The figures on poverty in Israel point to an increasing degree of inequality between the Center and the Periphery. As of today, every third child in Israel lives under the poverty line which represents an increase of 60% during the past decade (according to the National Insurance Institute of Israel report, 2007).

As a result of the increase in economic inequality, there were 381,000 children and youth known to the social services in Israel in 2006. This compares to only 275,000 in 2000. In other words, within six years, the number of children subject to one degree of risk or another has increased by approximately 38% (according to the Council for Child Welfare, December 2006).

Despite the ongoing increase in the number of children at risk, the capacity of the existing social services is insufficient to meet their needs. Thus, half of the children known to the social services do not receive any support at all while part of the remainder receive support that only partially meets their needs (from the report of the Public Committee to Assess the Situation of Children and Youth at Risk and in Distress, 2006).

With regard to the future prospects of these children, the figures again show a worsening of social and economic inequality. In Israel, which is currently ranked 49th out of 53 countries in scholastic achievement, only 7.4% of the children born to families in the lower two income deciles will continue on to higher education while the figure is 74.4% for children from the upper two deciles.

In conclusion, although there is no clear and agreed-upon definition of the term "children at risk", those same children who have been identified by the welfare and education authorities as children at risk are those who are characterized by significant learning disabilities and whose needs have not been met in the conventional frameworks. These are children who in many cases do not find physical and emotional support in the family framework - and often just the opposite. These are children who do not receive proper nutrition. They do not participate in enough social activity, such as extracurricular activity groups, youth movements, hikes, plays, etc., which are an important part of the ability to develop, to dream and to be exposed to new possibilities. These are children who are destined for failure in their matriculation exams and perhaps will even drop out before completing 12 years of schooling. They have a smaller chance of being drafted into the army and will have difficulty making a decent wage that can support a family and becoming contributing members of society.