What Is Social Policy?

Chapter1

What is social policy?

Social policy is the study of social services and the welfare state.In general, it looks at the idea of human welfare and how society takes care of people and manages it's services, in relationship to politics and society.

It developed in the early part of the 20th century as a complement to social work studies, aimed at people who would be professionally involved in the administration of welfare. In the last forty years, the range and breadth of the subject has developed. The principal areas relate to:

• policy and administrative practice in social services, including health administration, social security, education, employment services, community care and housing management;

• social problems, including crime, disability, unemployment, mental health, learning disability, and old age;

• issues relating to social disadvantage, including race, gender and poverty

• the range of collective social responses to these conditions.

Social Policy borrows from other social science disciplines in order to develop study in the area. The contributory disciplines include sociology, social work, psychology, economics, political science, management, history, philosophy and law.

(Blakemore,K(1998)Social Policy: an introduction. Open university press, buckingham )

Historical and contemporary landmarks (the significance of the policy )

Pre-1945

(19th century concepts and the voluntary sector in welfare)The way in 19th century governments thought about and approached issues provides a illustration of ideas about 'social welfare'. A normal distinction was made between people,in terms of whether they were 'deserving' or not of social welfare.The concept of 'less eligibility' was explicitly developed and access to welfare was gained by passing certain 'test' e.g. Willingness to work, willingness to give up certain liberties. During the 19th century, governments used social policy to contain and deter the growing demand for social welfare. (<social policy& welfare>2000Mark walsh, Paul stephens,Stephen more :the development of social policy in the 19th century)

Before1939, most health care had to be paid for through non government organizations.They provided insurance for sickness, unemployment and invalidity, therefore providing people with an income when they were unable to work. The UK started to emerge with the Liberal welfare reforms of 1906–1914 under Liberal Prime Minister Herbert Asquith. These included the passing of the Old-Age Pensions Act in 1908, the introduction of free school meals in 1909, the 1909 Labour Exchanges Act, the Development