SOAD9104 Social Policy

2011

4.5

1 x 2-hour seminar weekly

SOAD9054 has been successfully completed

Master of Social Work; Graduate Certificate in Social Planning

This is an introductory topic to current social policy debates. It introduces students to the history and current configurations as they apply to key policy areas. While the Topic has a primary focus on Australian social policy it places this within an international context and asks students to compare competing approaches to the meeting of citizen well-being. The topic will cover welfare state principles and regimes, the organisation and delivery of welfare, adopting the approach of a mixed economy, the policy making process, the role of welfare professionals, service users and citizens in shaping policy and the relationship between social policy and the emotions. It covering such ground the topic will draw upon current case study examples. Finally it will look ahead to identify current trends both in Australia and beyond. Throughout the topic we problematise the basic question of how best can social or public issues be addressed and explore the relationship between individual and collective responsibilities.

The topic will provide students with an introductory but essential grounding in the development of the welfare state, its principles, scope and institutional structures. Should be able to make meaningful comparisons between countries in relation to the meeting of public issues and ensuring the well-being of citizens. Students will have a knowledge of key areas in contemporary social policy and will be able to identify likely trajectories as well as comparing alternative options. The topic aims to provide students with insights into the policy-making processes and the role of different actors within it. In drawing upon both Australian and international case studies the topic will provide students with rich material against which to apply the key principles and values of welfare. The topic aims to demonstrate that social policy is a contested field and to connect key debates both with wider ideological positions and to the more immediate concerns as expressed in popular discourse.

On successful completion of this topic students will be able to:

• describe the development of the welfare state in comparative context
• question their own assumptions in the light of conflicting viewpoints
• analyse critically current social policy proposals
• develop a framework and grounding that will enable them to contribute to social policy development in their professional careers
• write clearly, using evidence to support their arguments