What is Social Welfare Administration?
Social welfare administration is both scientific and professional activity. It promotes social work practice in administration. Therefore, it is also called social work. It administers or implements special programmes intended for vulnerable, disadvantaged and weaker sections of the population such as women, disabled children, chronically ill, the aged, scheduled caste/ scheduled tribes etc. through social work processes. It also organises programmes for sustainable social development. It also aims at the effective implementation of the regular and special programmes of social welfare agencies.
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Social Welfare Administration translates social welfare policies and social legislation into social work practice. It administers the resources and personnel available for social work practice. It ventilates the many choices open to clients to adjust themselves as well as to recover themselves from problem situations.
Social welfare administration also enhances the psycho-social and economic functioning of the clients and beneficiaries. The application of social work administration in the fields of information technology and e-governance is also very essential. This is a new area for the effective administration of social and social welfare services, social security and social work programmes at various levels. It can be used by local self-governments, governments, non-governmental organisations, Intergovernmental organisations, co-operatives and private and corporate organisations. The target groups of this social work method can be individuals, groups, families, communities, agencies, organisations, committees or departments.
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The extent of the Use of Primary Methods of Social Work
In a study on social welfare administration as a method of social work, you will be interested to know how the primary methods of social work are used in administration. The basic methods of social work such as social casework, social group work, community organisation, social action, etc., play a very important role.
ü Social casework is used with individual beneficiaries in the administration of social services.
ü Social group work is used with families, and groups, which are at the heart of every society. Social group work is also used in working with neighbourhood groups and self-help groups. It is also used to improve the effectiveness of working of various committees, which are part of social welfare administration.
ü Community organisation is used in resource mobilization and equitable distribution of services at the community level. It is also used to make effective the functions of grama sabha/ward meetings under Panchayat Raj Institutions. Linkages and coordination are also used under the social welfare administration.
ü Social action is used in bringing social welfare strategies and collective action for analyzing, modifying and formulating social welfare policies. It translates the above into the administration.
ü Social work research plays a very important role in social welfare administration. It provides scope for action research, evaluate current programmes and provides social work indicators and statistical indices for developing strategies and programmes. It also provides necessary databases for e-governance in Social Work Administration. Social welfare planning is an important component of social welfare administration.
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Functions of Social Welfare Administration
A variety of functions are performed by the social welfare administration. These are-
ü Determining the aims and objectives;
ü Shaping the organizational structure;
ü Developing the program;
ü Budgeting;
ü Staffing;
ü Directing the activities;
ü Coordination;
ü Supervision;
ü Public relations;
ü Research and evaluation.
Above functions of social welfare administration, it can be said that social welfare administration is an important method of all the social work methods.