Human rights policy and law
lovechrist2000
Chapter2-WelfareinSociety.pptx
Chapter 2: Welfare in Society Paul Spicker
Lorna Towey
s00143218
Contents
The Social Context of Welfare
The Person in Society
Social Networks
Inclusion and Exclusion
Society and Social Policy
The Social Context of Welfare
It is impossible to understand the effects of welfare policies in isolation from the rest of society.
Welfare is a social concept and to understand the social context of welfare is to grow ones understanding of social policy.
All concepts in society are contested – there isn’t one definition and therefore everything is open to interpretation.
Welfare
Social Policy
Society
The Person in Society
The Human Being – The biological body is debated as separate, but Spicker suggest is embedded in its own social context with example of the need for food, the need for the body for work & contested social topics such as disability and sexuality.
Individuals – Can be understood as people who seek separation from others/state, Spicker suggest people are not generally separated from others. Individualised thinking is important in the fight against the oppression of groups of people.
The Person – Not always a single person, generally defined by social relationships, the social roles and connections a person has. A nonperson is somebody cut off from relationships and roles.
People are social creatures and make up society. To improve the welfare of people in society it is important to understand the people themselves.
Social Networks
Family – Important in society for development & social relationships. The family in social policy generally address families with children. The family is often viewed as private from the state & only requiring intervention in times of problems.
Community - can be defined as persons with shared geography, culture, social networks or interests. Social policy has began to centre on themes of community building. Community has a direct link to the social elements of society as it made up by people.
Workplace - heavy historic presence in social action. There are examples of industries that take responsibilities for their employees occupational welfare. The state is more so seen as the keyholder of welfare and attention has turned to those who do not participate as a worker.
Nation - Negative for social policy and seen as a constraint and often discussed in terms of moral responsibility. Universalism implying that moral standards should be applied to everyone. Particularism understood as where each circumstance, and each relationship, dictates the rules that they live by. Solidarity discusses responsibility outside on the bounds of nation.
Inclusion and Exclusion
Society - Post war individualism led to a rejection of society. European states under the influence of catholic teaching discusses society as an obligation to a central idea of solidarity. It is understood everyone has a role and their role is a part of a social network, therefore society is made up of many social networks.
Social Exclusion - people not included in society – people denied a social role or for whom support does to extend to. E.g., people who are long term unemployed, asylum seekers.
Social Inclusion – the act of promoting those on the edge to be included in a social network and society.
Stigma – where people are excluded due to their inclusion in social services. There can be mental stigmas – people with mental health issues or illness, physical stigmas – people with physical illness or disease, moral stigmas – lone parents or offenders and dependency stigma.
Moral condemnation - where people reject their general understood obligation to others
Questioning people's genuineness
Judging the behaviour and characters of those receiving welfare
It is important to understand stigma when developing social policy as there is often a stigma attached to welfare service which negatively impacts the people it aims to serve.
Society and Social Policy
In order to have effective welfare one must understand the society and issues of which is aims to address.
Welfare is often blamed for issues that are consequences of a society structure e.g. poverty
Ultimately welfare cannot be understood as an additional measure but rather viewed in the context of the policy which has already existed in a society and the structures of the society itself.
Summary & Conclusion
This chapter very successfully explores why welfare must be understood as a social concept.
People are social creatures with relationships and roles that are part of social networks. These networks and the people within them make up society.
Welfare aims to improve the experience for people in society but this can only be successfully achieved by understanding society and its makeup.
People
Social Relationships & Roles
Social Networks
Society
My Thoughts
Social inclusion is very relevant to the current disability sector focus – there is a huge focus on inclusion after years of exclusion for people with disability from society.
The concept of a nonperson is relevant to discussion around people with profound intellectual disabilities being assumed to not have social relationships and roles and therefore being excluded from society.
Nationhood and the complexity of achieving a balanced welfare system is relevant to the treatment of asylum seekers in Ireland. The exclusion of people due to their disallowance to participate in society with the example of work, which is true of those in Direct Provision and also having a society where a common culture of stigma is attached to those dependent on welfare and social services.
The chapter provides a beginning for further learning around social policy and uses thought provoking examples in its exploration.
