Introduction: Why?

Purpose of this book

In class this semester, I got the best question ever after a class discussion from a student sitting right in the front row: “Why are we like this?” Well, it’s a long story and that’s what this book is about.

I began teaching Social Welfare Policy History in 2004. I loved history and was frustrated by what I saw as ineffective social welfare in the US. I was excited about the opportunity to teach others about how the system developed in the US – what makes us this way? Where did the ideas and values come from?

Since 2004, we have seen incredible change – unspeakable tragedy, deadly pandemics, costly wars, legalization of same sex marriage, renewed focus on racial justice, expansion of environmental laws, universal access to healthcare, the first African American president and the first female vice president, among many others. The history of social welfare policy helps us understand not only why these things happened but how they happened. It lets us predict what could happen in the future and how to advocate for more of the positive things and prevent more of the negative things.

The reason for this specific book is two-fold: one, the desire to look at social welfare policy history from a chronological format, specifically answering that question, “Why are we like this?” and two, the lack of any other Open Educational Resources addressing social welfare policy history.

Add more about oers here.

Describe format of this book: objectives for each chapter with relevant comps.; text with embedded links to webpages, documents, videos. Questions to ponder

What is social welfare?

By definition, social welfare is the well-being of a society. The well-being of a society is ensured through the collective response to needs or problems that hinder the healthy functioning of individuals within their families, communities and the larger environment. Social welfare can be summarized as the supports and services that individuals, families, communities and societies need to live productive and self-determined lives.

In the U.S., social welfare is provided by charitable organizations, volunteers, non-profit and for profit agencies and the government at all levels. At the local, state and federal level, social welfare comes through legislative policy or the lack of policies, designed to either promote or discourage activities, programs and financial support. Social welfare can also come through the executive branch, in terms of executive orders and administrative priorities and through the judicial system by way of court decisions. The provision of social welfare is also impacted by agency policy which can either ease or hinder access to services.  

Supplemental activity

Read through this entry on Social Policy from the Encyclopedia of Macro Social Work . Think for a minute about why social work students would need to take a course in social welfare history.

Why do we need to study social welfare?

In social work, we focus on how social welfare either benefits or impedes the well-being of vulnerable populations. The National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics states, 

“Social workers should promote the general welfare of society, from local to global levels, and the development of people, their communities, and their environments. Social workers should advocate for living conditions conducive to the fulfillment of basic human needs and should promote social, economic, political, and cultural values and institutions that are compatible with the realization of social justice. (NASW, 2022).

Social workers do this through advocacy for policies and programs that ensure all people, particularly those at higher risks for oppression and discrimination have access to the supports and services they need to be successful. This is explicitly stated in Section 6.04:

(a) Social workers should engage in social and political action that seeks to ensure that all people have equal access to the resources, employment, services, and opportunities they require to meet their basic human needs and to develop fully. 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.

(b) Social workers should act to expand choice and opportunity for all people, with special regard for vulnerable, disadvantaged, oppressed, and exploited people and groups.

(c) Social workers should promote conditions that encourage respect for cultural and social diversity within the United States and globally. Social workers should promote policies and practices that demonstrate respect for difference, support the expansion of cultural knowledge and resources, advocate for programs and institutions that demonstrate cultural competence, and promote policies that safeguard the rights of and confirm equity and social justice for all people.

(d) Social workers should act to prevent and eliminate domination of, exploitation of, and discrimination against any person, group, or class on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, or mental or physical ability. (NASW, 2022).

In order to meet this standard, social workers must be knowledgeable about the historical development of social welfare in the U.S. According to the Council on Social Work Education 2015 Education Policy and Accreditation Standards,

“Social workers understand the history and current structures of social policies and services, the role of policy in service delivery, and the role of practice in policy development. Social workers understand their role in policy development and implementation within their practice settings at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels and they actively engage in policy practice to effect change within those settings. Social workers recognize and understand the historical, social, cultural, economic, organizational, environmental, and global influences that affect social policy. They are also knowledgeable about policy formulation, analysis, implementation, and evaluation. (CSWE, 2015, pg. 8).

What are vulnerable populations?

What is a social problem?

Social problems are conditions in a society that negatively affect a large group of people in a consequential way. Social problems are often felt by individual people but they are bigger than individual problems in that they prevent those affected from achieving a sense of well-being. Determining what is a social problem and why it is a social problem takes some thought and is very often hotly debated. Some social problems are easy to identify: child abuse and neglect; poverty; food insecurity; and substance abuse. But there are other issues that aren’t quite as clear such as climate change; institutional racism; and inequity.

A good example of this is mass shootings. In May 2022, an 18 year old walked into an elementary school in Texas and killed 21 people. The shooter legally bought several assault rifles shortly after his 18th birthday, in a state that has extensive right-to-carry laws. Everyone would agree that the killing of 19 second, third and fourth graders while they were in school is a problem. Everyone would agree that it is a problem that this 18 year old entered the school and shot 21 people.

However, things get more complicated when we try to identify what the social problem is in this case. Is access to assault rifles the problem? Is it lack of access to mental health treatment (assuming the shooter had mental illness)? Is the problem that the teachers did not have weapons to stop the shooter before he was able to kill so many people? Or, is this perhaps a tragedy but not a social problem? How we understand this issue and what we believe the solution should be is related to our own values and beliefs. Those values and beliefs are reflected in who we vote for and then who represents us in our local, state and national legislative and executive branches. We will discuss this further in the next chapter but it is important to understand that social welfare policy is driven by our understanding of what social problems need to be addressed.

Questions to ponder

Consider for a minute why you are here. For students in a BSW program, this is required content. All accredited BSW programs must cover policy history in some format. But you also may have your own personal questions about how we provide access to supports and services in the US. If you are pursuing a social work degree or social welfare minor, you are cognizant of the fact that some populations in the US are more likely to experience barriers in achieving self-determination and self-sufficiency. You probably understand the concept of privilege but may wonder why we haven’t been able to ensure that everyone has the same opportunities to succeed. You may question why we are the only industrialized country that does not have universal healthcare or why we don’t have university preschool. Or why racism and sexism continue to be significant barriers for half of the citizens of our country.

At the time this book is being written, we are having big societal conversations about the role of religion in the development of policy and the role of the government in addressing public health concerns. We are looking at a country that is aging and becoming more diverse. The effects of the Covid 19 pandemic continue to impact almost every aspect of our lives from personal to academic to professional. How have we defined and addressed these issues in the past and how will that impact what we do going forward?  

The book will attempt to provide a historical context for the policies and programs currently in place. Through understanding how social welfare developed over time, and reflecting on the societal values, beliefs and norms that impacted that development, we will be able to more successfully target our advocacy efforts in the future.

References

Barker, R.L. (2014).
The Social Work Dictionary, 6th Edition.
NASW Press.

Council on Social Work Education. (2015). Educational policy and accreditation standards for baccalaureate and master’s social work programs.

https://www.cswe.org/getattachment/Accreditation/Standards-and-Policies/2015-EPAS/2015EPASandGlossary.pdf.aspx

DiNitto, D., & Johnson, D.  (2021). Social Welfare Policy: Overview. Encyclopedia of Social Work.

https://oxfordre.com/socialwork/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.001.0001/acrefore-9780199975839-e-607

.

National Association of Social Workers. (2022). NASW code of ethics.

https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English

.