In 2017, UNRWA decided to reform its Relief and Social Services Programme with the centrepiece being social work reform. What was identified as an underutilization of UNRWA relief and social work field officers, was to be transformed into a work force that could support individuals and families in better understanding their opportunities and taking control over potentially destructive dynamics. This work force should operate alongside UNRWA service provision programmes and support most vulnerable Palestine refugees affected by conditions of social and economic stress compounded by external factors such as conflict, displacement and, in many instances, the absence of legal status that deprives them of protection within the framework of civil rights.
