Starting where families start: Rethinking social work with displaced families on the Syria–Türkiye border

Drawing on practice experience as a social worker on the Syria–Türkiye border, this reflection argues that effective social work with displaced families begins where families choose to begin. Rather than starting from professional assumptions, families consistently prioritized housing, education, caregiving, income, and safety as the foundations of rebuilding everyday life. These experiences reshaped my understanding of assessment and intervention, highlighting the value of shared understanding, collaborative decision-making, and family-centered practice. A reflective practice framework is proposed to support more responsive and meaningful social work with displaced families in the future.