What is social policy Lectures 11

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What is social policy Lectures 11 12

• Alison McClelland
• SWP121SPP Social Policy and Practice A
• SWP12PPI Policy, Poverty and Inequality
• 2006

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Outline

• References McClelland also Manual for org
  unit
• Relevance to poverty and inequality
• What is policy
• Different forms of social policy
• Social policy statements and intentions
• Key concepts
• Key aspects of social policy
• Why social policy matters and relationship to
  poverty inequality

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Relevance

• Different policies determine societys response
  to poverty and inequality
• They influence how much poverty and who is more
  likely to experience poverty and what areas are
  likely to be more unequal
• For example Medicare and access to health,
  housing assistance policies
• Not all directly concerned to affect poverty and
  inequality but they still can

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What is policy

• Definitions of policy
• Macquarie
• a definite course of action by
• a course of action adopted and pursued by a
  government, ruler, political party or the like
• Dalton et al - Adoption of a plan of action

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Key aspects of policy

• Purposeful and planned not random
• To achieve something of value have something
  that you want to happen
• Continuing often more than once off

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What is social policy

• Definition of Alcock in Hill
• Social policy is actions aimed at social well
  being
• Important ideas of social and well-being
• Social concerned about society and
  relationships also about distribution
• Well being and welfare broad concept how well
  we are going in different aspects of life not a
  narrow view of welfare includes material
  well-being, quality of life relationships
• Uses other disciplines and relates to other areas
  of policy economic, environmental and public

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Forms of social policy

• Social policy as output as intentions and
  objectives
• Social policy as discipline or area of study
  Understanding factors that influence social
  policies and understanding their impacts
• Social policy as process how policy gets made
  and effective ways to get good policies adopted
• We are most concerned with social policy as what
  we want to do and what we do as output

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Social policy as outputs can be

• Social policies as intentions and objectives
  clarifying what we want to achieve and do (can be
  statements or informal agreements)
• Social policy as administrative and financial
  arrangements
• Social policy as outcomes what is does for
  peoples lives and nature of society

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Some examples of policy statements

• Victorian Homelessness Strategy
• Australians Working Together
• Working Nation
• ALP policy on refugees
• A Fairer Victoria Statement
• State govt Protecting children or Disability
  plan.
• But often not one clear statement and more than
  one statement
• Budget papers and Ministerial statements often a
  good source. Submissions good source for
  non-government policy statements

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Key concepts of social policy

• Needs Basis of welfare and social policy is
  meeting social needs basic needs and social
  needs basic needs are need to participate and
  need for personal autonomy
• Rights as needs that there is some kind of very
  strong obligation to meet but need capacity and
  interest in meeting to be enforcable.
• Marshalls concept of social citizenship -
  extension of rights based on citizenship
• In contrast desert - based claims based on who
  you are or what you have done
• Also altruism and reciprocity

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Some key policy choices

• Universal or targeted?
• Right (entitlement) or conditional
• Adequacy or incentives for self reliance
• Cash or kind
• Family, community or individual

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Key features of social policy

• Purposeful
• Involves power
• Debates about values and goals
• About welfare and well-being
• Concerned with social relationships
• Concerned with distribution
• Involves rational analysis and use of empirical
  knowledge analytic frameworks
• Output, discipline and process

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Social policy matters! It has

• Increased access to health care and cut cost
• Helped women enter workforce and plan for
  children
• Expanded housing choices
• Acted against discrimination
• Helped parents support children

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When social workers get involved (OConnor)

• When there is systemic discrimination
• When gaps in services cause hardship or when
  change creating new unmet needs
• When organisation or policy adversely affects
  people in need
• Overall when structures of society cause
  difficulties, especially to people who are
  vulnerable
• Social policy critical part of social work
  response to issues of poverty and inequality