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Theories and Concepts of Social Policy Essay- Aisling McNeill- 14437988 “What is Social Policy?” The question “what is social policy?” is an extremely difficult one to answer in a mere one thousand words. I decided to try and give a broad answer to this by covering three aspects of social policy. I looked at defining “social policy” and some academics thoughts on this subject. I then looked into a small part of the history of social policy by referring to the start of social policy in Ireland and the entry of some of the major milestones, in education and health. I finished the essay by looking at one of the concepts that is used in social policy, the mixed economy of welfare. Alcock et al. (2004) describes social policy as something that is extremely challenging to define. The definition they use in their book is that social policy is: “the theoretical pursuit of norms about how we think society “ought” to behave, but also the practical application and implementation of those policies that we consider to be “social”. (Alcock et al. p.1 (2004) This describes social policy in the way that there are both theoretical aspects to social policy and practical aspects to social policy. The theoretical aspects are what people want and expect from society and what should be there. The practical aspects define the enacting …show more content…
These include things like welfare and the mixed economy of welfare. The mixed economy of welfare is used in Ireland. It refers to the fact that the government are not the only people to look after those in need of care and welfare. This is also done by voluntary agencies, private agencies and informal sectors, Fanning et al. (1999). This shows that the welfare of the people is an issue not just of the state but societies as other parts of society contribute, however, the government is needed to oversee this. Bryan Fanning defines it by
Social norms are really important to our society’s functioning. If certain norms were not followed it is almost certain chaos would ensue. Not only do we follow social norms in order to prevent chaos, we also follow them to avoid the consequences of not following them, especially if the functional perspective is accurate. On occasion though, breaking subtle norms that we may not think about often can prove to have interesting results.
Policy Analysis is a complicated topic in the field of social work. It is used as a means to study and understand a policy in all of its dimensions. There are different dimensions of a policy analysis, but the purpose of the analysis determines which parts are to be taken into consideration. The policy itself can alter the policy analysis. I have created a program that deals with child welfare, and it will require me to complete a policy analysis.
Throughout this assignment a variety of terminology will be used, first it is appropriate to define what the term ‘Social Policy’ means. Social policy can be defined in different ways and ‘there is no established or agreed definition of social policy’ (Baldock et, al., 1999:21). From reading different books on social policy, the author’s understanding of social policy is it provides guidelines to deal with social problems . Social problems are matters which direct...
Chambers, D. E., & Wedel, K. R. (2005). Social policy and social programs: A method for the practical public policy analyst (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
The lives of all individuals are impacted by social policies that have been created and written in the past and this impact will continue as historical social policies are updated and with each future social policies that is created and written. The impact of social policy is significant because, “Although social policy may address individual needs, it also typically benefits the host society” (Chapin, 2014, p.2). In other words, each social policy does not directly impact each individual in society, but overall social policies impact the entire society in some form or another. “Social policies are the rules, laws, and regulations that govern the benefits and services provided by the government and private organizations to assist people in
Our English heritage has greatly affected social welfare today. Some of the standards set in England include: indoor relief; a national policy for the poor; the provision of serving the poor by placing them in institutions; and the categorization of the poor into two basic categorizes, the worthy poor and the able-bodied poor (unworthy poor). The Elizabethan Poor Law also set precedents which include: clear government responsibility for those in need; government authority to force people to work; government enforcement of family responsibility; responsibility for carrying out programs at the local level; and strict residence requirements.
The reason for this exclusion is that policy experts generally are not direct service practitioners and are not trained to provide direct services” (246). In my opinion, if we define policy which is a form of structure that values and guide our choices for us to make a result. That’s one of the skills you have by being able to guide individual and making an outcome of their situation. Advocates and policy-practice have the same skills and goal for their clients, according to wyers you have the ability to turn policy-practice to practice. He states, “The policy-practitioner converts policy to practice and provides antennae for policymakers to verify the impact of policy or the need to change and create policy” (245). This is significant because if you have the power and knowledge of turning policy into practice that helps clients and individuals with their situation and make a change in their life.
Based on the a article “The Definition of Social Policy” my understanding of social welfare policy is law and rules that are set in place to develop the lives of people in the community and allow them to thrive. Social welfare is not only about programs and benefits provided by the government to assist disadvantaged groups. It is far more complex than that as Midgley states “This narrow meaning fails to capture the original significance of the term,
Cheyne, C., O’Brien, M., Belgrave, M. (2008). Social Policy: In Aotearoa New Zealand (4th ed). Australia and New Zealand: Oxford University Press
Social welfare dates back almost 50 years, but through those years the real question is, what is social welfare? The interesting part of social welfare is that one persons definition or belief may be different from another’s belief. The truth is, not one person is right about the definition or ideology of social welfare. Social welfare programs have grown, shrunk, stabilized, and declined over the years, and today many believe that we are in a period of decline. The text “Ideology and Social Welfare” states that there are four different views to social welfare, all having their unique attributes. Personally, my view is a combination of the reluctant collectivists, the anti-collectivist, and the Fabian socialists view. I strongly believe that government intervention is necessary in order to control and regulate social welfare while keeping ethics in mind, but at the same time, it is not necessary for everyone. People have the ability to change their lives for the better with hard work and dedication. My opinion is just one of the hundreds that exist today, but as proven throughout history, not one person is necessarily right. The three approaches towards social welfare, the reluctant collectivist approach, the Fabian socialist approach, and the anti-collectivist approach, encompass critical points on social welfare and what can be done to avoid inequality.
In this assignment, I will explore what social policy entails and how it influences the lives of the citizen. The social services are the main concepts of social policy and are provided by the state and other agencies to enhance individual and group welfare. The main social services incorporate income maintenance, housing, education, health and welfare or personal social services.
Introducing universalism in social policies was an attempt to lessen the role of residualism. Residual benefits are granted only as a last resort and are means tested where universal benefits are allocated without having to produce evidence of income or spending. Although residual benefits for the poor originated early in human history, there is good reason to decrease its importance as presented by Beveridge and Titmuss in the chapter dealing with the rise of British Universalism. Selectivity focuses on providing relief to those people deemed to be in need of benefits and services. Examples of selective services in Ireland include access to medical card or local authority housing “were criteria for assessing needs, evidence of living in overcrowded or unfit accommodation, and family size”….(Considine, Dukelow,
The social investment approach is based on three fundamental concepts; the importance of having social protection systems (welfare states) which cater for the citizen’s needs, especially at critical phases of their lives, thus reducing the risk of social breakdown which causes higher social spending; better accessible social policies to deliver adequate and sustainable social protection systems, which may need lower budgets, therefore less stress on public coffers, but which are more efficient in social policy expenditure; implementation of active inclusion strategies by (amongst various) providing affordable or subsidised childcare and education, reduction of early school leaving numbers, training & employment assistance, housing support and accessible health
Social policy context focuses on people or populations who have specific necessities in the social, economic or political orders. For example; needy families who may live below the poverty line or individuals restricted by resources. Selectivity systems are meat for temporary routing back to English Poor laws in which this system stemmed from. Selectivity programs are means tested. There is selectivity- universality continuum which is a mixture of residual institutional conceptions. Many argue that universality provisions of social welfare are typically a better option but from my rural point of view, I believe that it is essential for welfare systems to employ both to provide real opportunities for all necessities in life (Gilbert, 1982) (Selective Versus Universal Benefits,
State help and self- help, in this context, became the two focal points of the ‘principled’ discussion on the subject of the welfare state. Herbert Spencer’s liberalism, an apotheosis of self help, as a deductive system, had deeper implications for welfare state activity. The notion that Spencer was opposed to welfare state is a false one. His doctrine of non- intervention and positivistic connotation, prima facie inconsistent with laissez- faire, but consistent with the view of state help as complimentary to self- help.