Disadvantages Of Social Welfare Policy

Social welfare policies are the laws and systems that are put in place so that society is unprejudiced and systematic. Social welfare policy allows us to make developments in society so that regardless of socioeconomic status, race, gender, and/or sexual orientation each individual feels equally supported and represented. Without social welfare policy, we would not have a legal system, health care system, government, economy and other crucial societal systems. For example, our legal system would mimic Hammurabi’s code and we would be allowed to participate in an annual purge. Similarly, without social welfare policy, we would not have same-sex marriage, child labor laws, maternity-family leave, public education, public housing, minimum wage,

Secondly, in order to turn desires into policy, it takes a number of systems and people consistently working together for change. The majority of social welfare policies benefit vulnerable populations. Subordinate groups are often treated unequally, lack resources, and have little power in society. Contrarily, dominant groups have the majority of the power in society and have access to more resources. Therefore, because dominant groups are so privileged they have to realize the needs for underprivileged groups and advocate for policies that benefit underprivileged groups. Additionally, even if both dominant and subordinate groups agree on a policy there is still a governmental process that has to take place. In that same way, society is constantly changing and demanding improvements in social welfare policies, so there will always be difficulties in creating and implementing

I am passionate about this issue is because I grew up with children who were in the foster care system. After the child leaves foster care or ages out of foster care, they do not receive any guidance or services that ensure that they are successful and can succeed in society. There are a number of programs that offer GED assistance, job assistance, teach interviewing skills and skilled trades, but they are not specifically designed for foster care youth. These kids were placed into foster care because they were lacking parental guidance, but when they age out there is no guidance. While in foster care, their caseworker visits them regularly, they are escorted to parent meetings, and they are always provided with food, clothing, and shelter. This guidance should not stop once they turn 18 because they are not self-sufficient. According to childrensrights.org, “In 2014, more than 22,000 young people — whom states failed to reunite with their families or place in permanent homes — aged out of foster care, simply because they were too old to remain”. This statistic further proves that we are letting children out in the world with no guidance just because of their age. They are not emotionally ready to survive on their own especially without family. Furthermore, according to childrensrights.org, “Youth who age out of foster care are less likely than youth in the