The Liberal Governments Provision of a Welfare State in Britian

The Liberal Governments Provision of a Welfare State in Britian

The Liberal Government (1906-14) worked hard at providing Britain with

a ‘Welfare State’. This meant the provision of comprehensive, equal,

universal state services for the prevention of disease, squalor, want,

idleness and ignorance. Between 1906-1914 many social reforms were

introduced to help provide a Welfare State but to what extent was it

actually established?

The first of the social reforms by the Liberal Government was the

Education (provision of school meals) Act 1906. This act endeavoured

to provide school meals for needy children. It was worked on the ‘feed

the stomach, then the mind’ theory i.e. children who were hungry were

unable to learn. This act although introduced in 1906 was not actually

made compulsory until 1914. This was the first in a number of reforms

designed to improve the lives of children, therefore adding to the

welfare of the state. Medical inspections at school were introduced in

1907 although the government were at first reluctant to do this as it

would, and did, highlight a number of serious health problems in the

country. By 1912 education authorities could also provide free medical

treatment, though many authorities ignored this act. In 1908 the

Borstal Probation System was set up. This created juvenile courts

allowing children not to be seen by judges as full criminals and

treated accordingly. 1919 saw the introduction of the Children’s Act

that forbade children from being in public houses, buying alcohol and

begging. This brought children off the streets doing things they

should not and made the laws for children much better for everyone,

not just the ones relying on the welfare state. The last act that was

passed for children was the Education Act (choice of employment) that

was designed to cut down the number of children who went from school

into dead end jobs by giving them guidance in schools. These acts did

help to improve the welfare of children but may have been more helpful

if they had been followed directly by all local authorities.