1st Edition

International Perspectives on Welfare to Work Policy

Edited By Richard Hoefer, James Midgley Copyright 2006
    172 Pages
    by Routledge

    172 Pages
    by Routledge

    Learn what you can do to promote social policy initiatives that really work

    International Perspectives on Welfare to Work Policy presents the latest available research on the various interpretations of “welfare-to-work” in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Hong Kong, and on the role social work plays in creating and implementing social welfare policies. Preeminent social work scholars from around the world address the changing nature of social work policy and practice, as welfare recipients are required to work in order to receive benefits. This invaluable book examines issues of importance to practitioners and policymakers, including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), child welfare, learning disabilities, work and direct payments, Intensive Employment Assistance Projects (IEAPs), and social inclusion.

    At a time when many governments in the industrial world are reducing social expenditures and privatizing social programs, International Perspectives on Welfare to Work Policy encourages the social work profession to be more actively involved in lobbying for social and economic policies that promote social investments, maximize opportunities, foster productive employment, ensure a decent standard of living, and make it easier for everyone to be involved in the economic, political, cultural, and social lives of their communities. The book addresses crucial issues that were raised by its contributors in 2005 at an international symposium organized by the University of California, Berkeley’s School of Social Welfare, including key policy and practice concerns for social work professionals.

    International Perspectives on Welfare to Work Policy examines:

    • the abolition of the Aid to Families with Dependant Children program (AFDC) in the United States
    • the implementation of coordinated service delivery models in California
    • the development of a diversion program that provides a lump sum of cash to alleviate short-term emergencies
    • the effects of welfare-to-work programs on single parents in the United Kingdom
    • the “new deal” offered by social inclusion in mental health policy
    • the role of income support in dealing with learning disabilities
    • the role of Australian social workers in two agencies—the Job Network and CentreLink
    • the development of a program in Hong Kong that helps beneficiaries of means-tested unemployment benefits find work
    International Perspectives on Welfare to Work Policy is an important resource for social policy educators and students working in social work, sociology, and political science.

    Introduction: Social Workers and Welfare to Work Programs: International Perspectives (Richard Hoefer and James Midgley) Welfare and Welfare to Work in the United States: The Role of Social Work (James Midgley) Working Together for Children and Families: Where TANF and Child Welfare Meet (Jill Duerr Berrick, Laura Frame, Jodie Langs, and Lisa Varchol) A Rose by Any Other Name? Lump-Sum Diversion or Traditional Welfare Grant? (Andrea Hetling, Kirk Tracy, and Catherine E. Born) Welfare to Work in the United Kingdom (Martin Evans and Jane Millar) Social Inclusion as an Agenda for Mental Health Social Work: Getting a Whole Life? (Nick Gould) Helping People with Learning Difficulties into Paid Employment: Will UK Social Workers Use the Available Welfare to Work System? (Mark Baldwin) Workfare Oz-Style: Welfare Reform and Social Work in Australia (Catherine McDonald and Lesley Chenoweth) Recent Developments in Welfare to Work in Hong Kong: Opportunities for Social Work (Kwong-leung Tang) The Role of Social Workers in Welfare to Work Programs: International Perspectives on Policy and Practice (Jane Millar and Michael J. Austin) Index Reference Notes Included

    Biography

    Richard Hoefer, James Midgley