Social Policy and Professional Ethics Flashcards
Definition of the Institution of Social Welfare: Social Policy
a constellation of laws, regulations, customs, traditions, mores, folkways, values, beliefs, ideologies, roles, role expectations, occupations, organizations, and history, all centering on the fulfillment of vital social functions
Definition of the Institution of Social Welfare: The Functions and Domains of Social Policy
subjective of vigorous debate in western societies
social policy analysts note that there are numerous perspectives and definitions based on varying beliefs about the role of government and society in providing nurturance, care and protection to citizens
Views on Social Policy
major functions of social policy are redistributive; social policy in this view, a vehicle through which harsher consequences of global capitalism and modernism are redressed
other views identify social policy within a network of specific functionals and domains that are more closely resemble traditional social services; these include education, personal social services, housing, health care, employment, and income support
some argue social policy is synonymous with social welfare institutions; social policy deals with residual social functions which are activities not addressed through normal market forces; operate a minimal safety net or programs and supports designed to prevent individuals and families from falling below a loosely defined basic minimum standard
Functions and Domains of Social Policy: Modern Societies
complex socialization requirements that must be delegated to the state
Functions and Domains of Social Policy: Normal Family Functions
no longer be relied upon to provide the full range of opportunities for socialization and protection possible in previous periods
The Societal Context for the Provision of Services: Characteristics of Social Welfare Activities
communal provisions of resources for citizens
social welfare is one spaced of the social contract between citizens and the society
promotes social stability by preventing individuals and families from falling below a minimum standard of health adn welfare
social invetment promotes certain outcomes that are socially desirable and essential
welfare programs focus on target groups who cannot meet their needs through their own efforts or who require social welfare intervention
Major Characteristics of Social Welfare Provisions: Institutional Programs
programs, services, and institutions provided by government as integral social functions
Characteristics of Institutional Programs
services available to all societal members and have broad, inclusive eligibility criteria; they are universal
services and benefits that are not means-tested
Major Characteristics of Social Welfare Provisions: Residual Programs
provided when the market or family is not equipped to provide necessary assistance
Characteristics of Residual Programs
means-tested
also known as the safety net
Majors Characteristics of Social Welfare Provisions: Universal Programs
programs available to everyone regardless of income
non-means tested
significant political insurance against the winds of policy change
they unify diverse political groups since everyone benefits
Universal Programs: Social Security Old Age Programs
insurance programs rather than charity, and are universal since everyone in covered occupation is eligible for benefits
Major Characteristics of Social Welfare Programs: Selective Programs
available to people with certain defined characteristics
usually income-tested
provisions available to people who cannot afford benefits
Characteristics of Social Welfare Activities: Purposes of Social Welfare Programs
benefit target groups, but also express wider interests of the larger society
-society’s image of itself as humane and caring
-desire for social stability
-genuine altruistic impulses
Purposes of Social Welfare Programs: Social Development
certain social welfare programs have a developmental philosophy
they emphasize positive or developmental social goals such as literacy, infant health, maternal well-being, full employment, a higher or a lower birth rate
Purposes of Social Welfare Programs: Social Control
other social welfare programs are more reactive to social deviance and emphasize the control of aberrant behavior
Relationship to Large Social Order: Restoration of Stability/Social Control
-Pacification or rehabilitation of threatening individuals, groups and communities
-Removing target groups from public visibility
Relationship to Large Social Order: Social Change
-Advancing social and technological agendas
-Expanding civil rights and liberties
-Redistributing power and resources
-Supporting and enabling potentially disruptive economic changes by mitigating the worst effects of unemployment and poverty
Traditional Domains of Social Welfare
-Incoming maintenance
-Housing
-Health
-Education
-Employment
-Personal social services
Social Welfare Delivery Systems: Occupational
social welfare benefits provided through the workplace
Social Welfare Delivery System: Fiscal
social welfare benefits provided through tax breaks
Social Welfare Delivery System: Private Market
services are purchased from profit making organizations
Social Welfare Delivery System: Social Services
services received free or on a sliding scale (ability to pay) through public or nonprofit private agencies
Social Policy Issues: 21st Century
focus on the extent to which social programs encourage behaviors that are not socially sanctioned
belief that welfare entitlements promote dependency and cause recipients to leave the job market permanently
some states debated refusing to pay increased benefits for children conceived while the mother was receiving public support
others increased efforts to locate absent fathers to force them to pay for their children
frustration within the system has led to new legislation designed to address these questions
effect has been to place limits on the duration of welfare benefits and to require work or work training as part of the requirement for coninuation
Social Policy Issues: Policy Discussions Invariable Center on Standards of Need
How should the standard be established and by whom?
Should there be a national standard or should each state have the widest flexibility?
To what extent should standards conform to local conditions?
The criteria used for setting benefit levels have many implications
states with more generous benefits or easier eligibility criteria could become magnets for the poor, attracting poverty-stricken recipients from more penurious jurisdictions
local conditions differ
rural areas in many states are far less expensive than large urban centers
uniform benefits would have to account for differing local standards
Social Policy Issues: Other Controversies Continue to Boil Around Social Priorities
How can government mediate between the competing interests of various groups?
For example, does affirmative action discriminate against the white poor?
Should society provide relatively high benefit levels for the elderly, when the numbers of children and young mothers in poverty are rapidly growing?
Should costly medical treatments from seriously ill patients take prioirty over preventative care?
Social Policy Issues: Costs and Taxation
Who should pay for social programs?
How can costs be limited?
Can welfare recipients shoulder more of the burdens?
Should government rely more on user fees?
Should social security taxes become more progressive?
Social Policy Issues: Residual View
services should be rendered on temporary case basis as a response to catastrophe, personal misfortune, or mismanagement
residual social services are to be available only when normal market forces, family resources, or other private resources are overhwlemed or break down
residual services or programs are means-tested or based on some deficiency
they usually fight a stigma
Social Policy Issues: Institutional View
social services are a central function of the society and must be available to all, not just for emergencies or abnormalities in individual, family, or community functioning
services are only rehabilitative but developmental and preventative
geared towards helping individuals reach their fullest human potential
these services are not means-tested and carry no stigma
Income Maintenance: Social Security Act of 1935 with Many Amendments
provides Old Age, Survivors, Disability, and Health Insurance
a federal program operated by the Social Security Administration, a part of the Department of Health and Human Services
the nation’s largest social program and covers 90 percent of the workforce
employers and employees contribute to workers’ Social Security retirement fund
there is a maximum contribution tied to a maximum eligible salary
tax regressive since it has its highest impact on lower wage workers, while the highest paid workers, particularly those over the Social Security maximum, pay at a very low rate
under social security, the basic benefit paid to a retired or permanently disabled worker is related to retirement age and the level of covered earnings
dependents and survivors receive a proportion of the benefit is not means-tested
in the last decade, Social Security rules changed and eligible recipients may continue to work and earn income
Social Security Analysts
concerned about the fiscal health of the Social Security system as the large “baby boom” generation becomes eligible for benefits
begun claiming cash and medical benefits
Income Maintenance: Survivors’ Insurance
paid to surviving minor children (and those still in school and under age 22) and their surviving parent, and to dependent parents of deceased worker
Income Maintenance: Disability Insurance
paid to disabled adults who are unable to work; most people over 65 are entitled to Medicare and voluntary supplemental medical insurance for physician fees
Income Maintenance: Unemployment Insurance
originally passed in 1935 as part of the Social Security Act
employers contribute to a state unemployment fund that benefits workers who are dismissed
the states administer UI
programs and benefits very from state to state
workers must register with the U.S. Employment Service and show willingness and ability to work
benefits are time-limited and are based on past earnings and length of employment
Income Maintenance: Workman’s Compensation
a social insurance program providing cash payments and medical benefits to workers who are injured on the job and suffer a significant disability
the states operate the program, and its coverage varies
