1 Social Welfare Administration: Concept, Nature and Scope * Ramesh Bharadwaj Introduction In early times, social welfare functions were performed by a few individuals or groups of individuals motivated by compassion and concern for the poor, the needy and and the the dest destit itut ute e. Thes These e peop people le were were laymen, embodied with the qualities of humanism and selfless service to the the commu communit nity y. But But in modern modern times times,, most of the countries have adopted the concept of a welfare state tate inst inste ead of a police lice state. te. The Encyclopaedia of Social Sciences describes a welfare state as a state state which which takes takes up the responsibil responsibility ity to provide a minimum standard of subsistence to its citiens. !rof. "ent remarked that by a welfare state we mean mean a stat state e whic which h prov provid ides es e#te e#tens nsiv ive e services to the people. people. Thus, Thus, in a welfa welfare re state, state, the the administration enters enters into economic economic,, politica political, l, social social and educational life of individuals. $nd it provides services to individuals, individuals, right from an individual%s birth to death. The state is to serve the old, sick, orphans, widows, help helple less ss,, oppr oppres esse sed d and and the the disa disabl bled ed people whenever they are in need of services. In the conte# conte#tt of the presen presentt day social social problems, the sie of welfare services provided by an increasingly larg large e numb number er of organ rganis isat atio ions ns make make administration very very impor importan tant. t. Socia Sociall welfa welfare re servi services ces,, schemes, pro&ects pro&ects and programm programmes, es, are becoming becoming increasingly comple#. Since it is no longer accepted that any norm normal ally ly inte intell llig igen entt pers person on with ith good good intentions can * Dr. Dr. Rame Ramesh sh Bhar Bharad adwa waj, j, Kuru Kuruks kshe hetr tra a University, Kurukshetra Socia Sociall Welfa Welfare re dmin dminist istrat ration ion!! "once "once#t, #t, $ature and Sco#e '() admi admini nist ster er the the welfa elfare re work, ork, a soun sound d administration is vital. It is increasingly realised that social welfare programm programmes es require require qualifie qualified d and trained trained social welfare
perso rsonnel to perfo rform social cial welf elfare functions efficiently. So it is argued that for serving the people effectively it is nece necess ssar ary y to prof profes essi sion onal alis ise, e, as professionalisation can can increa increase se the the abili ability ty of socia sociall welfa welfare re personnel to solv solve e the the pres pressi sing ng soci social al prob proble lems ms confronting our society. Administration Before discussing the meaning of social welfare administration, administration, it is necessary to know the meaning of the term administration. $dministration is a cooperative human effort towards achieving some common goals. Thus every group activity involves administration, whether in a family, factory, hospital, university,
or a government department. Whenever two or more people cooperate in view of doing a thing that cannot be taken up alone, the concept of administration appear. The word administration administration has been derived from the Latin words ‘ad’ and ‘ministrate’ which means to serve. In simple language, it means the ‘management of aairs’ or ‘looking after the people’. To To administer is to manage, direct and serve. L.!. White "1#$%& views that 'the art of administration is the direction, coordination and control of man( persons to achieve some purpose or ob)ective.* +.. -igro "1#1& de/nes 'administration as the organisation and use of men and materials to accomplish a purpose.* ccording ccording to 0erbert . imon "1#23& 'In its broadest sense, administration can be de/ned as the activities of groups co4operative to accomplish common goals.* 132 Social Work Intervention with Communities and Institutions
5/ner de/nes 'administration as the organisation and direction of human and material resources to achieve desired ends.* Thus, it is clear from from above de/nitions that
6 administration is concerned with proper organisation of men and material to achieve desired ends. It consists of doing the work or getting the work done b( others.
Social Administration To achieve the aims and ob)ectives of social welfare, the government formulates social policies and programmes and in pursuance thereof enacts social legislation, allocates /nancial assistance and provides organisational and administrative linkages in the form of ministries and departments. It also seeks the partnership of non4governmental organisations for the eective implementation of various social welfare programmes. dministration of all these activities being undertaken in the sphere of social services and social welfare is considered as falling in the realm of social welfare administration. ccording to 7ichard 8. Titmus, 1#$%, 'ocial administration ma( broadl( be de/ned as the stud( of social services whose ob)ect is the improvement of conditions of life of the individual in the setting of famil( and group relations.* !.9. !onnison, 1#21 de/nes social administration 'as the stud( of development, structure and practices of social services.* ccording to :order "1#;$& 'ocial administration is concerned with stud( of the welfare s(stem, and particularl( the government sponsored social services*. Thus, social administration is concerned with the stud( of welfare s(stem of government’s sponsored social services. Social Welfare Administration: Concept, Nature and Scope 13;
Defnitional Issues: Social Welare and Its Related Concepts number of terms are used in social welfare with subtle dierences in their meanings. ome of the
important terms are e
the( serve to meet the basic needs of the people and include such services as health, education, housing etc. 5roviding drinking water during summer, helping the blind to cross a road, rescuing people from a house under /re, donate blood etc. are some of the e
services against violation of certain rights to which
? its members are e
ccording to Wa(ne 9ase( "1#%& social welfare included two main characteristics@ A The utilisation of welfare measures to support or strengthen the famil( as a basic social institution through which needs are met> and A The intent to strengthen the individuals’ capacit( to cope with their life situation. The provision of social welfare includes services for children, (outh, women, aged, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, other backward classes, minorities, disabled, drug addicts, and economicall( underprivileged such as destitute and unemplo(ed. ocial welfare programmes are, therefore, directed to ameliorate their conditions. Therefore, it re=uires proper administration. Social Welare Administration ocial welfare administration is a process through which social polic( is transformed into social services. It involves the administration of public and private agencies. The following de/nitions are given to elaborate the meaning of social welfare administration. Bohn C. Didneigh "1#3& de/nes social welfare administration as the 'process of transforming social polic( into social servicesE a two wa( process@ "i&E transforming polic( into concrete social services and "ii& the use of e
$ ccording to rthur !unham "1#26&, 'administration is the process of supporting or facilitating activities which are necessar( and incidental to services b( a social agenc(. dministrative activities range from the determination of function and policies, and e
amended> programmes are formulated and budget, /nance, personnel and selection procedures are made@ Social Welfare Administration: Concept, Nature and Scope 111
7osemar( arri "1#;1& has outlined the activities of social welfare administration as follows@ i& Translation of social mandates into operational policies and goals to guide organisational behaviour> ii& !esign of organisational structures and processes through which the goals can be achieved> iii& ecuring of resources in the form of materials, sta, clients and societal legitimation necessar( for goal attainment and organisational survival> iv& election and engineering of the necessar( technolog(> v& FptimiGing organisational behaviour directed towards increased eectiveness and eHcienc(> and vi& +valuation of organisational performance to facilitate s(stematic and continuous solution of problems.
Features o Social Welare Administration lthough the concept of administration is applicable in a broader sense to areas including social welfare, business and government, there are certain distinctive features of social welfare administration. summar( of features highlighting distinctiveness of social welfare administration is given below@ A It is concerned with social agencies and helps them to achieve their ob)ectives within target communit(. It is speci/call( concerned with identi/cation of social ob)ectives and formulation implementation of programmes. A :rom functional point of view, it encompasses three facets of social problems@ "i& 7estoration 116 Social Work Intervention with Communities and Institutions
of impaired social functioning> "ii& 5rovision of
resources, social and individual, for more eective social functioning> "iii& 5revention of social d(sfunction. A !espite variations in siGe, scope, structure and t(pe of programmes, ever( agenc( has a governing board as an ape< bod( for /nal decision making. The board is generall( represented b( the communit( it intends to serve. A ocial welfare administration re=uires optimum utiliGation of its available resources together with active communit( participation, so that the ultimate goal of programmes can be achieved properl(. A ocial welfare agencies have to earmark certain portion of their resources for survival. Jut this should not limit their capacit( to achieve in =uantitative and =ualitative terms. A ocial welfare agencies generall( function in a co4operative manner and ensure participation of all the members in administration of their activities. A There is a growing trend in these agencies to recruit professionall( =uali/ed manpower. It has helped in introducing professional approach in their functioning.
History o Social Welare Administration In India 8utual aid has been part of ever( societ(. The desire to help one’s fellowmen has been in e
swadharma and tyaa, the essence of which are selfdiscipline, self4sacri/ce and consideration for others.
Well4being of all depend on these values upheld b( people individuall( and through communit( action. ll the religions en)oined upon their devotees to put aside a portion of their income to be utilised for charitable purposes as that would grant them happiness in this world and salvation in the ne
2 were being managed b( dierent ministries such 11$ Social Work Intervention with Communities and Institutions
as education, home, industries, health, labour etc. The 7enuka 7a( Committee in its report submitted in 1#23, recommended the establishment of the !epartment of ocial ecurit(. Onder the 5rime 8inistership of Lal Jahadur hastri, a ocial ecurit( !epartment was established and located in the 8inistr( of Law on 1$th Bune 1#2$. ub)ects, namel(, social securit(, social welfare, backward classes and khadi and handicrafts were allocated to the !epartment of ocial ecurit(. In 1#22, it was renamed as ocial Welfare !epartment. It was located in the 8inistr( of +ducation and ocial Welfare created in 1#;1. Its status was raised to a ministr( in the (ear 1#;#. Its name was further changed to the 8inistr( of ocial and Women Welfare in 1#%$. With the creation of a separate !epartment of Women and Child !evelopment in the 8inistr( of 0uman 7esource !evelopment, it was reorganised and its nomenclature was changed to the 8inistr( of Welfare in 1#% and subse=uentl( it was renamed as the 8inistr( of ocial Bustice and +mpowerment. Thus, the Central government has set up a fulledged ministr( and organisations subordinate to it, like -ational Commission for cheduled Castes Tribes, 8inorities Commission, -ational Institute of ocial !efence, -ational Institute for the 0andicapped, !epartment of Women and Child !evelopment, Central ocial Welfare Joard, -ational Institute of 5ublic Co4operation and Child !evelopment etc. under its administrative control. Jesides the e
wholl( or partl( b( the Central government> the state governments and union territor( administrations formulate and implement welfare service programmes on their own in their respective )urisdictions. The state governmentunion territories administrations carr( out their welfare obligations and programmes Social Welfare Administration: Concept, Nature and Scope 11
mainl( through their !epartment of ocial Welfare and voluntar( organisations. In most of the states there is now either a full4time ecretar( for social welfare or it is one of the main portfolios of a secretar(. Thus social welfare schemes are still spread over more than one departmentdirectorate. The pattern of implementation of some of the schemes, like old age pension, widow pension, and supplementar( nutrition programmes also varies from state to state. Though most of the states now have district social welfare oHcers, there is no social welfare functionar( at block level.
Nature o Social Welare Administration The =uestion whether social welfare administration is science or art, has assumed much importance with passage of time. There are conicting views and opinions on this issue and each appears to be )usti/ed in its own wa(. ocial welfare lends itself to two usages. It stands for the process of administering the social welfare programmes. It is also an area of intellectual en=uir(. The /rst is practice, the second is stud(. s a practice social welfare administration is decidedl( an art. Social Welare Administration as an Art The following arguments have been given to support that social welfare administration is an art. i& It can e ac!uired: -o doubt art is a natural
; gift. 8usic, dance, drama or painting are the e
a& personal skills> b& practical know4how> c& result orientation> d& creativit(> and e& constant practice aimed at perfection. imilarl(, the art of social welfare administration can be ac=uired. Talented persons become the best administrators under proper training. Thus so far ac=uisition is concerned social welfare administration is also like other arts. ii& It is su"ective in nature: painter contributes to art b( mi
cience is a s(stematic stud( of knowledge. Those who believe that social welfare administration is a science point out that there are certain speci/c and clear principles on which da( to da( administration of social welfare programmes is being run and managed. The( also argue that these Social Welfare Administration: Concept, Nature and Scope 11;
principles are based on sound and rational principles, which are also considered universal. The following arguments have been put forward to )ustif( that social welfare administration is a science@ A Application o Scientifc &et'od: The claim of a discipline to be called a science depends on whether the scienti/c method of stud( is applicable to it. ocial welfare administration can be called a science, because the scienti/c method of stud( e=uall( is applicable to it, as in the case of other social sciences. A Critical ()amination: Critical e
% administration of social welfare programmes.
Scope o Social Welare Administration There are broadl( two views about the scope of social welfare administration. These are@ 11% Social Work Intervention with Communities and Institutions
i& The 5F!Co7J view ii& The Integral view. ,'e #-SDCoR. /ie$ o Social Welare Administration This is a narrow view of social welfare administration and takes into account mostl( the e
-r%anisation@ It is the establishment of the formal structure of authorit( through which the work is sub4divided, arranged, de/ned and coordinated for the de/ned ob)ective. Sta0n%@ taHng is the process of /lling all positions
in the organisation with ade=uate and =uali/ed personnel. Thus it means whole personnel, bringing in and training the sta and maintenance of favourable condition of work. Directin%: It is the continuous task of making decisions and embod(ing them in speci/c and general orders and instructions and thus guiding the enterprise. Coordinatin%@ It means integration of several parts into an orderl( whole to achieve the purpose of the undertaking. In other words, coordinating means the all important dut( of inter4relating the work of various divisions, sections and other parts of the undertaking. Reportin%: It is keeping those people informed to whom the e
applied. Joth blades must be good to make it an eective tool. Thus, the proper scope of social welfare administration should include both the views i.e. 5F!Co7J and sub)ect matter.
# ,'e Inte%ral /ie$ o Social Welare Administration nother view of the scope of social welfare administration has come into vogue during the last few (ears. !ue to emergence of new social problems, the sub)ect matter of ocial Welfare dministration is e
! Social Services @ ocial services are meant for general public through provision of health, education, housing etc. and make them more eective for the upliftment of disadvantaged and vulnerable sections of
societ(. R Social Security @ To make and implement eective social assistance and social insurance provisions. It aims to compensate for the loss of income due to unemplo(ment, disabilit( or death caused b( accident and old age through social insurance and social assistance. R Social "olicy @ To make eective social polic( for the welfare of underprivileged sections of the societ(, to achieve the goals of welfare state through social action. Interdisciplinary Nature ocial welfare administration re=uires the interdisciplinar( knowledge and constant interaction with other social sciences to know the human being in totalit(, such as philosoph(, ps(cholog(, sociolog(, political science and economics to solve their problems in appropriate manner. Administrative Structure ocial welfare administrator needs to understand the organisational and administrative structure of 166 Social Work Intervention with Communities and Institutions
social welfare programme at each and ever( level of implementing organisation. imilarl(, it is also important to know the role and set up of nongovernmental organisations for eectivel( carr(ing out their functions. Financial Administration ince the scope of social welfare and social securit( is increasing da( b( da( and more and more people are coming under the coverage of these programmes, the need for additional /nancial support increases. In order to make out proper and eective budgeting of such programme, the knowledge of /nancial administration is highl( essential. Therefore, professionals engaged in social welfare administration must be trained in the techni=ues and principles of /nancial administration.
13 Human Resource &ana%ement In order to provide eective social welfare services to the need( and suering, it is essential to have committed, trained and motivated social welfare functionaries at dierent levels. Therefore social welfare administration re=uires proper knowledge of human resource management which includes knowledge about recruitment policies, )ob classi/cation, training and development, sta evaluation, advancement and transfer etc. for eective implementation of social services. #ulic Relations and #articipation The social welfare administrators needs to be cogniGant of the importance of public relations with regard to both their own agenc( and its services, and the communit( as a whole. The welfare administrators must be conversant to utilise mass media, such as T9, radio, newspaper, brochures, books and personal Social Welfare Administration: Concept, Nature and Scope 16?
contacts, to interpret their agencies’ programmes to the public and reaching communit( members. It is also re=uired to get associated with the government and non4governmental agencies working in the /eld, the people or the bene/ciaries, whose co4operation and support will add to the eective planning, formulation and implementation of policies and programmes intended for their welfare. ,o Conduct Researc' and (valuation Studies +ective research and evaluation studies provide useful feedback on the impact of on4 going pro)ects and about the dierent dimensions of e
Social Welare Administration As A #roession
Jefore answering the =uestion whether social welfare administration is a profession or not, one must know the essential features of a profession and determine how far these features are found in social welfare administration. In general, people do not raise ob)ection when a doctor is called as medical professional, teaching as a profession or for that matter law as profession. The simple dictionar( meaning of profession indicates one who has ac=uired specialised knowledge which is used for instructing, guiding or advising others. n operational de/nition of profession ma( be given as follows@ "rofession is an occupation for which specialised knowlede, skills and trainin are re#uired and the use of these skills is not meant for self-satisfaction but are used for larer interests of the society and the success of these skills is measured not in terms of money alone. 16$ Social Work Intervention with Communities and Institutions
Thus all professions are occupations in the sense that the( provide means of livelihood. 0owever, all occupations are not professions because some of them lack certain characteristics of a profession. The various characteristics of a profession can be mentioned as@ A + A :ormal method of ac=uisition of knowledge> A + A :ormulation of ethical goals> and A ervice motto. Let us discuss the e
11 bod( of knowledge, in response to the need for managing the emergence of comple< social problems in a better wa(. In India, almost all courses of social work oer a course on social welfare administration to the students. Thus, it satis/es the re=uirement of a profession in the form of e
Ac!uisition o 1no$led%e n individual can enter a profession onl( after ac=uiring knowledge and re=uire skills through formal training. :or e
competence, regulating behaviour and evaluating the profession. In social welfare administration, the code of ethics provides a guide for professional roles and relationships at various levels of responsibilit( in relation to clients, colleagues, emplo(ers, emplo(ing organisations and the societ(. Therefore, the social welfare administration is a profession and its code of ethics is based on the fundamental values of the social work profession that includes the worth, dignit( and uni=ueness of all persons as well as their rights and opportunities. 162 Social Work Intervention with Communities and Institutions
Service &otto In modern times, all human activities are concerned with mone(. Jut in a profession, an eort is made to see that service motto should prevail over monetar( considerations. 5rofessionals should keep social interest in their mind while charging fees for their professional services. :or e
16 bureaucrats.
Conclusion This chapter has been designed to provide a basic understanding of social welfare administration@ concept, nature and scope. We have presented a number of de/nitions of administration, social administration, social welfare and its related concepts for basic understanding. We have anal(sed the meaning and features of social welfare administration. We
have discussed nature and scope of social welfare administration in a comprehensive manner and e
need of professionalstrained administrators in the implementation of social welfare programmes.
