Chapter 11 (Social Welfare System) Flashcards
2 Forms of social care
- Formal care:
(Provide information and support services)
- provided by government and Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs)
- provided by trained individuals
- coordinated / supervised / guided by professionals - Informal care:
(Provide emotional support and financial assistance)
Provided by the carers who…
- receive no official payment / the time spent on providing care is unpaid
- provides care on a voluntary basis
- friends, family members, neighbours or relatives
Care provided by Volunteers for In/Formal Care
- Complementing informal care:
- volunteers are trained and organised to provide care services - Complementing formal care:
- they do not belong to any organisations and are able to enjoy their autonomy and independence from the government and the market
- they do not charge the clients for their services.
What are volunteers
(Can be used for In/Formal Care as well)
- As a form of demonstrating social concerns and responsibility
The role of social care:
- mutual care and support
- increase empathy to the disadvantaged
- commitment to the community
- develop communication and problem solving skills in the context of family, community and society
- grow up as balanced and socially responsible individuals - Roles of volunteers in complementing to the private care
- extra manpower resources to the services
Concepts of Social Welfare
- BROAD SENSE+NARROW SENSE-
In the broad sense
- cover the other public services
(E.g. health care, education, housing and employment)
In the narrow sense
- social services provided to people in need by the Social Welfare Department and NGOs
(E.g. elderly and disabled persons)
Concepts of Social Security
Social protection established by government that provides individuals and households to ensure access to health care and to guarantee income security when faced with the contingencies such as sickness or unemployment
Categorization of Welfare Services
-CATEGORIES+EXAMPLES-
Categories:
- Different Target Groups
Examples:
- Family and Child Welfare
- Services for the Elderly
- Rehabilitation Services
- Services for Offenders
Categories:
- Different Purposes of Intervention
Examples:
- Preventive or Crisis Intervention
- Center-based or Community-based
- Integrated or Specialized Services
Categories:
- Different Professional Areas
Examples:
- Outreaching Social Work
- Social Work in Integrated Family Service Centres
- Medical Social Work
Concept of Protection (Insurance)
Present vs Future
- Income protection in times of uncertainty
(e.g. illness, unemployment, maternity, …etc.)
- Helping to alleviate individual suffering;
- Distribution of resources over one’s lifetime for future possible risks
Collective vs Individual
- Communal/societal pooling of resources for sharing of risk, mutual help in modern industrial society
- Social stabilisation for economic production;
- Egalitarian income redistribution
Types of Protection
Social:
- Social Insurance = Universal
- Provident Fund = Universal
- Social Assistance = The Poor
Individual
- Personal Insurance / Saving
- Support Network
2 types of Contribution
Contributory Programmes:
- Assistance provided is earnings-related
- Social insurance, Provident fund
Non-contributory Programmes
- Assistance provided by the government to the vulnerable groups or specific target groups
- Means-tested
• Needed：subject to the means and needs of the recipients (or)
• Not needed：a universal rate applied
- Public assistance, old- aged living allowance or old aged allowance
Social Security in Hong Kong / Contribution Examples in Hong Kong
Contributory Programmes
Old Age/Retirement Protection:
- The Mandatory Provident Fund
- Voluntary savings and insurance
Non-contributory Programmes
Provided by the Social Welfare Department:
- Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) Scheme
- Social Security Allowance (SSA) Scheme
- Criminal and Law Enforcement Injuries Compensation (CLEIC) Scheme
- Traffic Accident Victims Assistance (TAVA) Scheme
- Emergency Relief
Development of Social Care in Hong Kong
- Emergency Relief in a Community of Immigrants (1950s)
- in the form of mutual help in the private sphere and was mostly taken up by voluntary agencies - Beginning of Social Assistance (1950s to 1960s)
- Emergency Relief Fund Scheme
- Overseas relief organisations
- Social service was regarded as charity - Golden Decade of Welfare Development (1970s)
- Means-tested public assistance scheme
- Development of social services, especially the youth service - Challenges in the Development of Social Welfare (1980s’ to now)
- Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme
- Lump Sum Grant
Using Lump Sum Grant in financing social services
-PROS+CONS-
Pros:
- NGOs have greater flexibility plan their services to meet changing social needs in a timely manner
- Improves the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the subvention system
- It provides NGOs with the flexibility needed for introducing initiatives which would improve their services
- It increases accountability of the NGOs
Cons:
- Based on the principles of ‘out-of- pocket payment’ and cost effectiveness, the charges for the activities and services will increase
- To achieve cost effectiveness, staff workload may increase and affect the quality of services
Social Welfare Systems in Different Countries (UK)
-RATIONALE+POLICY ASSUMPTION+POLICY OBJECTIVE+FEATURE OF SERVICE PTOVISION-
Rationale:
- Everyone is entitled to reasonable access to healthcare, regardless of the ability to pay
Policy assumptions:
- Social welfare is an integrated institution in the society and is used for resources reallocation
Policy objectives:
- To provide universal services for all based on individual needs
-To provide access to a comprehensive range of health services
Feature of service provision:
- Universal Coverage and Insurance:
- Benefits from National insurance to protect an individual from birth to death
- Public hospital services: free of charge for all citizens
Social Welfare Systems in Different Countries (USA)
-RATIONALE+POLICY ASSUMPTION+POLICY OBJECTIVE+FEATURE OF SERVICE PTOVISION-
Rationale/Policy assumptions:
- Individual needs should be satisfied by the private marketand family
-Allocation of resources according to consumers’ willingness to pay
- Only when these break down should social welfare institutions come into play and then only temporarily
Policy objectives:
- To minimize government intervention and dependence on welfare
Feature of service provision:
- Federal Social Insurance
- The funding of social security is from the tax on the employers of enterprises and business
- Company and private insurances are important parts
Similarities in Social Welfare Systems in HK and Different Countries
Like market-oriented countries:
- welfare services only aim to assist people and families in need
Like welfare states:
- the Government has played the roles of policy-making, resources distribution and service monitoring
- Due to increasing reliance on government funding, most of the NGOs choose to be in line with government social welfare policy
