HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL WORK IN UNITED KINGDOM

2.  The need to help other people is stressed by the
major religions. During the Elizabethan period
the needy people were helped by the authorities
such charity works are called ‘relief of the
paupers’. The Victorian reformers who were
distressed by poverty, child neglect and other
social ills were pioneers in many of today’s social
welfare service, although they too had called
such service by various other names such as
organized charity or philanthropic work or “relief
of destitution”. The History of social work in the
UK had gone through various phases.

3.  From the beginning of religion the priests
assumed leadership providing protection for
the helpless widows, orphans and the desire
to receive the grace of god to secure the
merits of good deeds for eternal life. In the
beginning of the14th century the poor were
divided into two categories ;able-bodies and
destitutes.

4.  Citizens were discourage from giving alms to the able-
bodies beggars . In 1531 Henry 6 issued license for
begging in restricted areas; punishment was given to
those who violated the law –In 1572 ,Queen Elizabeth
introduced general tax for the protected of the poor and
appointed over seers of the poor. Thus the government
was held responsible for the maintenance of the poor.
 The church , especially monasteries played the role relief
centre to the destitute and the disabled. Alms were
collected and distributed by the parish and other clergy
men who knew the individual and his situation. The
churches did not make any efforts to provide any
permanent remedy for improving the conditions of the
poor. Later the responsibility was shifted from church to
the government.

5.  Elizabethan poor law introduced in 1601 was
landmark in the history of organized social welfare .
This law ensured many relief provisions for the
eligible poor . The law also insisted the able-bodied
beggars to working ”work houses” .The poor were
divided into three categories ; able-bodied ,important
poor and the dependent child . The overseers of the
poor were responsible for the execution of the poor
law . The verified eligibility and selected the
applicants . The work house act passed in1692 made
provisions for the training of the inmates of the work
houses.
 The table given below the classification of the poor
based on Elizabethan poor law.

6. TYPE CRITERIA
Able bodied poor Forced to work in the house of correction or
in the work house, not eligible to receive
alms.
Impotent poor Unable to work and placed in alms
house(sick, old, blind , deaf etc.)
Dependent child Orphans , the deserted, children from very
poor families.

7.  In this period social scientist Adam Smith stated
that government should minimize its involvement
in any field for any purpose as it well lead to
much dependency . Malthus is of the option that
if there were a lot of free service, this will lead to
the desire for more opinion’. So he
recommended an end to the charity work . As per
the recommendations of the Royal
commission(1832)able bodied continued to work
in able bodied homes and better help for slum
dwellers were provided in 1834.In the Factories
Act(1833) only minimum welfare facilities were
provided to the industrial workers.

8.  The formation of charity organization society was
an important milestone in the development of
charity programs . London Charity Organization
society was the first such organization formed in
the year 1869. They under took the following
strategies to help the needy effectively.
 1. stopped giving doles.
 2. co-ordinate the distribution of relief.
 3.verified each application carefully .
 4.conducted interviews to assess the
genuineness of the applicants.
 5.formulatedplans for the treatments.

9.  Cannon Samuel Augustus Barnet founded
University Settlement house which was named
as Toynbee Hall . Its objectives were:
 1.Educational and cultural development of
the poor.
 2.Imparting information to the poor for their
improvement
 3 Developing consciousness towards health
problems and the need for enacting
legislation.

10.  Newly formed Charity organization
societies(COS) started to practice professional
social work and began to provide training to
social workers . In the year 1899 social work
training was started and introduced .At first
two years training program in social work
with theory and practice was started.
 The table shows the important legislations
enacted to standardize the social welfare of
U.K.

11. YEARS LAWS PURPOSE
1905 Poor Law Commission Pension for the aged
and unemployed,
Public employment
service.
1906 Meals Act Providing free meals
1907 Education Act Free medical
examination of school
children.
1911 National Insurance Act Compulsory health
insurance to the
workers who belong to
the lower income
groups.
1925 Old Age Contributory
Act
Old Age pensions.
1941 Beverridge Social Insurance ,

12.  The loyal commission on the laws and relief of
distress 1905-09 was a body set up by the
British Parliament in order to investigate how the
poor law system should be changed . The
commission included poor law guardians
boards as well as the social researchers Charles
booth and Beatrice web.
 The commission spend four years investigating
and eventually produced two conflicing reports
knows as the majority report .As the basis of the
two reports was in such contrast the Liberal
party were able to ignore both when
implementing their Liberal reforms package .

13.  The minority report was one of two reports
published by the Royal commission on the poor
Laws and relief of distress 1905-09 the other
being majority report . Headed by the Fabian
socialist Beatrice web , It called for a system that
was radically different from the existing poor law
. She, amongst the other heading the report, who
included George Lansbury, felt that it was short
sighted of society to expect paupers to be
entirely accountable for themselves. Most of its
proposals being disregarded by the Liberal
government of 1906 when implementing their
Liberal reforms.

14.  The majority report by the Royal commission
on the poor law was published in 1909.The
commission set up to work out the best way
to relieve the poor of economic and social
hardship .It was made up of members of the
charity Organization society such as Helen
Bosanquet as well as local government
boards, trade unions and social researches
such as Charles Booth.

15.  In1904,the inter department committee on physical
deterioration found so many working class families
to be malnourished , that it gave advice on better
nutrition for families. By 1906 it was decided that
children from the poorest families should be allowed
free schools meals .
 In 1906 the liberal won the general election .
 It was labour backbencher , William Wilson put
forward the idea of free school meals as a private
member Bill. Hw did so because it became obvious
to people who made it their business to find out ,
that many children were turning up to school hungry
.

16.  1.The number of school meal provided rose
from 3 million in 1906 to 9 million in 1910
and14 million 1914.
 2.Local authorities were given a grant of 50%
from treasury.
 3. because it was not compulsory , a minority
of local authorities afforded free school meals
in 1912only 50% provided them.
 4.children who received them were better
nourished and their lives improved.

17.  Education( administrative provision ) act 1907
 This act set up a number for schools many of
these related to the health of children with
some looking to enable high standard
schools places for poorer school children
.under the legislation local authorities were to
set up medical inspection units. Over the
course of their schooling years, each child
could be given a medical examination on no
less than three occasions.

18.  A national insurance1911created national insurance,
originally a system of health insurance for industrial
workers ingrate Britain based on contributed from
employers the government and the workers
themselves . It was one of the foundation of the
modern welfare state. It also provided unemployment
insurance for designated unemployment insurance
for designated eyelocal industries .it formed part of
the wider social welfare reforms of the liberal
government of 1906-1915. David loud George, the
liberal chancellor of the Exchequer , was the prime
mo0ving force behind its design negotiation with
doctors and other interest group and final passage.

19.  Beveridge was a British economist and social
reformer, closely associated with the development of
the welfare state.
 Willliam Beyeridge he trained a lawyer but come to
programmer during the liberal government 1906-14
when he was asked David lord George on old age
pension and national insurance . During world war
one, beveridge was involved in mobilizing and
controlling manpower .In 1919 ,he became director
of London school of economic where he remained till
until 1937.
 He published his report 1942 and recommended that
the government should find ways of fighting the five
‘giant evils of want, diseases ignorance ,squalor and
idleness.