(Social Work’s use of welfare resources)
Didactic Focus
The Institution of Social Welfare is mainly related to the idea of income maintenance: “ the
provision of local, stat or federal financial assistance in the form of cash or voucher, to
individuals and families during periods if income interruption or reduction, either
temporarily or on a long-term basis.
There are two dominant concepts of social welfare: residual/institutional (Suppes, M. A.,
Cressy Wells, C., 1991:33):
Residual
-needs to be met through family and job
market
-aid: from welfare system “abnormal”
-aid: offered after family/job has already
failed
-aid: temporary, emergency, as little as
possible
-stigma: attached
Institutional
-social welfare system viewed as part of
“first line of defence”
-aid: from welfare system “normal”
-aid offered before breakdown, for
preventive purposes
-aid: preventive, ongoing, adequate to meet
needs
-no stigma
Historical Roots
The earliest of assistance for the needy were probably mother caring for child and mutual aid
among adults familiar with each other. Reciprocal helping roles were provided by extended
family members or members of one’s tribe.
The concept of “aid to the stranger” developed with more formal institutions. One of the
earliest forms of aid to strangers was provided by religious groups, based on the commandment
“love your neighbour”. In Judeo-Christian tradition, alms-giving was common practice. Some
religious groups established formal tithes, with a portion of the money raised being used for
assistance to the poor.
England provided the model for social welfare provisions throughout the world. Focus on
responsibility to the poor remained in England primarily a function of the church until the
Black Death (bubonic plague) of 1348. Recurrent epidemics and further mortality followed.
Terrified, survivors left their homes and became what seemed like dangerous hoards of
vagrants. In addition, a labour shortage occurred, so a law was passed in 1349 to restrict
mobility (in required able-bodied people to accept any work available and forbade them to
leave their parishes. Offering alms to able-bodied people was forbidden).
The 1601 Elisabethan Poor Law’s primary interest was social control of poor people: It
defined which unit of government was responsible to assist whom, and which categories of
people were eligible for what kind of assistance. People were divided into various categories
and relief was provided according to the category. Two of the categories, the impotent poor
and dependent children, were considered “deserving” and so offered aid. The settlement act of
1662 required every person to be enrolled as a resident in some parish. In 1795 two acts were
passed in England that temporarily improved the condition of the poor. One forbade parishes
from driving non-residents away, unless they actually applied for relief. The Speenhamland
Act established a wage supplement to help destitute poor able-bodied people who were forced
into workhouses after they were destitute.
These rules were adopted in different parts of the world, mainly in the USA. Each
colony/state enacted its own version of those acts. After the American Revolution, the US
Constitution stipulated that assistance to the poor became a state prerogative.
The effect of social welfare issues and values on social work as a profession is seen in
different movements in private charity. Beginning with the 1880’s different relief measures
were conceived, the general idea being that the principal form of help to be offered should be
moral uplifting (provided by friendly visitors – The Charity Organisation Society, England
1869). The Settlement Movement involved concepts of self-help and mutual aid, rather than
moral uplifting. Jane Adams was one of the movement’s most famous leaders; she established
Hull House in Chicago 1889.
In the USA, the Social Security Act of 1935 (a complex piece of legislation, amended many
times) established three types of: 1. Social insurance, 2. Public assistance and 3. Health and
welfare services. Three categories of people were originally eligible for aid under public
assistance: 1. The blind, 2. The aged, 3. Dependent children.
General assistance. One category of people not eligible for any assistance under the
SSACT in the USA – involves able-bodied adults between ages 12-65 (60 for widows) who
have no minor children. Food stamps (vouchers or coupons available to eligible people of low
income may be used to buy most food items available at the supermarket) were introduced by
the act passed by the Congress in 1964 “to raise the levels of nutrition among low income
families”. Eligibility for food stamps is determined according to household income, so that
persons no eligible for other income maintenance programs (e.g.single adults) may qualify to
receive them. There are other voucher programs as well – fuel assistance, rent subsistence,
infant nutritional supplements, etc., but a certain stigma is still attached to all these.
After 1960 president Kennedy declared War on Poverty, then president Johnson initiated a
liberal legislation stimulated by the civil rights movement, encouraging a renewed
understanding of societal causes of poverty, which translated into job training programmes,
educational opportunity programmes, college work study programmes, etc. Regulations change
permanently throughout the world, and are not always truly constructive. This happened in the
USA too. The political agenda of the Reagan 1980’s seemed to be to force able-bodied people
such as the working poor off the welfare and some stipulations porved disastrous: they saved
taxpayers billions, but they resulted in increased hunger, homelessness, poor nutrition, lack of
decent children care, loss of medical care, other forms of loss of welfare benefits.
LANGUAGE PRACTICE FOCUS
A. Exercises
A.1. Matching 2: Match the terms given in the first column of the table with their
definitions given in the second column.
1. affirmative action
2. almshouse
3. charity
4. deductible
5. entitlement
6. entrepreneurial prganizations
7. equal employment opportunity
8. guilds
9. income maintenance
a. Fraternal organizations established in the
MiddleAges to protect the interests of their
members, (initiated by such occupational groups as
crafts-people, artisans, merchants), to provide death
benefits to widows/orphans of deceased workers,
and food/subsisdence financial assistance to
unemployed persons, thereby becoming the first
form of employee assistance program.
b. Services, goods or money due to an individual by
virtue of a specific status.
c. The concept, based on the belief that pauperism is
voluntary, that the condition of a poor person
receiving “relief” should be worse than the condition
of the poorest self-supporting labourer in the
community.
d. An institution/shelte common prior to the
twentieth century, established to house/feed
destitude families/individuals. Also known as an
almshouse.
e. Persons whose income from employment is not
sufficient to meet their survival needs.
f. A system of financial aid programs funded out of
general tax revenues; people may receive benefits
even if they never paid any taxes. To qualify, one
must fit a specific category ( elderly, dependent
child) and pass a means test.
g. Procedures used to assure opportunities such as
employment, advancement/admission to professional
programs to people who have been discriminated
against, such as women/minorities.
h. The amount of money an insured person must pay
up front before an insurer will pay the remaining
amount of the bill.
i. A historically important form of social welfare
benefit in which the recipient was required to reside
in an institution ( almshouse/workhouse ) in order to
remain eligible.
10. indoor relief
11. insurance
12. lady almoner
13. lesser eligibility
14. means test
15.outdoor relief
16.poorhouse
17.public assistance
18.public issue
19.social insurance
20. vagrant
21. voucher
22.workhouse
j. poorhouse
k. Government programmes to protect citizens from
the full consequences of the risks to which they are
vulnerable ( unemployment, disability, death of a
breadwinner, and catastrohical medical care needs).
Governments require covered individuals to make
regular contributions to a fund, theoretically, is set
aside and used to reimburse those who are covered
by the plan for any losses they suffer as a result of
the covered risks.
l. The donation of goods and services to those in
need.
m. Corporations/other organizations that are
developed for the purpose of making a profit. Health
care facilities today provide much less “charity” care
than in the past, as many have evolved into EO. The
for-profit corporation has recently entered the field
of corrections.
n. The right of all person regardless of race ,
ethnicity , gender, age, religion to be considered for
employment.
o. Social welfare programmes designed to provide
individuals with enough money/goods/services to
maintain a predetermined standard of living.
p. Programs designed to protect citizens….see social
insurance.
r. The forerunners of today health care workers , of
the original ones were SW s from London’s COS ,
who in the late 1800’s interviewed patients at the
Royal free hospital to determine which were eligible
to receive free medical care. Then they broadened
their services.
s. Evaluating a client’s financial resources and using
the result as a criterion to determine eligibility
benefit.
t. A from of welfare relief providing assistance
outside residential institution (e.g in one’s own
home.)
u. As issue , such as poverty , that affects so many
people in a society that people come to perceive the
problem as beyond the “fault” of each affected
individual
v. A person who wanders from place to place with
no permanent home/job.
z. Coupons/stamps worth a certain amount of money
only if spend on specified services/products.
23. working poor
w. An “indoor relief “ from of assistance common
in the eighteenth century , in which poor people who
received help , had to live / work in special facilities.