Key Features of Social Policy and Its Influence on Everyday Life - Essay Example

SOCIAL POLICY Social Policy Social policy touches on different aspects of the human life through which human wellbeing is promoted. Some of these aspects promoting human wellbeing may include social relations in the society. Social policy refers to the various guidelines, principles, legislations, and activities affecting human wellbeing. Implementation of these policies and guidelines assist members of the society to shape the distribution and access to goods and resources. As such, social policy plays a crucial role in people’s lives and can thus be considered part of everyday life. Additionally, social policy is an interdisciplinary that concerns itself with the analysis of societal responses to social needs. In this context, it is important to note that there is a difference between needs and wants. Wants are directly related to individuals and can be foregone whereas needs are not necessarily specific to individuals and cannot be foregone (Lister, 2010). Additionally, needs do not require individual consent but are rather essential forming a part in the lives of people in the society (Alcock, May, and Wright, 2012, p.22). For example, basic needs such as water, shelter, and food cannot be avoided by any particular individual. The context of needs can arguably be considered to be the main intersection point between social policy and everyday life hence social policy cannot be avoided (Dwyer and Shaw, 2013, p.11). Since needs cannot be eliminated from people’s lives and social policy works to address these very needs, a conclusion can be drawn that social policy has a direct impact on everyday life. To cement this conclusion, it is important to critically look at daily experiences in relation to various needs and the role played by social policy in solving these needs. Principles and legislations implementing social policy are mainly driven by the government. This is done by focusing on the main functioning unit in any society, the family. In Britain this is the same case and there is more focus on the family from the government in relation to implementing social policy especially in relation to addressing needs. Increased concentration on the family is further facilitated by the considerations of it as a private institution with many functions in the public. The family is considered a private institution since people are left to handle their personal problems within the family without interference from external forces. In relation to public functions, the family plays the central role in the socialization process. The government plays the role of managing the family although seemingly from a distance. This implies that despite the different regulations put in place by the government to ensure efficient functioning of the family, the family still has the independence when it comes to making decisions and general functionality. The main purpose of government policies in relation to family is to ensure that the family flourishes by eliminating all potentially disruptive elements. This explains the increased efforts to encourage people to form families and has consequently led to creation of a culture that considers a family almost as a basic need. For instance, policies encouraging marriage since there is seemingly more interest on nuclear families rather than extended families. However, the encouragement for marriage is not done directly but rather by discouraging any other forms of family life. Additionally, the presence of a family makes it easier for the government to cater for the needs of people especially in relation to recurrent needs such as food and shelter. For example, the government provides me with house benefits from which I greatly benefit. This is following the government’s policies enabling public sector housing tenants to buy their homes (Baldock, Mitton, Manning, & Vickerstaff, 2012, p.4558). As a single parent and amid tight economic situations, it is relatively hard to get decent shelter without such policies as those implementing provision of house benefits. In fact, the main purpose for social policy can arguably be considered to reduce poverty levels in a nation (Alcock, 2006). In recent years government policies seem to be directed towards assisting single parents to achieve a sense of independence. For example, the government is using the taxation system to assist single parents into paid employment thereby reducing need levels. With this in mind, the main relationship between social policy and family life is seemingly “relative autonomy”. This implies that people are allowed certain levels of freedom within the framework provided within the confines of government policies. However, there is the challenge of implementing social policy through a family setting due to its possession of both private and public aspect. This creates the need for social policy to have limitations of expected behaviors within the confines of the family. For instance, in creating a family through marriage there are several regulations that should not be breached. An example is regulations preventing marriage for people under 18 years or marry a member relative. These two regulations protect the wellbeing of children and maintain morality in the society. Additionally, these regulations give an outline of how a family should look like and function. The same regulations put children under the protection of their parents up to the age of 18 or 16 years in some states. This outlines the roles to be played by each member of the family hence making it possible to carry out their specific responsibilities. As a result, relationships within the family are relatively easy to manage and stable. Conversely, people are allowed to marry an individual of their choice within the legal framework but this may differ among various cultures such as Hindus who use arranged marriages. This implies that these regulations do not affect the general freedoms of people such as movement among others. It is within these same confines of the family that the government provides for the needs of different members of the family. For instance the value of education in relation to addressing needs is significantly high hence the increased concentration on providing education irrespective of position held by an individual. For example, as a student I am entitled to a student loan hence enabling me to further my profession. Additionally, investment levels in education have increased significantly with statistics showing that Britain’s state spending on education was at approximately 5.7% of GDP in 2006 (Howard, 2006). Increasing skill levels in any particular profession raises the stakes and income levels thereby addressing economic needs. With this in mind the government provides finances for tertiary education through the welfare state in what Barr refers to as its “piggy bank function” (Barr, 2001). As such, even the less fortunate in the society in relation to low financial levels can access education with the help of student loans issued. This is one way in which social policy solves the needs in peoples’ lives hence can be considered as part of everyday life. Additionally, social policies allow people to access education and loans irrespective of their age thereby playing an important role in everyday life. Still in relation to social policy and family life there are policies that provide benefits to women with children. In fact the policy revolving around children benefits seem more like rights given to eligible individuals. I for instance get child tax credit thereby reducing the number of expenses and consequently making it easier to deal with my needs. Provision of benefits by the government is part of efforts revolving around redistribution of public resources. Redistribution of public resources forms a crucial part of people’s lives especially in relation to economic status. As a result there is control of resources used to solve different needs facing people in the society mainly through control of wages and employment protection (Alcock, 2008, p.302). The child tax credit goes hand in hand with the part time job tax credit hence further reducing need my levels. Such policies are effective in reducing need levels in the society thereby improving the lives of individuals. Still on benefits, the government also provides policies that guide and allow issuance of pensions hence increasing resources available to tackle different needs. For example, in “Britain more than 12 million people receive some form of state pension” relative to their age (Paul, 2011). This implies that benefits have formed a crucial part of people’s lives and can be considered to be part of day to day lives. Conclusively, it is evident that social policy is essential in solving needs faced on a daily basis. This is especially in relation to needs whose solutions have financial ties hence prompting the need for a stable source of income. These problems include housing and education among other financially related problems. In relation to housing social policy offers housing benefits while in relation to education they give student loans. Additionally, social policies allow citizens to access other benefits such as child benefit and pensions. Since social policies seem to revolve around needs, it is fair to conclude that they are part of everyday life. And cannot be avoided. References Alcock, P. (2006). Understanding Poverty. 3rd Edition, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Alcock, P. (2008). Social Policy in Britain. 3rd Edition, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan. Alcock, P., May, M. & Wright, S. (2012). The Students Companion to Social Policy. 4th Edition, Wiley-Blackwell: Oxford. Baldock, J., Mitton, M., Manning, N. & Vickerstaffe, S. (2012). Social Policy. 4th Edition, Oxford: OUP. Barr, N. (2001). The Welfare State as Piggy Bank: Information, Risk, Uncertainty, and the Role of the State. Oxford Scholarship Online: Oxford. Dwyer, P. & Shaw, S. (2013). An Introduction to Social Policy. London: Sage. Glennerster, H. (2009). Understanding the Finance of Welfare. 2nd Edition, Bristol: Policy Press. Lister, R. (2010). Theories and Concepts in Social Policy. Bristol: The Policy Press. Spicker, P. (2011). How Social Security Works. An Introduction to benefits in Britain. Bristol: Policy Press. Read More