[PDF]A Handbook ofSocial Welfare

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A HANDBOOK OF SOCIAL WELFARE


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ATMA RAM & SONS, DELHI-6


3746


A HANDBOOK
OF
| SOCIAL WELFARE


by


D. PAUL CHOWDHRY
M.A (S.W.), LL.B., J.D., U.N. FELLOW 1958


FOREWORD
by
DR. R. N. SAKSENA, D. Litt.
Director
INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
AGRA UNIVERSITY


1966


ATMA RAM & SONS
DELHI . NEW DELHI . CHANDIGARH . JAIPUR . LUCKNOW


Giu.
YE


Published by
RAM LAL PURY


of
ATMA RAM & SONS
Kashmere Gate
Delhi-6
a... iia
AG Lo, Bose
MU guod
Branches
Hauz Khas H NEW DELHI
Chaura Rasta 1 JAIPUR
University Enclave : CHANDIGARH
‘17, Ashok Marg D LUCKNOW


COPYRIGHT (C) 1966, ATMA RAM & SONS, DELHI-


Price Rs. 10.00


Printed at


THE MODEL PRESS Private Ltd.
Delhi-6.


FOREWORD


Social welfare has recently developed into a scientific pro-
gramme. Poverty, sickness, suffering and social disorganization
have always been known to man in the long course of history of
mankind; but after the Industrial Revolution new social problems
were created, which could not be faced by the older human
institutions-family, neighbourhood and local community. In fact
this was not the situation only in industrial societies, particularly
in the West, but such a situation is being created in the developing
countries also. With the increasing realisation of the magnitude of
social problems it has come to be recognised that greater responsibility
rests on the Government for the welfare of the citizens in a demo-
cratic society. Apart from the humanitarian aspect, the develop-
ment of scientific knowledge provided new tools for investigating
the causes of poverty, of human deficiencies and of dis-satisfaction
with the sole object to find out a remedy for the various social
problems facing the society. Hence, social welfare developed into
a scientific concept based on a scientific knowledge of the problems
facing the society, particularly in a free society, with the object of
finding out ways and means of solving those problems.


The essential object of social welfare is to enable the individual
tolead a decent life in society along with his family with satisfying
standards of life and health. Jefforsonian idea of freedom and
happinessis clearly indicative of the new situation, whlch may be
summed up in his own words “we hold these truths to be as
evident; that all menare created equal, that they are endowed by
their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are
life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, that to secure these rights,
Goverpments are instituted among men deriving their just powers
from the consent of the people; that wherever any form of
Government being destructive of these ends, it is the right of the
people to alter or abolish it and to institute new Government."


FOREWORD vi


Social welfare is a dynamic activity which has grown up and
is constantly influenced by evolving economic, social, . political,
and cultural trends. Political, economic, social, religious, philoso-
phical and cultural factors strongly influence the moulding of
welfare programmes, though such factors have gathered momentum
at times under the inspiration, guidance, leadership and direction of
various leading personalities from time to time. Shri Paul
Chowdhry’s attempt in writing this Handbook of Social Welfare
is laudable and he is to be congratulated for this contribution.
This book will serve asa text-book to the students of social work
and also asa reference book to all those who are engaged in social
administration, I am also confident that this volume would serve as
a guide to voluntary social welfare workers and agencies.


R. N. SAKSENA
Director
Institute of Social Sciences
Agra University


AGRA


PREFACE


The concept of service to one’s fellowmen has been an integra
part of Indian traditions. The responsibility for meeting the needs of
the individuals and the groups in difficulties was shared by the rulers,
the rich and the individual members of the general community. Reli-
gious institutions also played a very important part in providing
social service. We come across men and women and groups of
persons who devote their lives to the service of the helpless. The
qualifications for such a service were a spirit of dedication, a large
measure of good-will and some leisure time. With the industrialisa-
tion and urbanisation, our social problems are becoming more and
more complex. There is also a growing recognition that for handling
such complex social problems of social, economic and human relation-
ship, we require certain technical knowledge concerning human be-
haviour, social institutions etc.


Thus, understanding of social relationship, social psychology and
social economics has helped to understand the social problems and
the ways and means of organising social welfare services on scientific
basis with the help of a tested body of knowledge. An orphan
child needs more than food and clothing in a children's institution.
The problems of aged and infirm persons are partly social and partly
psychological in nature. Therefore, the institutions for these needy
persons have to be so set up as to meet all the basic human needs.
There is a need for social welfare programmes like balwadis, holiday
homes, youth hostels etc. which help in the prevention of occurrence
of social problems, The programmes of social assistance have also to
play a very important part in building up the human material.
Various services like creches, orphanages, homes for the blind, work-
shops for the orthopedically handicapped persons, community welfare
centres etc. were set up by the interested citizens for the purpose of
providing welfare services to the needy and the destitute.


Whereas, there has been a large measure of good-will and
dedication, there has been dearth of technical knowledge required to
run various welfare services. Foreign literature was available on
various social welfare services but this was not suited to the require-
ments of Indian conditions. Attempts have been made in certain
areas of welfare work, to provide material on different kinds of social


AUTHOR'S PREFACE viii


welfare service, like the minimum standards on child-care institutions,
worked out by the Indian Conference of Social work, and the mini-
mum standards for different welfare programmes by the Central Social
Welfare Board etc. Some useful materialis also available from the
reports of the various committees and proceeding of conferences and
seminars on social legislation have also been added to our statute


bcoks. Allthis material is not only inadequate but is not available
to the social workers in one place.


An attempt has been made in this volume to present informa-
tion about the historical development, method of organising services,
staffing and budgeting pattern, organisation etc. for welfare services,
for women, youths the aged and the handicapped persons. A chapter
has been devoted to each of the areas like social defence, community
welfare, medical social work etc. The book ends with a chapter
On social security programmes. Although similar books have been
published in recent past, this book deals with at one place all catego-
ries of social welfare activities. In fact this book is the fourth in the
series of guidance material published by the author. It is hoped that
this attempt will give a complete course on social welfare.


The volume, it is hoped, would serve as a text-book on social
welfare to the students of social work, a reference book to the field
counsellors, welfare officers, Inspectors and teachers of social work
and a guide to the voluntary social welfare workers and agencies.


NEW DELHI D. PAUL CHOWDHRY


DEDICATED


TO
THE CENTRAL SOCIAL WELFARE BOARD


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS


A Handbook of Social Welfare is the fourth book in the series
of attempts by the author to provide literature in social welfare
in the Indian settings. In the writing of this volume, the author has
widely drawn upon the literature available in the form of books,
pamphlets, reports, brochure. In this connection help taken from
the books and other material mentioned in the Bibliograpy is
gratefully acknowledged. The author expresses his grateful thanks


to many friends and colleagues who went through certain chapters
at some stage or the other.


In preparation of this handbook, the author has also utilized
some of his own observations and experience in the field. For this
purpose, he is thankful to the United Nations and the Government of
India for enabling him to observe social welfare programmes in the
United States and Canada by awarding U.N. Fellowship in 1958.
The author is extremely grateful to the Central Social Welfare Board
for giving him ample opportunities of studying a vast net-work of the
welfare agencies and projects in the entire country as its Inspecting
Officer and Projects Officer and to the Indian Council for Child Welfare
for providing him valuable experience as its Executive Director,
This experience, coupled with training at the Delhi School of Social
Work, served as good background in preparation of this Handbook.


The author is grateful to Dr, R. N. Saksena Director,
Institute of Social Sciences, Agra, for giving encouragement to the
author by writing a Preword for the book,


CONTENTS


CHAPTER


I. INTRODUCTION ene Sa nas
Historical background of social welfare in India—
from charity to planned social welfare, new con-
cepts, development of social work.


U. CHILD WELFARE at se oco
Approach, Child welfare worker, child welfare
services, Pre-school child (Nursery School, Creche
and Balwadi), Recreation, School health and sozial
work service, Child guidance clinic, Foster
Care, Adoption, Institutional care, Financial aid to
dependent children, Juvenile delinquency, Physi-
cally handicapped and mentally retarded children.


III. PROBLEMS OF AND SERVICES FOR THE
YOUTH : s V n
Needs and problems of youth, Youth Counsel-
ling and Vocational Guidance, Youth Hostels,
Social Service by Youth.


IV. WOMEN'S WELFARE SERVICES ad
Introduction—Socio-economic programmes, Con-
densed Courses of training, Hostels for working
women, Women’s clubs, Residential facilities, Legal


aid, Social Education, Family welfare services,
Maternity services.


V. THE AGED AND THE INFIRM a
Introduction—Problems of aging, Changing social


PAGE


18


34


54


CONTENTS


CHAPTER


system, Size of problem, Services—Day centres,
Institutions, Infirmaries, Minimum standards,
Employment,

VI.


VII.


Vill.


IX.


WELFARE SERVICES FOR THE HANDICAPPED
Education, Pre-vocational training, Recreation and
rehabilitation of the blind, the deaf and mute, the
crippled and the orthopaedically handicapped and
the mentally retarded.


SOCIAL DEFENCE “6 is eet
Juvenile delinquency, (Approach, causes, institu-
tional services and rehabilitation). Adult prisoners,
(Welfare work in prisons, re-habilitation through
parole, probation, vocational trainin
ment). Women in moral danger a
mothers, Beggary


£ and employ-
nd unmarried


COMMUNITY WELFARE SERVICES
Approach and Services for (i) Urban,


(ii) Rural,
(ii) Scheduled castes and (iv) Tribal co:


mmunities.
MEDICAL AND PSYCHIATRIC SOCIAL WORK
Role of medical social Worker, Case studies,


of work, Organization,
social work.


Areas
Volunteers, Psychiatric


SOCIAL SECURITY AND WELFARE
PROGRAMMES ^
Definition and Scope,


Social assistance, Social insu-
rance,


Different systems of social security, Old age
assistance, Social assistance for children
BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX


xii


PAGE


75


112


150


182


193


205
216


CHAPTER ONE


OPP LDL ELSIE LIS SSIS SLL LIS LIS


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Introduction


Social welfare is as old as humanity itseif. Helping the needy
and the persons in distress has been in existence practically in all the
civilized communities from times immemorial. Dedication of
service towards one’s fellowmen, love for charity and brotherhood
existed even in feudal times. Religion emphasized the value of
charity, philanthropy and mutual help. The pages ofthe Indian:
history reveal that the responsibility of assisting the individual in need
was shared by the community and the rulers. During the period of
King Ashoka, cne reads about the appointment of Gopas who were
supposed to keep the records of caste, gotra, occupations, births,
deaths, marriages, etc. The duties of Gopas were akin to modern
social worker. The kings and the chiefs provided free kitchens dur-
ing the famine and shelter to homeless. The king took more and
more responsibility towards providing social services to the public.
During the carly British period, the impact of education and economic
changes brought about some social reformers on the Indian scene.
The reformers fought for equality of rights for women and abolition
of institutions like untouchability, sati, child marriag2 and restriction
on widow re-marriage. The voluntary organizations like Arya
Mahila Samaj, Anjuman-e-Himayat-e-Islam, Ramakrishana Mission,
Theosophical Society, Servants of India Society anda large number
of Christian missionaries contributed considerably to the provision of
welfare services for the needy and the handicapped.


These traditions of social services were influenced by various social
and economic factors. The social institutions like the joint family,
the caste system and the village panchayats provided mechanism
which would meet the needs of the sick, the aged, the destitute and
the handicapped members of the community. Industrialization and
urbanization also changed the pattern of life. New social problems
cropped up, for the solution of which the existing social institutions


l


found themselves ineffective. It was no longer possible for this move-
ment of philanthropy to solve all the social problems which were be-
coming complex day by day. With the development of social sciences,
it became possible to make a systematic study of the social problems
in order to solve these on a comprehensive and scientific basis. We,
therefore, started moving from charity towards organized self-
improvement. Stress is now being laid on the application of scientific


methods to the solution of social problems i.e., by studying the social


and economic factors of the problems and acquiring special skills and
techniques, in dealing with them.


SOCIAL WELFARE BOARD


Social Welfare Services were brought on the political map of India


in 1953 with the Setting up of the Central Social Welfare Board to
implement a country-wide programme of social welfare as part of
the First Five-Year Plan. Social Welfare Advisory Boards were set up
in the states to implement : ocial welfare programmes through the
voluntary agencies. Later, Departments of Social Welfare were set


up in state after state and today there are departments dealing with
social welfare services in almost every state. It was for the first


time that a Working Group, consisting of experts in social welfare
were set up to prepare a blue-print of the Plan on Social Wel-


fare. New thinking has developed and scientific and precise defi-
nitions of the terms ‘social welfare? and social services’ have been


evolved. The term ‘social welfare’ has come to be used as “ʻa set of
social seryices intended to meet the Special needs of individuals and
groups, who, because of social, economic, physical and mental handi-
caps, are unable to make use of services in the community, or have
traditionally been denied the use of these services. The two Plans
brought various-new services on the map of social welfare. Social
welfare is now being considered as a fifth factor of production. Thro-
ugh treatment and preventive services, a handicapped individual who
otherwise lived on tax-money becomes instead, a voluntary tax-pay-


er and is helped not only to take care of himself, but also contributes
to the general well-being.


During the recent years,
with a view to improving an
one of the most important


2


there has been increasing realization that
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