Defining roles, rebuilding lives: social workers in collaborative child deradicalization

Radicalized children are a vulnerable group requiring intensive rehabilitation. In many developing countries, social workers are absent or underutilized in deradicalization frameworks. This study addresses that gap by examining the contributions of social workers within collaboration teams in Indonesia. Using a qualitative case study, it draws on 16 professionals including psychologists, religious counselors, legal experts, and social workers engaged in child rehabilitation. Findings show social workers act as case managers, coordinating collaboration and ensuring individualized care pathways. They perform six roles as expert, enabler, motivator, facilitator, broker, and educator across three phases of intervention: pre-rehabilitation, rehabilitation, and post-rehabilitation. These roles align with the needs of both children and multidisciplinary teams, directly supporting the study’s aim to explore strategic integration of social workers in post-terror rehabilitation. The study highlights mechanisms of coordination that build trust, efficiency, and resilience. It contributes to discourse on child deradicalization by proposing a context-sensitive framework for integrating social workers into rehabilitation in developing countries. It underscores the need to position social workers as strategic actors in policymaking and program implementation, advancing holistic recovery strategies.