Social Policy: Definition, Concept, Source, Model & Assumptions

Social policies are defined as actions taken by governing bodies such as schools or welfare systems that create action in society and cause implications for its members, they’re

Social policies often are based on the government’s philosophies and ideologies. In 19th century, Britain had the Laissez-faire approach which led the economic life. This meant that there was not government’s interference.

The three principal elements have become identified in practice within the institutional model of welfare. “The key elements are social protection, and the provision of welfare services on the basis of right.” (Spicker2014)

Social policies have impacted my life before I was even aware of the term social policy. Today, social policy impacts my personal life and my professional life daily. I am impacted personally by many social policies that pertain particularly to higher education and women’s rights. Social policies that increase assess for adult learners and reduce financial barriers for higher education has allowed me to return to higher education. I am an adult student who has children and works full time so attending classes in a traditional setting is not an option for me. With higher education being more accessible and offered on-line I am able to attend higher education working towards a degree. Financial policies regarding higher education have provided

Social policies often are based on the government’s philosophies and ideologies. In 19th century, Britain had the Laissez-faire approach which led the economic life. This meant that there was not government’s interference.

Two prominent ideologies that play a role in the development of social welfare policy and social welfare programs are

A social policy refers to the plans and actions of government agencies, such as health, welfare benefits, schools etc. These can often be used by politicians to promote certain family structures, which they believe to be ‘ideal’. There are many examples of policies which the government use to try and promote the traditional nuclear family which is commonly seen as the family ideology. One example is the 1930’s Nazi government who wanted to create an Aryan race and put policies in place to sterilize certain groups to prevent them from having children. Another more recent example is China’s two child policy which was out in place to

Social democracy is a political ideology which embraces both socialism and liberalism (Belgrave, Cheyne, & O’Brien, 2008). It is not a tightly sealed set of political values and beliefs, but a set of several. Social democracy contrasts with the ideology of neo-liberalism by identifying market failure rather than government intervention (Eichbaum & Shaw, 2008); this is why it stands for a balance between

Social Policy is the study of social services and the welfare state. In general terms, it looks at the idea of social welfare, and its relationship to politics and society.

Social policies the fundamental principles in which a society is based. Created to tackle poverty, protect society addressing issues such as social welfare, justice and individual wellbeing. By 1834 the government were under fierce criticism due to rising and mounting costs of looking after the poor, it became clear a change was needed to fix problems in society. The government brought in an amendment act titled the Poor Law (1834) which was designed to reduce the cost of looking after the poor, passed by parliament this new law meant anyone seeking relief from poverty had to now enter a workhouse (BBC-Bitesize, 2017). In the early 1800's the population was rapidly rising, an industrial revolution, the development of towns and the first experience of modern unemployment caused problems within British society (Spicker, 2017). There was suspicion from middle and upper-class taxpayers that their money encouraged the poor to be lazy and avoid work, Squandering money on alcohol and tobacco. In addition, this encouraged the poor to have more children in which they could not afford to support causing resentment and dividing society (Murray, 2013).

In this essay is about the relationship between the social policy and social problem, but before going into a deep understanding of the two related parts that involve in a society, let is defined each one of them and know what they are and how they connect. When it comes defining the social policy or social problem; there is no one solid definition for them as it has many definitions because of their widely involvement in the society. In Bessant Theories, Mark Considine (1994;2) , fairly recommended that policy is cleverly easy caption that is able to cover parts of actual complicated actions.

Since the early nineteenth century the reformist of social democracy has hugely affected the development of social policy. Basing its principles on the two theories, socialism and liberalism it has influenced social democracy. The state is a key instrument that constructs social change, social democracy protects individual liberty and believes in state intervention to better the welfare and equality among the public. Altogether social democracy is a theory used by social democrats to transform from capitalism to a welfare state, extending the rights and freedom for citizens. Social democrats accept the confined role of markets, and the economic system. Social democracy is achieved through parliament distributing goods and implementing policies that support the welfare promoting egalitarianism, such as taxing the wealthy to redistribute wealth.

According to the University of York Social Policy is the "Study of the causes of social problems and what Governments attempt to do about them." The Poor Law that was introduced in 1834 was a Law that was put in place to support the poor. The law was introduced because it was getting increasingly expensive to look after the poor so parliament introduced it in hopes it would diminish the cost of looking after the poor and to get the poor out of the streets and into workhouses. Parliament promised that this new law was to give the poor Clothes, free education, food and a place to stay.

Most policies instituted at the national level give consideration to political, financial, legal and human needs factors. As a result, after new social policies are initiated problems with their implementation often arise in social agencies. Typical obstacles to successful implementation include: unclear communication, negative attitudes toward the policy on the part of agency staff, Lack of resources to carry out the policy on the part of agency staff, lack of resources to carry out the policy and existing organizational procedures that prevent the new policy from being implemented

The institutional approach to social welfare is proactive. It addresses needs and problems that may arise before the need is seen/developed in individuals. Examples of this include social security, public education, and tax exemptions for the number of children in a household (Segal, Gerdes, Steiner, p.40). The institutional approach tends to be broader and less detailed in terms of resources, money, and the size of the population in need.