Trace the development of social work and social welfare in United Kingdom
Answers
In primitive society, sometimes referred as the ‘folk
society’, the larger family or tribe took over the support
of those whose needs were not satisfied in the normal
way. Children deprived of parental support were taken
into the homes of relatives or adopted by childless
couples. Food resources were shared among relatives
and neighbours. In course of time, when the feudal
system gave way to the wage economy, legislation was
enacted to compel the poor to work. Whipping,
imprisonment, and even death punished begging.
Role of the Church
In Europe, in the early Christian era, the folk tradition
continued and the faithful considered it a religious
obligation to care for those members of the group who
could not care for themselves. Religion provided the
greatest motivation for charity. The church, especially
the monasteries, became the centres for distributing
food, medical aid and shelter. Alms were collected in
the parish and distributed by the parish priest and
other clergymen who knew the individuals and their
situation.
Welfare Becomes a State Responsibility
The shift from church responsibility to government
responsibility for relief is seen first in the restrictive
legislation forbidding begging and vagrancy. In England
between 1350 and 1530, a series of laws were enacted,
known as the “Statutes of Labourers,” designed to force
the poor to work. The decreasing authority of the
church and the increasing tendency to shift
responsibility to governmental authorities gave rise in
England to a series of measures which culminated in
the famous Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601.
The Elizabethan Poor Law 1601
The Poor Law of 1601 was a codification of the preceding
poor relief legislation. The statute represented the final
form of poor law legislation in England after three
generations of political, religious, and economic
changes that required government action.
The law distinguished three classes of the poor:
1) The able-bodied poor were called “sturdy beggars”
and were forced to work in the house of correction
or workhouse. Those who refused to work in the
house of correction were put in the stocks or in
jail.