Social Policy and Welfare System

2031 words 9 pages
SOCIAL POLICY

Social Policy and the Welfare System
Leigh-Ann Hancock
Kaplan University
HN300-01 Human Services and Social Policy
Professor Lorena Lashway
May 1, 2012

Social Policy and the Welfare System Over one hundred years ago poverty-stricken Americans’ means of assistance was met through families, local communities, and charities, typically religious. Following industrialization in the 1870s, the nation’s adult workforce was flooded by employers who were dependent on a continuing flow of money income to provide for themselves and their families (Historical Development, 1997). Over time, measures such as Mother’s pension laws, were adopted in a number of states which gave cash allowances to households without a wage-earning
…show more content…

Welfare program abuse was suspected and claimed by many. Accusations of individuals not applying for work, having more children to get more aid, and staying unmarried just to receive greater benefits, were voiced by dissenters of the current welfare state. During the Reagan administration it was purported that those displeased with the current welfare system felt that providing assistance to children under one year of age perpetuated dependency on the welfare system, which was contrary to the programs goals (Encyclopedia.Com, 2012). Welfare reform is government’s attempt to change the social welfare policy of the country (Welfare Reform – Social Welfare Change, 2012). In 1996 the Welfare Reform Act was passed in answer to the public’s concerns that initial programs born out of the Great Depression era were counterproductive. The objectives of the welfare system today are to raise the living standards of low-income families, provide incentives to work, keep costs low and funding ample (Welfare Reform: A Brief Summary, 2005). Welfare encompasses government programs that provide benefits and financial assistance to no or low income Americans (Welfare Information, 2012). Goals of the welfare system include improving the quality of life and living standards for the poor and underprivileged and helping individuals and families break the cycle of dependency on welfare through educational assistance (Welfare Information, 2012).

Related

  • What Is the Evidence of Welfare State Retrenchment ?
    1457 words | 6 pages
  • Review of Shipler's the Working Poor
    2601 words | 11 pages
  • Social Policy
    2186 words | 9 pages
  • The Welfare State
    1661 words | 7 pages
  • Discuss the Difficulties in Seeking to Adopt a Common Social Policy and Social Welfare Agenda Among the E.U. Member States.
    3957 words | 16 pages
  • The Abuse of the Welfare System
    9691 words | 39 pages
  • Public Policy Evalution
    2598 words | 11 pages
  • Is Welfare Possible for Marx Under the Capitalist Mode of Production
    1379 words | 6 pages
  • Organizational Analysis of Dept of Human Services
    1362 words | 6 pages
  • 2. What is “New Public Management‟? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this trend for the delivery of human services? What are its implications for non-government welfare organisations?
    2095 words | 9 pages