Chapter 01 - SWP & ValuesClass 2020

Social Welfare Policy and
Underlying Values
Chapter 1
SOWK 230
Social Welfare Policy and Social Programs: A Values Perspective 4e

By Elizabeth . A. Segal
Components of Social Welfare
1. Social – collective nature
of society
2. Welfare – well-being,

state of healthy balance
Social Welfare
Together they mean
“Well being of society”

Maintenance
Social Welfare
“The Maintenance of
the well-being of
society is the domain
of social welfare”
What is Social Welfare?
Social Welfare policy
Social welfare programs

Social Welfare
 Social
Welfare Policy is the collective
response to social problems
 Policy– assumes a position which does

not necessarily require action
Social Welfare Policy
Position to act
or not to act
on a social issue or
problem on behalf of
society
Social Welfare
 SocialWelfare Programs are products
of social welfare policies
 SocialSecurity program product of the

Social Security Act of 1935
TAXES
 The current tax rate for social security
is 6.2% for the employer and 6.2% for the
employee, or 12.4% total. The current rate
for Medicare is 1.45% for the employer
and 1.45% for the employee, or 2.9% total.
 Tax year 2017

Why Study Social Welfare?
Social Work Code of Ethics
NASW
Section 6
Social Workers should

promote the general welfare
of society
Social Work Code of Ethics
 Section 6.04 (a)
 Social Workers should be aware of
the impact of the political arena on
practice and should advocate for
changes in policy and legislation to
improve social conditions in order
to meet basic human needs and
promote social justice.
Why Study Social Welfare?
Gain power
Power to question
Advocate for change
Make good decisions about
people's lives
Premises for Studying Social Welfare
1. Each person is a 4. As citizens we
part of social
are policy makers
welfare system
2. Americans are both
providers and 5. Influence that
recipients values and beliefs
3. Different have on social
approaches to welfare policies and
providing social systems
welfare
Each Person is a Part of the
System
Each Person is a Part
1. What is the issue of concern? (Problem
Identification)
2. What would we like to change or achieve?
(Goals)
3. How have we mandated a response to this issue?
(Legislation or regulation)
4. What programs and services have resulted from
this mandate? (Service delivery system)
Questions to Ask
 Who gets the services?  Eligibility
 Why do they get the  Program Goals
services?
 What do they receive?  Benefits
 How do they receive  Service Delivery
services? System
 What does it cost?  Cost Analysis
 Who pays for it?  Financing
Provision of Social Welfare
Services
1. To provide a safety net for all
people
2. To provide services that cannot

be effectively provided on an
individual basis
Approaches to the Provision
of Social Welfare
1. Residual
2. Institutional
3. Universal
4. Selective
Residual Social Welfare
 Calls
for organized public interventions
when the normal resources of family and
the market place breakdown
 Social services are required when an

individual cannot provide for themselves
usually in an emergency/crisis
 Focus is on individual behaviors and
responsibility
Institutional Social Welfare Policy
Social welfare programs are seen as a
normal part of the social structure.
They are preventive in nature
Institutional social welfare policy see

providing service as a legitimate
function of society
Focuses on prevention and collective
responsibility
Question
To what extent should
individuals be responsible
for their own lives and to
what extent should
society be responsible?
Provision of Services
 Universality– Social services that
provide benefits to all members of
society, regardless of income and means
 Selectivity
– Services are restricted to
those who can demonstrate need
through established eligibility criteria
Social Welfare Policy Blend
Residual Institutional
Universal Federal Emergency Management Agency Public Education

(FEMA) Fire and Police Protection
Selective Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Social Security
(TANF public cash assistance program for
low-income families)
Public and Private Efforts
Tax breaks
Tax abatements
Low-interests loans
Tax free enterprise zones
Shareholders – Troubled Asset
Relief Program (TARP) bailout
Why do We Have Social
Welfare System
U.S. has a capitalistic
market economy
Government
involvement needed to
assist the needy
Values and Beliefs
A value is
A belief is
Values and Beliefs
A value is the worth, desirability,or
usefulness placed on something
A belief is an opinion or conviction
 Bothhave shifting impact on social

welfare policy
Religious Values
 Development of social welfare services can
be traced to values reflected in the dominant
religions of our country
 Goals of religious charitable efforts were to

uphold moral character, maintain
humbleness, and help those who are less
fortunate
Name Some of the Religions
in America
Religion and Social Welfare
Policy
 Christian—America most strongly
influenced by Christianity than any
other religion
 Jewish
 Muslim
 Buddhist
 Protestant
 Roman Catholic
 Mormon
Religion and Social Welfare Policy
 Over 80% of the American population report
a religious affiliation
 Over 90% report belief in the existence of a
supreme being
 More than $295 billion donated to churches
and charities in 2006
 The variety of religious expression in this
country is unequaled
Personal Values
Shaped by our own experiences,
reflects our beliefs
Can vary greatly from person to

person, influenced by our
backgrounds, families, and can
overlap with religious beliefs
Social Values
 Two competing yet strong social
values that shape policy are:
1. Social responsibility and

citizenship
2. Hard work and self-sufficiency

Conflicting Beliefs
Undeserving Deserving
Personal Failure System Failure
Individual Responsibility Social Responsibility
Individual Change Social Change
Self-Sufficiency Social Support
Handout Charity Entitlement
Aid to Those We Know Aid to Strangers

Religions and Faith-Based Practice Separation of Church and State
Crisis Response Prevention
Sympathy Empathy
Suspicion Trust
Emotions Rationality
For Consideration
 U.S. believes that we all have freedom of
choice
 Do we all really have freedom to choose
how we live our lives?
 How does that create social injustice?
 How do social welfare polices and
programs assist in providing choices?

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Social Welfare Policy and

Social Welfare Policy and Social Programs: A Values Perspective 4e

2. Welfare – well-being,

“Well being of society”

Social welfare programs

 Policy– assumes a position which does

 SocialSecurity program product of the

 Tax year 2017

Social Workers should

2. To provide services that cannot

 Social services are required when an

Institutional social welfare policy see

Universal Federal Emergency Management Agency Public Education

A belief is an opinion or conviction

 Bothhave shifting impact on social

 Goals of religious charitable efforts were to

Can vary greatly from person to

1. Social responsibility and

2. Hard work and self-sufficiency

Aid to Those We Know Aid to Strangers

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