POLI09003 2022 Social Policy for Social Work

This module provides students of social work with a thorough exploration and detailed interrogation of the emergence and evolution of the Welfare State and attendant social policies, social policy-making and social policy analysis in Ireland. The impact of political and economic preferences, ideology, values and principles underpinning the foundations of Irish social policy are reviewed and critiqued.

It undertakes these objectives by re-acquainting participants with concepts such as Welfare State, social justice, rights and capabilities approaches, social citizenship and new social risks. These concepts are unpacked and critically reviewed by way of customized case studies that address topical social policy issues and concerns such as poverty, homelessness, disability, ageing, ethnicity, health and wellbeing, children’s rights, youth policy, social protection policies, the wider social benefits system and relevant agencies of welfare delivering these.

Participants are encouraged and equipped to utilise problem-based learning tools and critical policy analysis instruments throughout their engagement with the module. Possible lesson learning, best international practices and evidence-based approaches around the identification of need and delivery of target services and policies is undertaken by way of comparator reviews of approaches to social policy development among EU member states and further afield.

This module supports the achievement of CORU Standards of Proficiency as follows:

Domain 1  Automony and Accoutability 

Domain 2  Communication, Collaborative Practice and Teamworking 

Domain 3  Safety and Quality 

Domain 4  Professional Development 

Domain 5  Professional Knowledge and Skills 

Illustrating the insights which Social Policy analysis offers to understanding the social world through examples such as the impact decisions about care provision have on workplace opportunities and access to welfare for men and women.

This second edition of a highly successful textbook offers a comprehensive introduction to social policy in Ireland addressing a range of social policy topics of growing importance in contemporary Irish society including issues related to children, service users and groups, migration, ethnicity, sexuality and climate change.

Welfare states face profound challenges. Widening economic and social inequalities have been intensified by austerity politics, sharpened by the rise in ethno-nationalism and exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, recent decades have seen a resurgence of social justice activism at the local and transnational level. Yet the transformative power of feminist, anti-racist and post/decolonial thinking has become relatively marginal to core social policy theory, while other critical approaches around disability, sexuality, migration, age and the environment have only selectively found recognition. This book provides a much-needed new analysis of this complex landscape, drawing together critical approaches in social policy with intersectionality and political economy. Fiona Williams contextualizes contemporary social policies not only in the global crisis of finance capitalism, but also in the interconnected global crises of care, ecology, and racialized borders. These shape and are shaped at national scale by the intersecting dynamics of Family, Nation, Work and Nature. Through critical assessment of these realities, the book probes the ethical, prefigurative and transformative possibilities for a future welfare commons. This significant intervention will animate social policy thinking, teaching and research. It will be essential reading for anyone wanting to understand the complexities of social policy for the years ahead.

An understanding of social policy is crucial for social workers as it underpins and shapes the legislative framework that they work within. From safeguarding service users and enabling them to improve their lives, to protecting the most vulnerable in society, social policy also has a vital role to play within social work education. It is important therefore for students to engage critically with social policy. This book introduces policy and shows how it has changed and evolved over time, how it reflects changes in society and how it is applied to everyday practice.

Derived from the renowned multi-volume International Encyclopaedia of Laws, this book describes the social security regime in Ireland. It conveys a clear working knowledge of the legal mechanics affecting health care, employment injuries and occupational diseases, incapacity to work, pensions, survivors' benefits, unemployment benefits and services, and family benefits. The analysis covers the field of application, conditions for entitlement, calculation of benefits, financing, the institutional framework, and relevant law enforcement and controls. Allowances for retirees, employees, public sector workers, the self-employed, and the handicapped are all clearly explained, along with full details of claims, adjudication procedures, and appeals. Succinct yet eminently practical, the book will be a valuable resource for lawyers handling social security matters in Ireland. It will be of practical utility to those both in public service and private practice called on to develop and to apply social security law and policy, and of special interest as a contribution to the comparative study of social security systems.

An understanding of social policy is vital for engaging practically with social work values, and dealing with political and ethical questions about responsibility, rights and our understanding of 'the good society'. This textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to social policy, tailored to the needs of a social work audience. The new edition of this popular and accessible text analyses current policies and policy themes relevant to social work, and locates them in the context of fundamental social policy principles and debates. It discusses the nature of social policy and its relationship to social work, and covers essential themes such as: - service user participation and involvement - the balance between individual, societal and state responsibility for people's wellbeing - the interactions of the state, the private sector, voluntary organisations and the family - the relationships between needs, rights and choices - the purposes and challenges of professional social work - the meanings of 'equality', 'prevention' and 'personalisation'. Each chapter ends with activities for reflection and analysis, and suggestions for further reading. Social Work and Social Policyis invaluable for students undertaking social work qualifying courses, all of whom are required to demonstrate an understanding of the social policy contexts of practice.

This book examines how child protection law has been shaped by the transition to late modernity and how it copes with the ever-changing concept of risk. The book traces the evolution of the contemporary child protection system through historical changes, assessing the factors that have influenced the development of legal responses to abuse over a 130-year period. It does so by focussing on the Republic of Ireland where child protection has become emblematic of wider social change. The work draws on a wide range of primary and secondary sources including legislation, case law and official and media reports of child protection inquiries. It also utilises insights developed through an extensive examination of parliamentary debates on child protection matters. These materials are assessed through the lens of critical discourse analysis to explore the relationship between law, social policy and social theory as they effect child protection. While the book utilises primarily Irish sources, this multidisciplinary approach ensures the argument has international applicability. The book will be a valuable resource for all those with an interest in the development of child protection law.

Alcock, P., May, M., and Wright, S. (eds) (2012): The Student's Companion to Social Policy (4th Edition). Wiley-Blackwell.

Anderson, K.M., (2015): Social Policy in the European Union. Palgrave.

Birnbaum, S., Ferrarini, T., Nelson, K., and Palme, J. (2017): The Generational Welfare Contract. Edgar Elgar.

Cairney, P. (2012): Understanding Public Policy: Theories and Issues. Palgrave MacMillan.

Coakley, J., and Gallagher, M. (eds), (2017): Politics in the Republic of Ireland. Routledge.

Fitzpatrick, T., (2011): Welfare Theory: An Introduction to the Theoretical Debates in Social Policy (2nd Edition). Palgrave MacMillan.

Healy, S., Bourke, S., Leahy, A., Murphy, E., Murphy, M., and Reynolds, B. (eds) (2017): A New Social Contract for a New Century: Securing Solidarity and the Common Good. Social Justice Ireland.

Kahneman, D., (2012): Thinking, Fast and Slow. Penguin.

Moore-Cherry, N., and McHale, J., (2017): Debating austerity in Ireland: crisis, experience and recovery. Royal Irish Academy.

Murphy, M.P., and Dukelow, F., (2016): The Irish Welfare State in the Twenty-First Century: Challenges and Change. Palgrave MacMillan.

Nussbaum, M., (2011): Creating Capabilities. Harvard University Press.

Nutley, S. M., Walter, I., and Davies, H.T.O., (2007): Using Evidence: How research can inform public services. Policy Press.

Parson, W., (1996): Public Policy: An Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Policy Analysis. Edgar Elgar.

Pickett, K., and Wilkinson, R., (2010): The Spirit Level: Why Equality is Better for Everyone. Penguin.

Room, G, (2010): Complexity, Institutions and Public Policy: Agile Decision-Making in A Turbulent World. Edward Elgar.

Sunstein, C. R., and Thaler, R. H., (2009): Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness. Penguin.

Taylor-Gooby, P., Chung, H., and Leruth, B. (eds), (2017): After Austerity: Welfare State Transformation in Europe after the Great Recession. Oxford University Press.

Taylor-Gooby, P., (2013): The Double Crisis of the Welfare State and What We Can Do about It. Palgrave Pivot.

van Oorschot, W., Meuleman, B., and Reeskens, T. (eds), (2017): The Social Legitimacy of Targeted Welfare Attitudes to Welfare Deservingness. Edgar Elgar.

Journal of Social Policy

Race and Class

Social Policy and Society

Critical Social Policy