History of Social Welfare

The video, “Video Lecture: Hick Chapter 2 History of Social Welfare,” provides a detailed explanation of the historical background of social welfare, especially in the Canadian and Western context. The lecture follows essential times such as the preindustrial systems of charity, the Elizabeth Poor Laws, the Industrial Revolution, and the development of state responsibility in the 20th century. As a student of Master of Social Work, I found this video to be an accessible medium to summarize the themes offered in the class textbook readings and scholarly articles.

It sheds light on the ideological transformations that have shaped welfare systems historically, among which lie religious charity, the individualism of the liberal era, and social democratic values. This lecture plays an excellent role in linking the theory and the practice of welfare development to reality with implications of social work.

When considering the rise of the welfare state, I found it remarkable how much greater social-political and economic processes have influenced it. From the course materials and lectures, social welfare systems were formed not out of thin air but in response to poverty, inequality, and social discontent. For example, The Industrial Revolution significantly transformed the structure of work and family, which resulted in the legalization of state support mechanisms (Stearns, 2020).

The Great Depression and the post-war recovery eras further showed that market solutions have limits and that wider government intervention is required. Such changes indicate an increasing understanding that community accountability is necessary to address systemic social concerns.

The content of the video is closely connected to what I have studied in the literature that discusses how ideology is a decisive factor in the development of welfare. For example, the shift from residual to institutional welfare models correlates with the transition in society’s values about poverty and responsibility. The power of neoliberalism during the late 20th century is discussed in both the video and the scholarly articles as a point of shift when the government started decreasing the amount of spending on social projects and focusing more on privatization and individual responsibility (Vallier, 2021).

This ideological change still affects the service delivery and perceptions of clients in the system. For future practitioners, critical thinking and analysis of the impact of these ideologies on policy outcomes and how they can advocate for equity is necessary.

The welfare stigmatization of welfare recipients and how this perception continues to find its way into present policies is one of the most insightful aspects of the video. This concurs with journal articles that touch on the interaction of race, class, and gender in welfare discourse. According to the lecture video, the programs’ eligibility criteria and design are frequently based on moral judgments that lead to stereotyping and less access (lonelysocialworker, 2015).

This is supported by the class readings, which examine how structural inequalities tend to be hidden behind blame on the individual. Being aware of these patterns helps me to be more empathetic and systemically aware in my approach to clients, as opposed to being judgmental.

To summarize, Hick’s Chapter 2 Video Lecture was a valuable addition to the class course resources since, in addition to providing a historical background, it critically examined the history of welfare development. It also strengthened the idea that social welfare is a collection of policies and a set of values and power relations by societies. Combining this video with course content and scholarly articles created a multidimensional perception of the evolution of the welfare state and the forces that shaped it.

Being a Master of Social Work student, I am prepared to comprehend the dynamics of the welfare system and promote more equitable and inclusive approaches. The insights will have direct application in my future field practice.

Video Link: https://youtu.be/Jj_9H9v2kzA?si=_V9BFuZX11Wx4jvl

References

lonelysocialworker. (2015, June 2). Video lecture HICK Chapter 2 History of Social Welfare [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj_9H9v2kzA

Stearns, P. N. (2020). The Industrial Revolution in world history (5th ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003050186

Vallier, K. (2021). Neoliberalism. In The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2022/entries/neoliberalism/

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History of the Profession Forum:

In addition, reflect on the book chapters and journal articles you have read thus far. What are some of your reactions to the learnings around the emergence of the welfare state, based on what you have read, watched, and listened to? How did the topic of the podcast/video relate to what you have read? What insights about social welfare have you gained?

History of Social Welfare