Policies govern the way in which we live. They dictate and shape our lives and distinguish which services are being implemented by the agencies many of us work for. Furthermore, social welfare policies are put in place to help the client population we service and are designed to promote the wellbeing of its citizens. Social welfare policies were designed to “service the needs of particularly vulnerable or disadvantaged groups such as foster children, low-income families living in inner-city areas, or people with mental illness” (Midley, 2009, p. 5). Social welfare policies affect us on many levels and is not only designed to protect the vulnerable population but also to protect employees benefits which include but are not limited to the benefits such as Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare. These policies recognize that we all have a hierarchy of needs and in order for us to reach our fullest potential, those needs must be met as mentioned by Abramovitz. The concept of Institutional Social Welfare recognizes that families are usually the first source of support for its members followed by friends, neighbors, and the local community as mentioned by Midley. The Institutional Social Welfare concepts remind me of the term, “it …show more content…
Programs like Food Stamps (SNAP), Medicaid, and public assistance are considered residual programs. Residual programs serve different populations than that of Institutional Programs and represent different philosophies. Meanwhile, programs such as Medicare, Unemployment Insurance, and social security are considered Institutional Programs and represent the philosophy of providing services for the non-poor
This mini-paper will discuss the social welfare system. The mini-paper includes a discussion of welfare Policy, residual and institutional approach, and what is Social Welfare and Social Security. Midgely, (2009), pointed out that social welfare systems deliver services that facilitate and empower our society, especially to those persons who require assistance in meeting their basic human needs. The goal of social welfare is to provide social services to citizens from diverse cultures, and examples include Medicare, Medicaid, and food benefits. Midgley,( 2009).
Hays found that initially most welfare workers were optimistic and even excited about the changes. Most workers felt that the Act represented real progress and allowed for positive changes which would positively impact the lives of their clients. Hays spoke to one welfare who said that welfare reform “offered the training and services necessary to 'make our clients' lives better, to make them better mothers, to make them more productive.'” But as she was soon to find out, welfare reform, while it did have a positive impact on the lives of some welfare clients, made the lives of most clients more difficult, not to mention the stress that it caused for the welfare workers who had to deal with the often confusing and illogical new rules.
In the terms of the amount of money spent by the national government, the growth of social welfare activities was the most significant policy change in the role of government takes money from taxpayers or borrows it and disburses cash or in-kind benefits, such as food stamps, to millions of people who qualify because of old age, disability, unemployment, or poverty. (Turner et al. 469)
This essay will look at defining what social policy is and give a brief overview of the selected policy. Examining the need for the policy, statistical evidence supporting this. Then the pressure groups lobbying and who may have been influential in policy development.
During class, the Progressive Era from 1890-1916 was discussed. The countless reforms happened in the Progressive Era were bound to be controversial. Nevertheless, based on our study, it was my contention that the Progressive Era was successful on account of the changes made on social welfare and on the role of presidents.
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
As of 1996, state and local governments were asked to assist many people in gaining their independence after the reform was enacted. (“Welfare Reform”) It is vital to the economy of the United States citizens to have the ability to support themselves as well as their families with no help from the government. Protecting all children and strengthening families were important parts of the reform measure. (“Welfare Reform”) The Welfare Reform Agenda of 2003 was built on the bases of the 1996 Welfare Reform Act. The goals of 2003 were to assist families in achieving financial independence from the government. (“Welfare Reform”) The 2003 agenda imposed a lifetime of 5 years of welfare benefits. (“Revisiting Reform”) The agenda also required able bodied adults must go to work within two years of receiving help from the government. (“Revisiting Reform”) Welfare reform can be described as a governments attempt to alter the welfare policy of the
The social security program is part of our social insurance model that provides people with disabilities, retiring or without employment with cash and other in kind- benefits. Thus, I think that this policy is effective in promoting wellness in our society because it’s a stable framework, it is not means tested and tries to provide for the welfare of people without running on a private or neoliberal agenda. In other words, because the social security is universal and its run by the government, the OASIS program makes sure that all people, at least those qualify, get the means to survive. On the other hand, the social assistance program is not as effective as the social insurance model because it is means tested, its unstable and created many bureaucratic red tapes for people in need of assistance. One policy especially that affected me is the Medicaid. The Medicaid is a social assistance program that tries to provide free universal healthcare to people that are low- income, with disabilities or under the age of 21. However, the program instead of promoting wellness to low-income people, they put them through inefficient services and inadequate health care system that only affects low income people at the long run. For example, just to get an appointment, I had to enrolled myself in a waiting list that took 1 month for me to get check out. In
Welfare programs are an important part of American society. Without any type of American welfare, people will starve, children will not receive the proper education, and people will not receive any medical help simply because they do not have the resources available to them. Each of the three aspects of the American welfare system are unique in their own ways because they are funded differently and the benefits are given to different people. While support for these welfare systems has declined in the more recent years, the support for it when it was created was strong.
The United States is sometimes described as a “reluctant welfare state.” I agree with this statement. Too often there are programs created by our government that, although may be lined with good intentions, end up failing in their main purpose. The government may, and hopefully does, seek to help its citizens. However, by applying unreasonable qualifying or maintenance criteria, or too many restrictions that bar people from even receiving aid at all, they end up with many more problems than solutions. Three examples of policies that do this are: Medicare, No Child Left Behind, and TANF, or the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
Through research, personal interviews, and first-hand knowledge, I will demonstrate how the Welfare Assistance Program in New York State is nothing short of a parasite, which drains its recipients of their dignity, ambition and dreams of a better life while disguising itself as temporary aid to those in need. In order to understand this subject, the best place to start is the beginning of the process. To receive benefits, one must first meet eligibility requirements. These requirements are regularly updated and published by The New York Public Welfare Association (New York Public Welfare Association, 2011). The NYPWA states that a social workers review the income, size of family, and demonstration of need of all its applicants. Factors such as medical emergencies, pregnancy, homelessness, or unemployment are most common need factors seen when reviewing applications.
The poor are everywhere it seems. They are on the street corner, in the local 7 Eleven, and in the plaza. Sometimes I get sick of them and even angry with them when they pester me for money. I ask myself, "Is the best way to deal with poor, to give them money from my pocket?" It's obvious that other people have given them money from their pockets at different times. If no one had ever given them money, then these people wouldn't be standing here asking for money. The fact is, many poor people ask for money because they know they can get money that way. For most of the last 70 years our government has indirectly given the poor money from our pockets, through taxes and welfare. Not surprisingly, people have continued to ask for money. For most of those 70 years welfare fed the mentality that the best way to get money was to ask. I believe welfare as it was first started, failed miserably and created millions of dependents in poverty instead of independents above poverty. The welfare reform of 1996, I believe has helped the poor escape from the trap of poverty and is a more beneficial way of dealing with the poor.
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,
Social welfare is an expansive system proposed to maintain the well being of individuals within a society. This paper will explain the progression from the feudal system and church provisions for the poor before the Elizabethan Poor Law to the gradual assumption of the responsibility for the poor by the government. A responsibility assumed not out of humanity and concern for the poor, but as a process of standardizing the ways in which the poor were to be managed. The history of social welfare reflects differences in values as they relate to social responsibility in taking care of the needy. Our society has been influenced by values like Judeo-Christian humanitarianism and the economic doctrine of laissez faire. Our present social welfare structure is also influenced by these values.
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.