The Update Social Policy in the United Kingdom - Research Paper Example

 Social Policy, Welfare and Organisations Introduction The notion of social care service seems to have varying meaning depending on its application. In every country, the purpose of care service organizations is to ensure that it meets the needs and objectives of the country thus taking into account the well-being of all citizens. The care service organization is an ideal model that provides universal and comprehensive welfare for every citizen, meaning that the state has the responsibility of taking care of the needs of all its citizens. The present paper is an analysis of the contemporary social policy in the United Kingdom, and its impact on social care organisation's services, and recipients of services. Context and direction of contemporary social policy Social policy in United Kingdom date back in a couple of years ago in the year 1942 when the Beveridge Report proposed that the state should play the role of ensuring that it address the needs of all citizens, especially the poor and the oppressed in the state. In general, social policy in the United Kingdom was to look at issues such as full employment, health services, and family allowances, among many others (Van 2010, p. 45). In the United Kingdom, the foundation of social policy originated from the Liberal Party under the leadership of David Lloyd George and Herbert Asquith who were the prime ministers of that time. The UK liberals highly supported capitalist economy and during the 19th century, they diverted their views from capitalist economy and started showing support to pro-active social policy in order to ensure that there was equal opportunities for all citizens in the country (as well as counteracting the Labour party’s appeal). The success of Germany’s economy, under Bismarck’s social reforms, posed direct influence and inspired the leaders to establish social policy in the United Kingdom. The modern social policy in the United Kingdom resulted from reforms of the Liberal Party from the years 1906 to 1914 under the leadership of Prime Minister Herbert Asquith (Sines, Saunders & Forbes-Burford 2009, p. 67). Social policies during that era included free school food in the year 1901, the 1908 Old-Age Pension plan, the 1909 Labour Exchanges Act, and the 1909 Development Act. Impacts of organizational dynamics and policy requirements of social care organizations Social care organizations are integrated organizations that aid in helping citizens in a country, especially the poor and the oppressed. Social care organizations through policy requirements and organizational dynamics affect the entire process of offering care services to service recipients. The endeavour of every social care organization, involving the social workers and service recipient is to increase the performance of caring for the needs of all citizens especially the needy and the oppressed (Leathard 2007, p. 78). In order to achieve this goal, social care organizations need to have a clear understanding about organizational dynamics and policy requirements. However, the UK’s organization dynamics and policy requirements have both positive and negative impacts towards to the operations of social care organizations. First, clarity of organization dynamic and policy requirements helps to correlate the cause behind social care organizations’ successful and unsuccessful developments in a social care organization. Organizational dynamics and policy requirements cover all types of interactions between the organization, government, and the service recipients (Jones Finer 2007, p. 89). The effects that organization dynamics and policy requirements causes to social care organizations should bring better performance and satisfaction to both the organization and the service recipients. Ensuring that UK citizens receive proper care in social care and health requires the application of various organizational dynamics and policies as well as support principles. An example of such dynamics and policies include universality in care service accessibility, equality in care provision, and provision of financial support to people of all backgrounds. As the people who are in need of social care and health services differ depending on their cultural, ethnic, socioeconomic, and social backgrounds, these organizational dynamics and policy requirements are pivotal in ensuring that the social care organizations in the United Kingdom meet all the people’s needs in a large percentage (Clouston & Westcott 2005, p. 78). Valuing diversity as well as providing core support for all families of different backgrounds is one of the critical components of social care policy in the United Kingdom. Another impact of organizational dynamics and policy requirements is that it ensures that social care organizations provide protection to clients. In general, care service recipients who are taking advantage of the services provided by social care organizations are in susceptible conditions, and face challenges such as lack of enough finance, medical difficulties, and psychological problems that force them to face potential abuse or harm. The policy requirement of safeguarding the service recipients is vital in preventing such harms or abuses (Bissell & Dolan 2011, p. 56). The modern National Health Service policy in UK mandates that the social care and health workers should adhere to strict policy requirements to ensure they do not harm or abuse the care service receivers. Social care organizations as well as the service care practitioners are accountable for their services to receivers. The service care dynamics and social policy in the UK require them to put efforts in empowering the service receivers as well as ensuring protection for their confidentiality and human rights. The policy also requires the social care organizations to take any additional actions that are necessary for protecting vulnerable clients. The government of United Kingdom continually keeps on evaluating its policies, regulations, legislations, and codes in order to ensure that they are beneficial for all citizens under varying cultural, ethical, and financial backgrounds. The 2012 Social Care Act currently acts the wider social care policy that guides the entire field of the United Kingdom. This Act maintains all the policies on social care organizations, professional, and accountability. Within this social policy act, there are policy standards that provide greater voices for service recipients, a more recipient-based model, and social care services in order to prevent efficiency. The results of this policy and organization dynamics enable care service organizations to provide improved social care efficiently. Organizational dynamics and policy requirements have profound impacts on social care organizations. The policy requirements and organizational dynamics protect both service recipient and practitioners and offer practical guidelines that ensure best practices related to social care requirements. The aim of the organizers dynamics and policy standards ensure that social care organizations provide relevant, current, and effective care services to recipients as well as ensuring ethical and safe care for all service recipients (Pereira 2006, p. 41). The impacts of social and welfare policy on social care service delivery Although policies are implemented to ensure that citizens receive equal care services, these policies also have some negative and positive impacts on social care service delivery. Currently, there are a number of issues highlighted in welfare state policy in the UK that have directly contributed to the failure of the country in ensuring social care services to the citizens (Birrell 2009, p. 90). This has happened due to failure of UK government to implement policies that delivers the needs of all citizens in an appropriate manner. As a result, the citizens of the United Kingdom experience a change in perspectives on the state’s role on their needs and the capitalist policy has intruded in the country. Slowly, the Welfare state policy is changing and affecting the delivery of social care services to users, although the UK government is unwilling to accept this change as it considers the policy as good as the other policies in other countries. However, most of the social service recipients argue that; there are a number of contemporary issues that are currently affecting the delivery of social care services in the society. Although there are other contemporary issues that contribute to this, the main effects of delivery of social care services results from failure of the state to find measures that will address the needs of all citizens in an appropriate manner (Hafford-Letchfield 2010, p. 78). Globalization in United Kingdom has brought many changes in traditions and culture of citizens and the government should not assume it as a wave that is soon ending. The government should come up with policy measures, which aid in addressing these changes in order to ensure the well-being of all citizens. For instance, the New Labour Health Policy in United Kingdom has had many impacts on social services organizations as well as the delivery of social care services to the recipients. The health policies formed by labour government in the years starting from 1997 to 2001 had an increased focus of Social Services Departments (SSDs). There are three dimensions of this policy, which bring impacts towards social service delivery. These dimensions include, the policy’s drive to organize a union between elements of SSDs ‘and the NHS, the current mechanism that the government is using to fund social care services, and the new focus of policy in tackling social inequalities in local and national basis (Pereira 2006, p. 45). For example, the health policies of labour, which were formed by the Labour government in the years 1997 to 2001, included the increase in emphasis towards SSDs (Social Service Departments and their contribution towards health care and promotion. The new labour policies have taken some steps, mainly in reduction of poverty in children, which will have extensive and continuous social care benefits for the potential care service recipients. However, the government provides inadequate funding for the Social Service Departments. This inadequate funding undermines the effectiveness of Social Service Departments hence affecting the entire process of delivering social care services to the service users (Cowen 2009, p. 56). The government should acknowledge that enough funding is the key to success of any organization and thus through ensuring adequate funding to social service departments will improve their process of providing care services to the citizens. Adequate provision of care services to the citizens will also ensure that all citizens enjoy equality as well as enhancing their well-being. According to the views of most service user initiatives, the SSDs cannot meet its goals and objectives under the current changes in policies and practices. Currently, in United Kingdom citizens keeps on raising a number of questions that point on certain contemporary issues that they continuously facing. There are many contemporary issues in the United Kingdom that affect care service delivery in the country that the government should have addressed (Meads, Ashcroft, Barr, Scott & Wild 2008, p. 78). The most effective and appropriate method of solving these contemporary issues is to first determine the causes of such problems that the society is currently facing. One of the causes of the contemporary issues that are affecting social care delivery of service users is inequality that is dominating most ethnic groups in the United Kingdom. Inequality among UK’s citizens, not only prevails in the financial and income status, but also the way the citizens are able to access the social care services both either the government or the social care organizations in the country. This goes back to political representation issues in the country. The political system in the United Kingdom is that if an ethnic group is not well presented in the government politically, then the chances of that group not receiving social care services are high (Moonie 2003, p. 76). In addition, such groups may not be receiving social care services in a similar manner the other groups do. For instance, most ethnic groups whose inhabitants do not have British origin are not well presented in the government politically, thus delivery of social services to such groups is not the same as in other well-represented groups. The impacts of universal benefit reform in UK The introduction of new government reforms in the United Kingdom is highly affecting the social work department in the country. The implementation of the new universal benefit reform in the country is deliberate to be operational by the year 2017. Potentially, the change that this reform will bring will affect an approximately eight million UK citizens. Although there is a huge support behind this proposed policy, the delivery of the reform is still having many critics (Great Britain 2011, p. 45). People should understand that the changes, which this proposed reform would bring, would definitely affect them and they have to find measures on how to prepare for these changes. Pensions and work secretary of the United Kingdom who claims that a large number of citizens are supporting the proposed reform thus driving the overhaul of the benefits of this proposed reform. The secretary claims that the changes of the universal benefit reform are planned to create work pay rather that citizens witnessing their incomes dropping by moving off the benefits as well as working under low payment jobs (Great Britain 2013, p. 34). In addition, this is a bid, which will simplify the entire system by integrating an array of working- age reimbursement and tax payments into a single payment known as universal benefit. Moreover, the proposed reform will positively affect the United Kingdom citizens since it will aid in reducing errors and fraud that affects the entire benefits systems hence amounting to millions of pounds per year. It is not only workers who will be affected by this proposed reform, but also the businesses in the country. All employers in the country will be supposed to keep the tax authority updated with all staff earnings in a real time information system (Great Britain 2012, p. 31). This will help in accessing the number of people being paid by a particular employer and thus the amount of universal benefit each staff should receive (Great Britain 2013, p. 37). Under the new reform, employees’ benefits will be altered automatically following a rise or decrease in earnings. Universal benefit reform will also cause impacts on the way social care services will be delivered to service users. Despite the current conditions, citizens will be able to receive social care services equally and in affair manner. The ethnic groups, which do not have Britain origin will be able to enjoy equal care service provision in the same way as those groups, which are well presented in the government. This reform will aid in reducing social inequality in the country, thus ensuring that the well-being of all citizens is under care. This reform will ensure that all citizens receive equal benefits. Ensuring that UK citizens receive proper care in social care and health requires the application of various organizational dynamics and policies as well as support principles. An example of such dynamics and policies include universality in care service accessibility, equality in care provision, and provision of financial support to people of all backgrounds. As the people who are in need of social care and health services differ depending on their cultural, ethnic, socioeconomic, and social backgrounds, these organizational dynamics and policy requirements are pivotal in ensuring that the social care organizations in the United Kingdom meet all the people’s needs in a large percentage (Great Britain 2012, p. 34). Valuing diversity as well as providing core support for all families of different backgrounds is one of the critical components of social care policy in the United Kingdom. Conclusion In conclusion, the care service organization is an ideal model that provides universal and comprehensive welfare for every citizen, meaning that the state has the responsibility of taking care of the needs of all its citizens. However, many contemporary social policies are affecting the performance of social care organizations as well as the care service delivery to the service users. In order to address these contemporary issues, the government of the United Kingdom is trying to implement new reforms in the country such as the proposed universal benefit reform. Bibliography Birrell, D 2009, The impact of devolution on social policy, Bristol, UK, Policy Press. Bissell, Gavin, & Dolan, Peter 2011, Organisational Behaviour for Social Work, Policy Pr. Clouston, T, & Westcott, L 2005, Workers in health and social care. Edinburgh, Elsevier Churchill Livingstone. Cowen, H 2009, Community care, ideology and social policy, London [u.a.], Prentice Hall Europe. Great Britain 2011, Welfare Reform Bill, London, Stationery Office. Great Britain 2012, Universal Credit implementation: meeting the needs of vulnerable claimants : third report of session 2012-13. Vol. 1, Vol. 1. London, Stationery Office. 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