SOCIAL WELFARE

The term ‘social welfare’ denotes the system of such services which intend to cater to the
special needs of persons, groups and communities who, by reason of some handicap-social,
economic, mental or physical are unable to avail themselves of, or are traditionally denied the
basic amenities or services provided by the society or state. It implies that, social welfare
services are meant to benefit the weaker, dependent or under privileged sections of the
population. Such services basically cover the needy members of the society, like orphan
children, widows and destitute, mentally retarded persons, the blind, the deaf, the crippled and
other economically underprivileged members of the society.

According to W. A. Friedlander –
“Social welfare is the organized system of social services and institutions, designed to aid individuals
and groups to attain satisfying standard of life and health, and personal and social relationships which
permit them to develop their full capacities and to promote their well-being in harmony with the needs
of their families and the community.”

Society responds to unmet needs or problems through the following ways:

Individual and group efforts – systematic and voluntary efforts undertaken by individuals
and/or groups in response to unmet needs
Major societal institutions which have their designated roles and responsibilities for meeting
human need – the family, the church, the government, cooperatives, and labor unions
Social Agency – major provision for helping people; integral part of a community’s
institutionalized network of services; professional social workers are usually employed by a
social agency

Two views or conceptions of social welfare

 Residual formulation – conceives of the social welfare as temporary offered during

emergency situations and withdrawn when the regular social system is working
properly
 Institutional formulation – sees social welfare as a proper, legitimate function of
modern society

The main objectives of social welfare is to create the basic conditions that will enable all
members of the community realize their potentials for growth and self-fulfillment.

The principle of normalization is fundamental to the social welfare goals. Regardless of

physical, psychological or social handicaps, a person should be enabled to live work and
develop in a normal environment.

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OBJECTIVES OF SOCIAL WELFARE

 Expansion of social services and their improvement

 To provide welfare services and develop the weaker and more vulnerable sections of
the population
 To develop supplementary welfare services
 To bring about social reform
 To provide social security and social assistance
 To bring about social change including reducing disparities of income and wealth
 To prevent the concentration economic power and take step to equalize opportunities
within the communities.
 To help individuals to attain satisfying standards of life, health and equal
opportunities with the fellow citizens and self-respect.
 To secure for each individual the basic economic requirement and decent living
condition.

SOCIAL WORK

Social work is concerned with the interaction between people and their social environment
which affects the ability of people to accomplish their life tasks, alleviate distress, and realize
their aspirations and values (Pincus and Minahan,1978).

Objectives prescribed by the social work scientists:

Witmer prescribed two objectives of social work such as: i) To give assistance to individuals
while removing difficulties which they face in utilizing basic services of the society and ii) To
facilitate effective utilization of community resources for their welfare.

Friedlander gave three objectives of social work i.e. i) To change in painful situation of
individuals, ii) To develop the constructive forces both within and around the individual and
iii) To enhance the democratic and humanistic behavior of the individual.

Gordon Brown has given four objectives of social work such as: i) to provide physical or
material support ii) to help in social adjustment, iii) to help in solving the psychological
problems and iv) to make adequate opportunities for the individuals in problems for raising
their standard of living which can prevent problems from intruding.

FUNCTIONS OF SOCIAL WORK

Function of social work refers to the natural activity of social work or the statements of how
social work operates.

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According to Professor. P.D. Mishra social work operates to assist individuals in adjusting to
the institutional frame work of the society and attempts to modify the institutional frame work
itself in appropriate areas. He classified the functions of social work into the following 4 major
categories:

1. Curative Function

The services provided under curative functions are–medical and health services, services
relating to psychiatry, child guidance, child welfare services, services for the handicapped or
disable in the form of protection and rehabilitation. These kinds of services aim to cure the
physical, social, material, psychological sickness of individuals in the society.

2. Correctional Function

The correctional function of social work has three broad areas, such as:

a) Individual reform service which includes prison reform, probation, parole and other related
services.
b) Services for improving social relationship which includes family welfare services, school
social work, industrial social work etc.
c) Services for social reform that includes employment services, prevention of commercial sex
work, beggary prohibition services and removal of untouchability etc.

3. Preventive Function:

It includes life insurance services, public assistance, social legislation, adult education and
prevention of diseases etc. This type of function basically deals with the services relating to the
prevention of problems like insecurity, unlawfulness, ignorance, sickness etc. It is directed
towards the elimination of those factors in the social environment or those deficiencies in the
development of personality that prevents the individual from achieving a minimum desirable
standard of socio-economic life.

4. Developmental Function

Developmental function includes the tasks of socio-economic development activities such as:
education, recreational services, urban and rural development programmers and programmers
of integration etc. which are primarily concerned with the development of individuals, families,
groups and communities.

The basic functions of social work can be divided in 3 broad interdependent and interrelated
categories:

1. Restoration of social functioning

2. Provision of resources and
3. Prevention of social dysfunction.

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IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL WORK
1. Public Assistance:

It is a kind of help provided in accordance to the economic and social needs of the applicants.
It depends upon the certain conditions and legalities. Therefore public assistance is granted on
the basis of ‘means test’. Through means test ways and means of living like income source,
livelihood and others of individual are identified and measured before providing public
assistance by the state or government. In some countries including India such services include
the assistance given to old, blind, disabled and destitute.

2. Social Insurance:
Like public assistance social insurance also covers certain contingencies of life like old age,
unemployment, industrial accidents and occupational diseases etc. It doesn’t insist upon any
means test under this scheme of service, benefits are provided only to those persons who pay a
certain amount of contribution. It is partly financed by the state. Practically, social insurance
covers some risks such as medical care in time of illness, medical care and cash allowances
during employment injuries, pension during inability, and pension during old age after
retirement, cash allowances to wife and other dependents in case of death. Here, the benefits
of the applicants are pre-determined.

3. Family Welfare Services:

Family is both an institution as well as an association. It is the oldest and enduring among all
social institutions. It is the first and most important of all forms of associations in the context
of human development. Social work renders a significant role in the sphere of family
organization. It provides for some material assistance and counseling service to the family
relating to marriage, health, economic problems and bringing up siblings. Having the
knowledge on human relationship the social worker bears the responsibility of establishing
harmonious relationship between the individual and his family. Thus, social worker has to play
a crucial role in the field of family organization.

4. Child Welfare Service:

Social workers also provide many welfare services for the children. Those include residential
institutions for their care and protection, education and rehabilitation of socially handicapped
children viz, orphans destitute fondling children of unmarried mothers. Child Welfare service
also includes temporary homes for children, daycare centers, recreational and cultural facilities,
holiday homes for the children of low income families.

5. Community Welfare:
Service Community is another important unit for social work practice. The community welfare
service includes the establishment of urban community development centers dealing with the
welfare aspects of slum improvement such as slum clearance, sanitation, health education and
care, seeking employment for women, dormitories and night shelters for migrant homeless
people, holiday home for children and community welfare service in rural areas etc.

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6. Labor Welfare Service:
The term labor welfare is very comprehensive in the sense of its understanding. It involves
different interpretations due to different social customs and degrees of industrialization.
According to the report of the ILO worker’s welfare should mean to such services, facilities
and amenities which may be established in on the vicinity of the undertakings to enable the
persons employed in them to perform their work in a healthy, congenial surrounding and
provided with amenities conducive to good health and high morals. Social work has a wide
field of application for labor welfare which includes the activities such as family management
counseling, counseling on safety maintenance, advocacy for labor rights, health education,
value education etc.

7. Welfare Service for the Handicapped:

Handicapped people or the disable are another needy section of the Bangladeshi population.
Hence, social work or social welfare has a formidable role in working for them.
The welfare service for disabled includes institution for the care and rehabilitation of physically
and mentally retired, hostels for the working handicapped, small production units for the
differently able, special schools for mentally retire children and orthopedically challenged and
counseling service for mentally depressed etc.

8. Welfare Services for the Aged and Infirm:

People in the twilight of their age require numerous supports from the society. Social work in
this regard has a greater role in understanding their needs and working for their satisfied and
comfortable life for a happy ending. The activities of social work for the aged and infirm
include running old age home, recreational facilities, physical support, psychological support
etc.

9. School Social Work:

At times there are instances of problems due to impaired relationship between students and
their social environment and teachers and their social environment. There are also many other
problems in the school environment which are responsible for educational malfunctioning in
the schools. Social work as profession steps in to such environment and attempts modify the
situation in favor of the learners and teachers where required. The activities of social work
intervention in schools include counseling service to the children and their parents, counseling
to the teacher on the perspectives of the emerged problems, etc.

10. Correctional service:

Correctional Setting refers to the institutions like jail, probation home, parole home, juvenile
shelters etc. where people (including children) with unusual behavior and reaction are placed
to bring correction to their attitude and behavior. Social work has vast scope for intervention
in this field of service. It includes recreational activities, counseling, vocational training for the
unemployed criminals, after care service, rehabilitation etc.

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