Social welfare services refer to what is needed to provide people with resources and

opportunities to lead satisfying and productive lives.  It is a system of social welfare provision

and its accompanying value system. It usually involves social policies that affect the welfare of a
country's citizens within the framework of a market or mixed economy. There are three diverse
views that have major impacts on human services organizations are the liberal, conservative, and
developmental perspectives. Politicians and decision makers often make their decisions on
human service issues in terms of whether they adhere to a liberal or a conservative philosophy.
The delivery of human services involves both the client and the helper. The process of helping is
client-oriented as the helper focuses on assisting clients to meet their needs. To do this, the
helper performs many roles and assumes a wide variety of responsibilitie.This easy will elaborate
the ideological perspectives in the relation to the provision of social welfare services.

The poor Conservative is a term derived from the verb conserve meaning to resist change.
Conservatives generally advocate the residual approach to social welfare programs, Wilensky
and Lebeaux (1965). They hold that social welfare services should be provided only when an
individual’s needs are not properly met. It is also a philosophy that individuals are responsible
for themselves that government should provide minimal interference in people’s lives and that
change is unnecessary. Social services should not be provided until all other measures or efforts
have failed and the individual’s resources are fully used up. The conservative perspective holds
that change is unnecessary as it produces more negative than positive consequences for example
in 2008, government distributed fertilizer to farmers so that the agricultural sector may improve
and reduce poverty, instead most of the farmers sold the fertilizer in order for them to have
money and use it their personal programmes.

Conservative perspective holds that social welfare services are only called into play when a
problem is identified and cannot be addressed through a person’s means for instance, like the
current Cyclone Idai situation, there were floods in 2010 in Zambia especially in the compounds
of some parts of Lusaka and so many houses were drown away. The local disaster mitigation unit
only came into play when people lost their lives and had nowhere to stay (Lusaka Times, 2010).
They have emphasized the pluralistic view of society as a series of interconnecting relationships
and the role of family and duty. Conservatives consider welfare to be a secondary issue, but the
kinds of concern they have are likely to impose restraints on welfare with a particular emphasis.
Spicker (2008) cites that, welfare does not raise concern where it is seen to have implications for
public disorder.

Conservatives also tend to offer social welfare services in a selective manner. Collectivism is the
principle which is applied under the residual approach to welfare provisioning. Selectivity means
that services are restricted to those who can demonstrate need eligibility criteria. Selective
programs target benefits to those determined to be in need or eligible for government assistance
based upon whether the individual or family possess the means to do without that help. This case
is evident in universities in Zambia, for a student to be sponsored by the government they need to
go at a welfare institution and undergo a means test, thereafter they will be able to access or
choose who to sponsor or not.

However, conservatives do not offer any special economic programs, their programs are
secondary. Other views assert that, a true substantial share of government benefits tend to go to
the upper and middle class rather than the poor. Redistributive programs do in fact have
detrimental effects. The third type of criticism directed against social welfare policies suggests
that they undermine economic growth and thereby fail to reduce the number of poverty in the
long run. Anderson (1978), their propositions concerning state affairs are similarly secondary in
that conservatives moderate liberal conceptions of the state.

Marxism is a method of socioeconomic analysis that views class relations and social conflict
using a materialistic interpretation of historical development and takes a dialectical view of
social transformation. It originates from the works of the 19th century Germany philosopher Karl
Marx. It is relevant to social welfare because it is a comprehensive theory of society, it provides
an explanation of the nature of welfare and its development in bourgeoisie and other societies.
Marxists see society in terms of a conflict between economic classes. A dominant class the
bourgeoisie or capitalist class owns and controls the means of production, an industrial working
class, the proletariat is exploited by them. The state can be seen either as an instrument of the
ruling capitalist class or as a complex set of systems which reflects the contradictions of the
society it is part of. Rinker (1971) argues that, welfare has been developed through the strength
of working class resistance to exploitation. Neo- Marxists argue that the state has two main
functions. First is to improve the conditions for the accumulation of capital that is the chance for
industries to make profits. Then the other is to legitimate the capitalist system by introducing
measures like welfare policies, pensions and health services which lead people to accept the
system as it stands. The basic objections by the Marxists are the description of capitalism. The
descriptions that power in society is divided and not based in ownership and that states which
promote the welfare of their citizens are not pretending to be more legitimate, rather an economic
and political system are controlled by private owners for profit than by the state. It claims that
society is in conflict between the rich who control everything and who must work for the rich
and gain little reward.

In contrast, liberals believe change is generally good as it brings progress; moderate change is
best. They view society as needing regulation to ensure fair competition between various
interests. In particular, the market economy is viewed as needing regulation to ensure fairness.
Government programs, including social welfare programs, are viewed as necessary to help meet
basic human needs. Liberals advocate government action to remedy social deficiencies and to
improve human welfare conditions. They feel that government regulation and intervention are
often necessary to safeguard human rights, to control the excesses of capitalism, and to provide
equal chances for success. They emphasize egalitarianism and the rights of minorities.

Liberals generally adhere to an institutional view of social welfare. This view holds that social
welfare programs are accepted as a proper legitimate function of modern industrial society in
helping individuals achieve self-fulfilment, Lewis, J (2002). Under this view, there is no stigma
attached to receiving funds or services; recipients are viewed as entitled to such help. Associated
with this view is the belief that an individual’s difficulties are due to causes largely beyond his or
her control for example, a person may be unemployed because of a lack of employment
opportunities. With this view, when difficulties arise, causes are sought in the society and efforts
are focused on improving the social institutions within which the individual functions.

Liberals assert that because society has become so fragmented and complex, and because
traditional institutions such as the family have been unable to meet human needs, few individuals
can now function without the help of social services including work training, job-location
services, child care, health care, and counselling. Liberals believe that the personal problems
encountered by someone are generally due to causes beyond that person’s control. Causes are
generally sought in that person’s environment. For example, a child with a learning disability is
thought to be at risk only if that child is not receiving appropriate educational services to
accommodate his or her disability. In such a situation, liberals would seek to develop educational
services to meet his or her learning needs. Liberals view the family as an evolving institution,
and therefore they are willing to support programs that assist emerging family forms—such as
single-parent families and same-sex marriage.

Liberalism is a political ideology that, at its core, denounces economic and social inequality.
Equality of opportunity is viewed by liberals as essential, and to achieve that end, they believe
that discriminatory practices must be eliminated and that the impact of great equalities wealth
needs to be lessened. Liberals usually advocate vigorous public policies to reduce or eliminate
these inequalities. They see government as the means to make this possible, while also
preserving civil liberties or rights, and progressive values. Liberals believe that public policy
should be egalitarian and that it is the government’s responsibility to ensure all citizens have
access to affordable health care, quality education, a clean environment, and social safety net
programs. They also generally believe in affirmative action programs, workers’ health and safety
protections, progressive taxation, and unions’ rights to organize and strike. Liberalism is a
political ideology that, at its core, denounces economic and social inequality. Equality of
opportunity is viewed by liberals as essential, and to achieve that end, they believe that
discriminatory practices must be eliminated and that the impact of great equalities of wealth
needs to be lessened. Liberals usually advocate vigorous public policies to reduce or eliminate
these inequalities. They see government as the means to make this possible, while also
preserving civil liberties or rights, and progressive values. Liberals believe that public policy
should be egalitarian and that it is the government’s responsibility to ensure all citizens have
access to affordable health care, quality education, a clean environment, and social safety net
programs. They also generally believe in affirmative action programs, workers’ health and safety
protections, progressive taxation, and unions’ rights to organize and strike. Liberalism is a
political ideology that, at its core, denounces economic and social inequality.

Cultural perspective is also included in relation to the provision of social welfare service. Culture
is the particular society that has its own beliefs, way of life ,art, social forms and material traits
of a racial, religious or social group , and this is according to Merriam Webster (1975).Cultural
perspective is viewing a situation or concept through the eyes of an individual’s native
environmental and social influence .Social welfare service providers such as PLAN study the
cultural perspective of the society they want to help ,for instances, the Zimbabwean cultural
perspective on social welfare service alludes that when the service providers arrive in their
society ,they have to inform the king or village chief before conducting anything to their people.
This is because people will not be involved in any activity without the knowledge of their leader
according to their customs and it is also regarded as a deviant behavior, such that the king or
village chief might persecute or charge the offenders of their norms and their cultural way of life.
Therefore, cultural perspective is of importance in relation to the provision of social welfare
service.

Thompson, H.L (1994), contends that the developmental view offers an alternative approach that
appears to appeal to liberals, conservatives, and to the general public. Thompson, H.L (1994),
defines this approach as a “process of planned social change designed to promote the well-being
of the population as a whole in conjunction with a dynamic process of economic development.
This perspective has appeal to liberals as it is a perspective that supports the development and
expansion of needed social welfare programs. The perspective has appeal to conservatives as it
asserts that the development of certain social welfare programs will have a positive impact on the
economy. The general public also would be apt to support this development perspective. Many
voters oppose welfares’, as they believe it causes economic problems for example, recipients
choosing to be on the government dole, rather than contributing to society through working.

Asserting and documenting that certain proposed social welfare programs will directly benefit
the economy is attracted. The approach has its roots in the promotion of the growth of social
programs in developing (third-world) countries. Advocates for social welfare programs in
developing countries have been successful in getting certain programs enacted by asserting and
documenting that such programs will have a beneficial impact on the overall economy of the
country. The developmental approach was later used by the United Nations in its efforts in
developing countries to promote the growth of social programs, as the United Nations asserted
such programs had the promise of improving the overall economies of these countries to voters.
The approach regards economic progress as a vital component of social progress, and it promotes
the active role of government in economic and social planning, which is in direct opposition to
the residual approach. Finally, the developmental approach focuses on integrating economic and
social development for the benefit of all members of society.
The developmental approach can be used in advocating for the expansion of a wide range of
social welfare programs. It can be argued that any social program that assists a person in
becoming employable contributes to the economic well-being of a society. It can also be argued
that any social program that assists a person in making significant contributions to his or her
family, or to his or her community, contributes to the economic wellbeing of a society, as
functional families and functional communities are good for businesses. Members of functional
families tend to be better employees, and businesses desire to locate in communities that are
prospering and that have low rates of crime and other social problems.

Despite the arguments between conservatives and the liberals, it would still be concluded that the
liberals are the most applicable in today’s society. This is because the society today wants to
change hoping for the best life. However one of the most priorities of social welfares is to ensure
that people do not die from preventable things like poverty or disease outbreaks or lack housing.
These and other reasons may be used to appreciate liberalism as a positive kind of thinking.
REFRENCES

Spicker, P. (2008), Child Care Policy at the Crossroads: Gender and Welfare State Restructing:
New York: Routledge

Anderson, E. (2004), “Welfare, Work Requirements, and Dependent-Care,” Journal of Applied

Philosophy: London. Oxford University Press.

Rinker, R. (1971). Social Theory and Social Policy. London: Heinemann. Google Scholar

Lewis, J (2002), “Gender and Welfare State Change.” European Societies 4, no4: 331-357.

Thompson, H.L (1994), The Disadvantage and Advantage of Different Social Welfare
Strategies. Washington: Government printing office