A critical perspective on social services’ organizational boundaries: Learning from transgender women

Summary The normative construction of social services’ organizational boundaries may operationally exclude marginalized people by neglecting their specific needs and placing them outside the organization's domain. In order to develop a critical outline of social services’ organizational boundaries, we present a qualitative study involving 10 transgender women in Israel, aged 18–25, exploring their interactions with social services. Findings The study present cases of organizational neglect and rejection, alongside cases of radical acceptance. These experiences of rejection and acceptance enable us to articulate social services’ organizational boundaries from a critical social work perspective, emphasizing customization, flexibility, and dialog. Applications Building on the concept of radical acceptance, social workers and social services are encouraged to broaden their professional and organizational boundaries through a critical social work lens.