FOR THE STUDENTS OF SOCIAL WORK . These slides were prepared by Prof. Amir Zada Asad, ex Chairman Department of Social Work, university of Peshawar. They have been modified by Dr. Imran A. Sajid. They are based on the works of Walter Friedlander in his book Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare. This presentation is highly useful for the students of BS and Masters in Social Work, Social Welfare, or Social Policy. Dr. Imran A. Sajid University of Peshawar

1. Partial Relief System/
Speenhamland Act, 1795
Imran Ahmad Sajid, PhD
IPCS| UOP
imranahmad131@uop.edu.pk
Source: Walter Friedlander. (1968). Introduction to Social Welfare. pp.15-18

2. 1. 1722  Private Workhouse
2. 1761  Registration of all infants
3. 1767  Removal of all children below six (6) years of age
4. 1782  Abolish contract system
5. 1793 1815 War between France and England
6. 1795  Speenhalmland ACt

3. 17th Century
• Commercial Competition b/w Dutch and Britons
• Workhouse as Export Promotion Center

4. 1696: Workhouse Experiment
• OBJECTIVES 
– Reduce beggary and poverty,
– manufacture finishing goods for export
• Every able bodied poor was forced to work in workhouse
• 1722 Contract with Private Workhouse Operators
• PROBLEMS
– Over crowding
– Poor living and working conditions
• CONSEQUENCES 
– Family breakdown
– Increasing Infant Mortality (82% infants died)
– Increasing Immoralities

5. Workhouses and Outdoor Relief
• 1761 Registration of all infants in Workhouses
• 1767 Removal of all children below six (6) years of age
• 1782 Abolishing Contract system / Starting Outdoor
Relief
– Abolishing Honourary Overseers of Poor with Salaried Guardians
of Poor

6. Source of Increasing Poverty
• Economic Changes in England, particularly two (2) factors
• 1. Enclosure Movement
• 2. Power Driven Machinery

7. Partial Relief: Speenhamland Act 1795
• 1793-1815: France vs Britain War, leading to French
Revolution
• Longest war22 years
• CONSEQUENCES
– Price Hike
– Increased Poverty
– Increased Diseases
– Veterans Refused to go to Workhouses

8. • May 1795 Berkshire County at Speenhamland
– Meeting of the Officers of Poor Laws
• UNIVERSAL SCALE OF PRACTICES / BREAD SCALE
– Determine the amount of relief on the basis of the local cost of
bread needed for the sustenance* of the family.
– Supplement wages of labours who’s earnings are less than this
minimum subsistence**.
*livelihood
**condition of managing to stay alive

9. • Parliament approved
• SPEENHAMLAND ACT OF 1795
– Authorizing relief allowance in the homes of the poor, according
to the size of the family, either for full support or to supplement
low wages.
– Outdoor relief for old, infirm and handicapped persons

10. • RESULTS
– Lowered wages and general standard of living
– Higher tax rates
– Employers  substandard wages
– Destroyed worker’s incentives to do good job

11. • CRITICISM
• Tax payers resentment Communities with more poors and
less tax payers had to pay more tax than the communities with
less poors and more tax payers.
• Adam Smith  state should not interfere with private
economy so that the manufacturer could reap the profits of
production… Gradual withdrawal of public relief
• Thomas R. Malthus  poor relief encouraged paupers to have
more children in order to get relief for them, tended to raise
the price of food, impoverishing the entire working class