and positive change in Israel.

&##9;Timely Intervention

&##9;As we have noted, there are powerful forces at work shaping the future of Israeli society, which would appear to be at an important crossroad in its social development, with major implications for the well-being of children and youth.

&##9;As described in this report, Israel has a basic social infrastructure that can serve as a springboard for addressing the needs of children and youth in the future. However, the report also reveals many problems and contingencies that are not adequately addressed by the existing system. More disturbing are the indications that the prevalence of some problems that are more widespread in other Western countries, such as substance abuse, violence among youth, and family disintegration, may be increasing.

&##9;To ensure the well-being of children now and in the future, Israeli society is confronted not only with the challenge of addressing the existing problems and service gaps, but also with the need to initiate interventions that will effectively reverse the development of these disturbing trends. These needs are even more pronounced in light of the challenges and opportunities resulting from the advancing peace process and from the recent massive immigration from the FSU and Ethiopia. As an organization that focuses on prevention and enhancement of well-being among children and young people, the IYF can play an important role in helping Israel meet these challenges.

&##9;Identifying and Disseminating Information and Program Implementation

&##9;It is vital to achieve more widespread implementation of innovative programs and approaches throughout the system. There are two major barriers to achieving such implementation. First, in many cases there is only limited documentation of the effectiveness of the programs and their success in achieving their goals. In addition, program initiators often lack the resources and experience required to implement programs on a broader basis and create the required partnerships with governmental and municipal agencies. IYF, as an organization committed to the implementation and expansion of existing successful programs, could promote efforts to disseminate successful programs for children and young people by fostering processes to identify and evaluate new innovations more systematically; serving as a resource for organizations and agencies in developing the capacities for program planning, evaluation and implementation; sharing the knowledge and experience accumulated through its international activities in identifying, documenting and setting standards for successful programs; providing resources to train professionals to disseminate programs more effectively; developing written Hebrew materials for professionals, parents and children; and promoting the partnership with governmental and municipal agencies.

&##9;Promoting More Comprehensive Approaches

&##9;As we have noted in the report, the service system addressing the needs of children is complex and the lines of responsibility are not always clearly drawn. Moreover, appropriate approaches to many issues require a coordinated effort which addresses the various aspects of a problem. The IYF can contribute to the development of more coordinated approaches by providing incentives for programs of this kind.

&##9;Strengthening private philanthropy and the role of the voluntary sector

&##9;Israeli philanthropy is also undergoing important changes. The rapid economic growth that Israel has experienced in the last decades has brought relative prosperity to some strata of the population and has created a substantial group of prospective private and corporate donors. In addition, the level of donations from the Jewish communities outside of Israel, which is a traditional and major source of support for philanthropic activities in Israel, has been declining. These two processes have brought about initiatives aimed at expanding and systematizing local philanthropy. As an organization with experience in creating and expanding local philanthropy, IYF can serve as a resource in further developing and launching these initiatives.

&##9;This report highlighted four major problem areas that affect the well-being of children and youth in Israel today:

&##9;-&##9;child poverty, which is widespread and has been increasing over the last two decades;

&##9;-&##9;child neglect and abuse, which has recently become a major social concern;

&##9;- &##9;the large number of children not attaining minimal educational standards;

&##9;- &##9;marginal and delinquent youth.

&##9;Child Poverty

&##9;Too little attention has been given to the implications of poverty for the current and future well-being of children. This is reflected in the lack of knowledge about these consequences and in the limited number of programs focused directly on the consequences of poverty for children. Those programs that have been developed have not been widely disseminated.

&##9;Child Neglect and Abuse

&##9;Though child neglect and abuse as a field has lately received extensive public attention, the major developments in this area have been in the area of child protection and the detection of neglected and abused children. Despite initiatives by the government and by voluntary organizations to develop family-centered services in the community and to introduce a more family-centered approach to residential care, child welfare services continue to rely heavily on out of home placement and lack family-centered programs. IYF has a unique opportunity to support the further development and wider dissemination of community-based, family-centered services and to introduce family-centered approaches into residential care for neglected and abused children. In light of the extreme lack of services in this area for children aged 7-14, we recommend that IYF specifically emphasize this age group.

&##9;Children who Fail to Achieve Minimal Educational Standards

&##9;Another issue of serious concern is the failure of many children, predominantly from deprived families, to achieve minimal educational levels in the school system. While funds have been allocated toward the implementation of programs to redress this situation the ability of the schools and local authorities to make educated choices among the different programs is severely inhibited by the lack of empirical evidence pertaining to most of the programs' outcomes and effectiveness. We therefore recommend that IYF play a role in systematically encouraging the introduction of the more effective programs into the educational system by: a) assisting in the process of evaluating and identifying the most effective programs and promoting their systematic introduction into the system; b) helping to adapt some of the programs that are operated in middle schools and secondary schools for implementation in elementary schools, and c) supporting programs devoted to training teachers.

&##9;Marginal and Delinquent Youth

&##9;Though there is only limited information on the extent of marginal and deviant behaviors among youth in Israel, this is an area of growing concern. It is important to initiate and expand programs related to the prevention of substance abuse and violence. Moreover, there is a need to expand programs which promote more positive behaviors and skills such as coping abilities especially among young people who are at higher risk due to disadvantageous circumstances.

&##9;Arab Children and Youth

&##9;It is recommended that the IYF take into account the more extensive needs found among Arab children, and make this a priority area. There is a need to expand programs that are particularly adapted to the needs of this population. The government's commitment to equalize access to services in the Arab sector serves as an opportunity for adapting services and programs to benefit this population and implementing them on a broader basis.

&##9;Immigrant Children and Youth

&##9;In light of the large-scale immigration to Israel and the indications of emerging and apparently intensifying problems in integrating immigrant youth, there is a need to devote special attention to preventing the development of an under-class within segments of this population. This applies, in particular, to certain subgroups from the Former Soviet Union, notably those from certain sections of Southern Russia. The educational needs of Ethiopian children also require special consideration in light of the large gap that has to be overcome and the need to disseminate best-practice techniques to address these needs.