Social Welfare and Social Services

Social Welfare Definition

Organized concern of all peoples for all people (Gertrude Wilson)
The organized system of social services and institutions, design to aid individuals and groups
to attain satisfying standards of life and health (Walter Friedlander)
Includes those laws, programs, benefits and services which assure or strengthen provisions
for meeting social needs recognized as basic to well-being of the population, and the better
functioning of the social order (Elizabeth Wickenden).

All the organized social arrangement which have the direct and primary objective the well-
being of people in a social context (Pre-Conference Working Committee for the 15th
International Conference on Social Welfare).

Encompasses the well-being of all the members of human society, including their physical,
mental, emotional, social, economic and spiritual well-being.

Social welfare is a development priority of the Philippine government. Conceptually, social

welfare refers to the "well-being of all the members of human society, including their
physical, mental, emotional, social, economic and spiritual" state (Mendoza 198: 1). It can be
achieved through laws, programs, benefits, and services that assure or strengthen provisions
in meeting basic needs. Ultimately, social welfare provisions redound to the good of the social
order (Mendoza 1981: 1).

These provisions may be directed to –

• strengthening existing arrangements;

• mitigating the hardships or handicaps of particular individuals and groups;
• pioneering new services;
• stimulating a better adaptation of the social structure;
• including the creation of new programs as needed; or,
• a combination of these approaches to respond to social needs.

Another view holds that social welfare is attained when "well-being" is manifested by people
(Midgley 1995: 14). To achieve well-being requires three elements. The first is the degree to
which social problems are managed. The second is the extent to which needs are met. Third
is the degree to which opportunities for advancement is provided. In other words, it is
important to set up mechanisms by which the attainment of well-being is assured, and to make
sure that this is sustained and improved. The concept of well-being covers broad
requirements, such as income, security, housing, education, recreation, and cultural
traditions (Mendoza 1981: 1).

Services to address these requirements are not necessarily lodged in one office. For instance,
the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) caters to the broad social welfare
needs of the population. Different government agencies undertake other social welfare
requirements that need specialized services (i.e., health and labor). Social welfare needs to
be pursued as part of the process of governance. Governance deals with managing resources
and political authority to ensure that public programs address basic needs in a way that
conforms to accepted standards of effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, equity, and
sustainability.

II. Society responds to unmet needs or problems through the ff. ways

Individual and group efforts

A systematic and voluntary efforts undertaken by individuals and/or groups in response to
unmet needs.

Major societal institutions which have their designated roles and responsibilities
for meeting human need- the family, the church, the government, cooperatives, and labor
unions.

Social Agency
major provision for helping people; integral part of a community institutionalized network of
services; professional social workers are usually employed by a social agency.

Two Views or Conceptions of Social Welfare

Residual Formulation
 conceives of the social welfare as temporary offered during emergency situations and
withdrawn when the regular social system is working properly.

Institutional Formulation
sees social welfare as a proper, legitimate function of modern society

Our own Philippine Constitution (1987) reflects the institutional view In the Philippines today,
many institutions and agencies combine the two views because of the nature of the people's
needs and problems.

IV. Social welfare programs usually fall under the categories:

Social Security
set of compulsory measures instituted to protect the individual and his family against the
consequences of an unavoidable interruption.

Personal Social Services

service functions which have major bearing upon personal problems, individual situations of
stress, interpersonal helping or helping people in need, and the provision of direct
collaboration with workers from government and voluntary agencies.

Public Assistance
material/concrete aids/supports provided usually by government agencies to people who
have no income or means of support for themselves and their families.
B. SOCIAL SERVICES

I. Definition
Refers to programs, services and other activities provided under various auspices,
to concretely answer the needs and problems of the society.

In a very general sense, this refers to those organized activities that are primarily and directly
concerned with the conservation, the protection, and the development of human beings; e.g.,
health, education, and welfare.

For social workers it means specific services addressed to disadvantaged individuals or

groups in society to maximize their social functioning; e.g., for socialization and development,
for social therapy, rehabilitation and social protection, for help and assistance, and for
providing opportunities or access to services that client needs.

II. Why is There a Need for Social Services?

There are people who have needs and problems beyond their own capacity for solution Social
welfare (and therefore, social services) has been accepted as a legitimate function of modern
industrial society in helping people fulfill themselves Many of the problems people face today
are traceable to the rapid social change that has been taking place (adverse effects of
urbanization and industrialization; rural underdevelopment) Richard M. Titmus sees social
problems as structural or basically located in the economy. He considers social services as
partial compensation for the socially generated disservices and socially caused welfare.

III. Among the many legitimate and vitally important goals of social welfare are the ff.

Humanitarian and Social Justice Goals

rooted in the democratic ideal of social justice based on the belief that man has the potential
to realize himself except for factors (physical, social, economic, psychological, etc.) that
sometimes hinder or prevent him.

This concept submits that it is right and just for man to help man, hence,
social services involves identification of the most inflicted, the most dependent, the
most neglected and those least to help themselves and making them priority.

Social Control Goal

Based on the recognition that needy, deprived, or disadvantaged groups may strike out,
individually and or/collectively against what they consider to be an offending society.

Economic Development Goal

Social services which directly contribute to increased productivity.
Social services which prevent or relieve the burden of dependence on adult works of such
dependents.

C. SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY

I. Definition
A statement of intentions to guide action in meeting a perceived need or problem; it may
consist of principles and procedures related to individual and aggregate relationships in
society which are used to intervene in and regulate an otherwise random social system.
Though social welfare policy is not specifically defined in the Social Work
Dictionary (Barker, 2003), conceptually, it is best thought of as a subset of the larger social
policy arena. Policy has been formally defined as “the explicit or implicit standing plan that
an organization or government uses as a guide for action” (Barker). Policy establishes a
specific set of program procedures (Baumheier & Schorr 1977), includes all public activities
(Zimmermann, 1979), and considers resource distribution and its effect on “peoples' social
well-being” (Dear, 1995). While policy creates a plan of action, it also, as Titmuss (1966)
writes, directs attention to “definite problems”. Countering the preciseness of policy,
Rohrlich (1977) finds it to be often vague and imprecise.

In its most basic form, social policy incorporates five core characteristics. First, policy is the
formal expression of a community's values, principles, and beliefs. Second, these values,
principles, and beliefs become reality through a program and its resulting services. Third,
policy provides legitimacy and sanctions an organization to provide a particular program or
service. Fourth, policy offers a roadmap for an organization to realize its mission. Fifth, policy
creates the broad structural framework that guides the practitioner in his or her professional
role.

II.Why is Social Policy Important?

These policies seek to uphold a standard of living for all citizens, providing for basic needs
for those who—temporarily or in a more sustained way—cannot meet those needs for
themselves.

Social welfare policies highlight the value of those whose income falls below a certain
threshold or who have no income at all. It supports these individuals and families with access
to housing, food, and/or medical care so that they are not left hopeless. Such policies also
protect those who are medically fragile, offering them a means of obtaining medical care and
access to basic human needs in a structured way.

By having a social welfare policy, the entire community benefits—not just the individuals who
receive those services. Without providing access to such services, there would almost
certainly be an entire population of people starving and begging publicly.