Key Concepts of Social Work and Social Welfare

Social work profession focuses on the promoting social change, uses scientific knowledge in understanding problems with human relationships and their solutions, improvement of people’s lives through empowerment; the social work utilizes theories of human behavior and various social systems to bring change at the place where people interact each other, and lastly, the key values for social work are rights and justice.

According to Walter .A. Friedlander, “Social work is a professional service based upon scientific knowledge and skill in human relations that assists individuals, alone or in groups, to obtain social and personal satisfaction and independence.” It is usually performed by a social agency or a related organization.’’

“Social welfare in this context is defined as the sum total of activities of both voluntary and governmental bodies aimed at preventing, eradicating or mitigating recognized social problems or at enhancing the well-being of individual, groups or communities.”

Martin and Zald explained that ‘’Social welfare attempts to enable people in need to attain a minimum level of social and personal functioning.

“Social Services can be defined as a number of social services offered by the government or other authorities or by private institutions. These public services will focus on social development, community strengthening and promoting equity and opportunity.”

According to Harry. M Cassified “Social services are those organized activities that are primarily and directly concerned with the conversation, protection, and improvement of human resources. It includes social assistance, social insurance, child welfare, correctional services, mental hygiene, public health, education, recreation, labor protection, and housing.

Human Services

The term Human Services may be described as those systems of services and allied occupations and professions that are predominantly aimed at enhancing or sustaining the physical and mental health, and overall welfare of individual, groups or communities in our society. Alfred Kahn has abstracted human services among the following four service categories:

Personal services (casework, counseling, recreation, rehabilitation, religion, therapy).
Protection services (consumer protection, corrections, courts, fire prevention/firefighting, housing code enforcement, law enforcement, public health services).
Information/advising services (consulting, consumer information, education, financial counseling, hotlines, and library services).
Maintenance services (child care, unemployment assistance, institutional services, public welfare programs, retirement plans, and social security programs).

The term social welfare is thus more limited because it focuses on conceptualizing and resolving social problems. Human services is a broader term that encompasses social welfare programs.

Social security is a broader concept, encompassing government-provided financial support to protect individuals from poverty, regardless of their prior contributions. In the words of Maurice Stack, ‘’By social security, we understand a program of protection provided by society against those contingencies of modern life such as sickness, unemployment, old age dependency, industrial accidents, and invalidism against which the individual cannot be expected to protect himself and his family by his ability or foresight.’’

Social insurance and social security are related but distinct concepts: “Social insurance is a system in which people and employers contribute to the fund from which they can draw on financial security in case of the defined risk factors including unemployment, illness, disability or old age.” For instance, unemployment insurance, worker compensation and health insurance are categories of social insurance.

Despite the fact that, both assure financial provisions, but social insurance usually entitles only contributors. On the other hand social security is need-based and in many cases financed from general tax revenue for the benefit of all qualifying individuals.

It is the process of making changes that affect organizational systems and procedures that impact societies. It refers to finding out a social problems and dealing with it by bringing policy adjustments and social mobilization. Social change can encompass a call for change in civil rights, social equity, education or health care.

Social development is the process of enhancing the quality of human life and also the capacity to deliver social opportunities. It involves job training, employment initiatives, and skills as well as education, health, and other social initiatives. Social development is aimed at making society more just and effective by providing opportunity to be successful.

Social justice is defined as the capacity to recognize and respect persons and groups as equals regardless of status, power, race, sex, etc. However, they still assumed people should be treated with fairness and dignity and that society should work to address the differences that exist. Social justice can encompass activities such as advocating for civil rights as well as promotion of diversity and social inclusion by reducing inequalities.

Social policy deals social problems. The concept of social policy is related to the guides of altering, preserving or establishing suitable conditions under which human beings are living. The aim of social policy is do human welfare and meet human needs for education, health, housing, and social security. In an academic environment, social policy refers to the study of the welfare state and the range of responses to social needs. Hence social policy is a sub component of public policy which involves subject matter that relates to public matters for instance public exposure to social problems.

Plane of action to deliver social benefits in the form of social services.
Policy of the government which is related to the welfare and protection of the people.