Last Updated on December 30, 2022 by Team TSW

Social welfare and social work are closely related to each other. You must have noticed that there is considerable difference in the way a social work professional uses these words and the way a layman uses them. You being a student should learn to use them as professional would use them. In this article we are going to learn what is social welfare. How social welfare is important for social work.

What is Social Work

Social work is a specialized kind of work – honorary or paid, done by making use of scientific knowledge and technical skills with humane and democratic outlook, to render help to people in need to enable them to realize their potentials optimally, to perform their social roles effectively and to live in a free, decent and dignified manner, particularly by introducing required changes in personality as well as social structure.

Read what is social work in detail

What is Social Welfare

It’s specifically designed system of services and institutions aimed at protecting and promoting the interests of weaker and vulnerable sections of society who left to themselves will not be in a position to maximally develop and effectively compete to enter the mainstream and to live with liberty, decency and dignity.

World is suffering from fairly widespread and serious problems of unemployment, poverty, illiteracy, ill-health and insanitation. Head of the nations must address minimum needs of people necessary for their empowerment or capacity building.

Example

Peter belongs to a financially backward family. His family does not have enough money to let him pursue his masters and his father is a chronic patient. He told his university professor about his problems and professor promised to discuss his problem to dean. University decided to sponsor his masters under a scheme launched by government.

These types are called social welfare activities. The term signifies the total well-being of the individual and the community. The objective is to provide each individual with the basic economic necessities, high standard of health, decent living conditions, equal opportunities, the well-being of deprived.

Importance of Social Welfare for Social Work

1. It is a deliberately organized system of services and institutions.
2. These services and institutions specifically cater to the varied kinds of needs of weaker and vulnerable sections of society.
3. The Poverty of these sections along with different types of physical, mental, social and, moral handicaps may further adversely affect them.
4. It protects and promotes the interests of these sections to optimally realize whatever potentials, talents, abilities. They may have to carve out a dignified place for themselves in society.

Conclusion

Encyclopedia of Social Work defines, social welfare as an organized effort to ensure a basic standard of decency in relation to the physical and mental well being of the citizen.

According to National Association of Social Work (NASW), social welfare is a nation’s system of programmes, benefits and services that help people to meet those social, economic, educational and health needs.”