2. Explain briefly the influence of ancient societies on the development of social welfare and social work within Europe.
Social Welfare
All
civilizations since time immemorial have been striving for the well being of
mankind. Our sages pray that ‘all may be happy’ and devised social systems and
institutions to promote the welfare of all. Coming from welfaren, ‘welfare’
connotes “the state or condition with regard to good, fortune, health,
happiness, prosperity, etc”. (Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary,
1996). Dasgupta (1976) observed that social welfare refers ‘to the entire
package of services, social and economic, that deal with income support,
welfare provisions and social security on one hand, and the whole range of
social services, on the other.’ Wilensky and Lebeaux (1957) define social
welfare as those formally organized and socially sponsored institutions, agencies
and programs which function to maintain or improve the economic conditions,
health or interpersonal competence of some parts or all of the population.
Wilensky and Lebeaux identify two dominant conceptions to social welfare − the
residual, that assumes social welfare institutions coming into play only when
the normal structures of supply, the family and market break down, and the
institutional, that holds welfare services as normal, “first line” functions of
modem industrial society.
Social
Welfare as conceived by Skidmore, Thackeray and Farley (1991), ‘encompasses the
well-being and interests of large numbers of people, including their physical,
mental, emotional, spiritual and economic needs... social welfare includes the
basic institutions and processes related to facing and solving social
problems.” Zastrow (1978) thought social welfare aimed at ‘fulfilling the
social, financial, health and recreational requirements of all individuals in a
society. Social welfare seeks to enhance the social functioning of all age groups,
both rich and poor’. Thus, social welfare operates when other institutions in
our society such as the market economy and the family fail to meet the basic
needs of individuals or groups of people. Durgabai Deshmukh, the first
Chairperson of Central Social Welfare Board (1960) unequivocally thought social
welfare to be distinct from the general social services such as education,
health, etc. Social welfare is specialized work for the benefit of the weaker
and more vulnerable sections of the population and included special services
for the benefit of women, children, the aged as well as the physically,
mentally and socially challenged.
History of Social Work in Europe
There are
several comparative studies of the development of social policy across Europe
but few that explore the specific history of social work, which is closely
linked to the varying social, political, and economic contexts. The standard
textbook, Thane 1996, for example, presents an overview of the history of the
UK welfare state, set in its wider economic, political, and social context,
including detailed comparisons with major developments in other European
countries. Webb 2007 explores the emergence of social work in late Victorian
England. Steyaert and Vicary give access to networks of people interested in
social work history; websites documenting the history have been created,
illustrating the growing awareness of the significance of historical
developments for current preoccupations and practices, not only within
countries but also across Europe and globally. Lorenz 2006 and Lorenz 2008 are
written by probably the leading exponent of European social work studies;
Lorenz argues that while the development of social work in Europe has always
been closely linked to nation-state policies, the social work professions in
Europe have always tried to internationalize and universalize their discourses.
He argues that historical and political reflections have renewed relevance as
societies in western and eastern Europe face the challenges of a complete
re-working of public and private arrangements of social solidarity. The
significant role of women in the creation of the social work profession is
examined in Hering and Waaldijk 2003, including the rediscovery by Kruse 2003
of Alice Salomon’s first international comparison of social work training from
1937. Harrikari, et al. 2014 provides an overview of current discussions within
the European social work research community in their historical context. Satka
and Skehill 2011 identifies resources on the European history of child welfare
and child protection with specific reference to its variety during the past
hundred years.
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