Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002 An Introduction to Human Services: Policy and Practice Cycles of Helping §This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: Any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; Preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; Any rental, lease, or lending of the program.

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002 Cyclical Philosophies §Philosophies of helping often go through cycles rather than following a straight path forward. §Welfare reform is an example of cyclical philosophies. §The current system of assistance to needy families is similar in many ways to 19 th century welfare programs.

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002 Devolution §“Devolution” — the shifting of responsibility for assistance to needy families from the federal government to the states and localities — is a return to the 19 th century, when states and localities handled welfare assistance. §“Charitable choice” and faith-based initiatives recall the 19 th century when churches had a major responsibility for charity. §The stigmatization of unwed mothers in the current welfare reform bill harks back to Victorian times.

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002 Arguments §Proponents of devolution argue that states and local communities, being closer to people geographically, are in a better position to understand people’s needs and can respond to those needs better than the federal government. §Opponents of devolution argue that poverty is a national concern and only the federal government has the resources to deal with it. §Historically, states generally cut back on programs for the poor first when facing fiscal problems.

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002 Church Vs. State §Proponents of faith-based charity argue that churches can serve better than secular helpers because of the power of faith to heal. §They also believe in limiting the role of government. §Opponents of faith-based charity argue that it violates the principle of separation of church and state and could lead to discrimination.

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002 Stigmas §In his book Madness and Mental Illness, Foucault says that up to about 1650, mentally ill people were allowed to roam at will. §By the middle of the seventeenth century, institutions were built to house many different categories of people. §Foucault says that what these categories of people had in common was their inability to work. §Mentally ill people were stigmatized and made to feel guilty.

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002 Legality §The Progressives were critical of the corruption and brutality of the police and prisons in the early 19 th century. §They created the juvenile court because they believed that children should not be punished as harshly as adults.

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002 Legality §Gerald Gault sued the state of Arizona in 1967, claiming that the juvenile court had ignored legal due process. §A judge ruled in Gault’s favor, declaring that “the condition of being a boy does not justify a kangaroo court.”