Social Policy Social Services and Neoliberalism
A set of non-market decisions, public and private that determine the distribution of wealth to individuals and families and the degree of availability of human services to all members of society.
What is social policy>
These independent organizations operate outside of government control, often focusing on social, environmental, or humanitarian issues, and rely on donations, volunteers, or grants to carry out their missions.
What are non-governmental organizations (NGOs)?
This concept refers to the belief that public and social services should be run with the same efficiency, accountability, and performance metrics as a business, often prioritizing cost-cutting and management over professional expertise
What is managerialism?
This concept refers to the networks, relationships, and trust that enable individuals and groups to work together for common goals, often seen as vital for addressing issues like poverty and inequality in social policy.
What is social capital?
This term refers to how we think, communicate, and understand people, things, and the social organization of society. It is shaped by social institutions like media and politics and influences our relationships with others and society.
What is discourse?
An ideological shift that replaced the post-war welfare state's universal programs with market-driven, targeted approaches, fundamentally reshaping Canadian social policy from the 1980s onward.
What is neoliberalism?
In Canada, this level of government is responsible for immigration, Indigenous services, Employment Insurance (EI), pensions (CPP), and setting national standards for social policy.
What is the federal government?
Under managerialism, social workers may experience a shift from client-centered practice to this approach, where performance targets and standardized procedures often take priority over individualized care and professional judgment.
What is a focus on efficiency or "top-down" management?
This process involves strengthening an organization's skills, resources, and overall ability to fulfill its mission, often through training, leadership development, and strategic planning, particularly within minority ethnic voluntary organizations to enhance advocacy and community empowerment.
What is capacity building?
The neoliberal restructuring of the social service sector has shifted the discourse towards this, where social issues are seen as individual problems rather than reflecting broader social relations. This shift leads to the categorization of people into “kinds” for standardized intervention.
What is individualization of social issues?
These three levels refer to the different scales at which social workers and policy-makers operate, ranging from individual interactions to policy-making and government structures.
What are Micro, Mezzo and Macro?
These social programs in Canada can be categorized by their eligibility criteria: Selective programs are income and needs-tested, Social Insurance programs are based on work effort and contributions, and Universal programs grant access to all citizens based on citizenship and jurisdiction rights
What are selective, social insurance, and universal programs?
These types of barriers, including limited access to policymakers, complex language, financial constraints, and cultural differences, often prevent marginalized communities from effectively engaging in the policy-making process
What are institutional, resource, and cultural barriers?
These organizations are typically non-profit and serve communities from minority ethnic backgrounds, working to address issues like discrimination, poverty, and limited access to services.
What are minority ethnic voluntary organizations?
This process involves the use of language to frame and categorize social issues, which in turn shapes public perceptions, policies, and societal structures by defining who belongs, who is marginalized, and how social relationships are understood
What is the role of language in constructing social discourse?
According to Rianne Mahon, this type of liberalism, which emphasizes government intervention to support the welfare of citizens, was prevalent in Canada during the "Golden Age" of social policy.
What is social liberalism?
In her 2009 article, Ilcan explores how this neoliberal approach in the public sector led to the transfer of social responsibility from the government to individuals, emphasizing market-driven solutions and privatization.
What is privatizing responsibility?
In their 2009 article, Burton and van den Broek discuss how the increasing reliance on these systems in social work leads to greater accountability but also contributes to the bureaucratization of practice, often prioritizing data collection over client-centered care
What are information management systems?
Netto et al. suggest that successful capacity building efforts in the minority ethnic voluntary sector focus not just on organizational growth, but on improving the ability of these organizations to advocate for and empower the communities they represent.
What is community empowerment through capacity building?
In their 2011 report, O’Grady, Gaetz, and Buccieri examine how youth homelessness is policed in Toronto, focusing on how the lack of identification becomes a barrier for homeless youth accessing services and facing legal challenges
What is the policing of youth homelessness in Toronto?
In their 2007 article, McBride and McNutt discuss how this policy shift in British Columbia involved transferring powers from the federal to provincial governments, in line with neoliberal ideas and global economic pressures
What is devolution?
In their 2011 article, Nevo and Slonim-Nevo challenge this concept, arguing that while evidence-based practice aims to rely on empirical research, it often overlooks the context, values, and experiences that should inform decision-making in social work
What is evidence-based practice?
In their 2008 article, Lombe and Sherraden argue that marginalized groups often face exclusion from decision-making processes and advocate for this approach, which emphasizes active participation and inclusion in shaping policies that affect their lives
What is inclusion in the policy process?
In their 2005 article, Wakefield and Poland suggest that social capital can be both an asset and a liability in this type of community work, depending on how relationships are structured and who is included or excluded.
What is health promotion and community development?
In her 2011 article, Wilson critiques the concept of this label, arguing that it reduces young people to a state of vulnerability and neglects the structural and social factors contributing to their challenges
What is "at-risk youth"?