Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002 An Introduction to Human Services: Policy and Practice The “Deserving” Client §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 Worthy of Help §The concept of “deserving” Vs. “undeserving” clients has a long history. §Since the beginnings of charity, helping people have had ideas about who is more worthy of help. §This division was built into the Social Security Act. §It affects the way workers treat individual clients, and it affects the framing of social policy.
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002 Stigmas §The poor, the physically disabled, the retarded, the mentally ill, and the prisoner are often stigmatized by the larger society. §People who work with them find that some of that stigma rubs off on them. §A stigma is only effective if you believe it. §John Templeton, a welfare worker, sees all people as equally valuable and does not divide his clients into “deserving” and “undeserving.”
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002 Deserving Vs. Undeserving §Means tested programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), which cover only poor people, generally stigmatize clients as less deserving. §Universal programs such as OASDI (commonly called “Social Security”) do not stigmatize clients because they cover people of all social classes. §Over 3 million children receive Social Security benefits because their parent is deceased, disabled, or retired. These children are not stigmatized.
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002 Mental Illness §Different cultures view mental illness differently. §Anglo-American adults are likely to see mental illness as a personal weakness. §This affects social policy, resulting in less favorable treatment. §Health insurance generally does not provide as much coverage for mental illness as for physical illness.
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002 AIDS §Homosexuals have been stigmatized. §This has resulted in public officials being reluctant to fund education and treatment for AIDS. §Even some health professionals have more negative, hostile feelings toward gays since the AIDS epidemic, and as a result, AIDS patients sometimes receive inferior care when hospitalized.
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002 Treatment of Women §Policy makers have often treated women as less deserving of services and income than men. §The National Organization for Women says that welfare reform inflicts suffering on poor women. §They also say that it is part of a broader effort to pressure all women into a repressive sexuality, limited reproductive choices, and conventional family arrangements.