Essentials of Social Welfare Policy

In this course, you will explore current social welfare issues in the context of their history and the underlying rationale and values that support different approaches. Emphasis is placed on major fields of social work service such as income maintenance, health care, mental health, child welfare, corrections, and elderly services.

There are four main content areas for the course, beginning with the philosophic and practical basis for social welfare provisions. Your focus will then transition to the history of social work as a profession, as well as the emergence of specific policies and programs. Using this information, you will review critical analysis of current social welfare policies and programs in the U.S. and elsewhere. You will then focus on the understanding of theory, research, debates, and trends in social welfare.