Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc SOCIAL WORK IN CANADA An Introduction Third Edition Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. The Canadian Welfare State Today  Social Work and the New Economy  What Is Social Welfare?  The Provision of Social Welfare  What Do Social Workers Do?  Approaches to Practice  Defining Social Work

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Social Work and the New Economy  Keep ultimate goal in mind  Acknowledge reality you are working in  Recognize that you work in a “bureaucracy”  Rely on strength & resilience of individuals  Don’t get discouraged  Keep a sense of humour  Be patient, genuine, and open-hearted  Remember, your profession is noblest of all

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. What Is Social Welfare? Social Services  Child care  Child protection services  Women’s shelters  Counselling Income Security  Employment Insurance  Social Assistance  Old Age Security  Workers’ Compensation

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. The Welfare State  The Welfare State is the range of programs and services available to Canadian citizens  The key elements are:  Use of state power to provide essential social services to citizens  Use of grants, taxes, pensions, and minimum- income programs to provide income security

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Social Policies and Social Programs Social Policies The overall rules and regulations, laws, and other administrative directives that set the framework for state social welfare activity. Social Programs Specific initiatives that implement social welfare policies.

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. The Provision of Social Welfare There are three types of service providers in Canada:  Public Welfare  Private Welfare – Non-Profit  Private Welfare – For-Profit

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. The Provision of Social Welfare Public Welfare  Occurs at three levels of government:  Federal/National  Provincial/Territorial  Regional/Municipal  Public non-government agencies:  Advisory and appeal boards  Members appointed from public by government  Independent/Semi-independent

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. The Provision of Social Welfare Private Welfare  Non-profit organizations  Mandated to provide a service but not create profit  Registered by law  Receive funds from government and private sources  Earn money by providing services for other organizations  Governments are moving more and more towards this model to save money

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. The Provision of Social Welfare Private Welfare  For-profit organizations  Provide services on a fee basis  May often be purchased by government on behalf of individuals  Purpose is to generate a profit for the owner of the organization

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. The Provision of Social Welfare Debating Social Welfare There are two key approaches to social welfare:  The Residual View  The Institutional View

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. The Provision of Social Welfare Residual View  Social welfare is temporary response to human need  Implemented only when all else fails  Individual’s needs are met through family and market economy  Government plays limited role  Provides benefits at low level to discourage use

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. The Provision of Social Welfare Institutional View  Social welfare is necessary public response  Helps people attain reasonable standard of life and health  People cannot always meet needs through family and work  Helps people by means of a publicly funded system of programs and institutions  Evens out economic stratification

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. The Provision of Social Welfare New approach: The Structural Approach  Society’s underlying problems linked to private concentrations of wealth and power  Welfare state is a contradiction of capitalism  Provides benefits for people in need, but does not address exploitative nature of capitalist markets  Social problems and inequalities as a built-in feature of society  Society itself needs to change

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. What Do Social Workers Do? Canadian Association of Social Workers  A federation of provincial and territorial social work organizations  Works to advance the social work profession in Canada

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. What Do Social Workers Do? There are two types of social work:  Direct social work  Indirect social work

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. What Do Social Workers Do? Direct social work:  Involves providing services (individual counselling, group work, and community development)  Social workers work for public/publicly funded social service agencies and institutions  Some social workers work in private practice

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. What Do Social Workers Do? Indirect social work:  Concerned with governments and non-governmental agencies  Formulate, analyze, develop, and evaluate social policies and programs  Work with social service agencies, advocacy or research groups  Examples: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, National Anti-Poverty Organization

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. What Do Social Workers Do? There are three types of social work practice:  Micro: direct practice with individuals  Mezzo: working with groups and communities  Macro: working with organizations and communities to improve or change laws or policies

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Approaches to Practice There are two approaches to practice: Emphasize the personal (or internal) Emphasize the structural (or external)

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Approaches to Practice Locating the problems in the individual  Wide variety of approaches  Some locate problem in the body  Others locate problem in the mind  Purpose is to enhance the coping and problem solving abilities of the client

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Approaches to Practice Locating the problems in social structures  Approach gives emphasis to wider social factors  Includes structural or critical social work practice  Varies according to clientele  Based on belief that structural factors have significance for many types of social work problems

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Defining Social Work New definition of social work: The social work profession promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being. Utilizing theories of human behaviour and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work. International Federation of Social Workers, July 2000

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Defining Social Work Definition of social work emphasizes four key concepts: 1.Social change/social justice mandate 2.Problem solving 3.Person-in-the-environment 4.Empowerment

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Defining Social Work Social Change/Social Justice Mandate  Means working in solidarity with disadvantaged  Forefront of promoting policies and legislation  Promote equal opportunity for all  Seek ways to redress social imbalances  Reduce need for welfare services

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Defining Social Work Problem Solving  Use problem-solving techniques to identify problem  Explores person’s concerns to identify needs, barriers to needs, and plan of action  Inclusion of client at each stage  Teach client problem-solving skills

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Defining Social Work Person-In-The-Environment  Examines relationship between individuals and their environments  Environments include interactions with friends, neighborhoods, schools, religious groups, laws and legislation, agencies/organizations, places of employment, and economic system

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Defining Social Work Empowerment  Increasing power to improve one’s situation  Client must believe efforts of practitioner make a difference  Social workers seek to empower their clients by:  Making power explicit  Giving clients experiences in which they are in control  Supporting client’s own efforts to gain greater control over their lives

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Questions for Discussion Summarize the key points of the residual, institutional, and structural approaches to social welfare. Are there similarities? In what ways do they differ?

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Questions for Discussion Think about the provision of social welfare services in your province. Do you see elements of the residual, institutional, or structural approaches in the provision of service? If yes, in what ways?

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Questions for Discussion Do you think individual and structural approaches to practice are mutually exclusive? Do you think that these approaches can be integrated? Discuss your position.

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Questions for Discussion In addition to Canada, which other countries are considered “welfare states”? How might one’s socioeconomic status intersect with one’s position on social welfare?

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Questions for Discussion In what ways might social welfare programs facilitate a greater sense of belonging in Canadian society?

Chapter 1: The Canadian Welfare State Today Social Work In Canada Copyright © 2010 Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc. Websites  Social Work Glossary  Canadian Council on Social Development (CCSD)  Canadian Social Research Links