Social care is a profession. In this profession people work with the other people who have some needs, who are practicing marginalisation. These services are mainly offered to children, people who are physical disable, and older people. People who don’t have home, alcohol or drug addicted persons also use these services. These services are also provided to recent immigrants to Ireland.
According to IASCE (Irish Association of Social Care Educators) Social care services are defined as- it is a job of providing quality care and other support services to the individuals and groups according to their needs.
According to some professors “Social care services provide care, protection, support, safety and advocacy for the dependent people.” These are provided with the help of planning and evaluation. Programmes are prepared for individuals and for groups. These programmes are made on the basis of needs. In Europe social care services are usually known as social pedagogy and social care practitioners are known as social pedagogues.
Many people, in England are using Social care services. Approximately more than 1.8 million people are using social care services in England at present. Mainly people with “a sensory impairment, a physical disability, a learning disability, a terminal illness, a mental illness, problems connected to ageing, alcohol dependency and drug dependency” use social care services. Among these people some use social care for a short time and other for long time according to there need.
Social care services are very helpful for a person. These services help him live his life. Old people are not able to do ordinary works at home. In this case these services are the best option. A hospitalized person can take help of these social services. An adult with physical disability can take help of these services. When a person wants right care, then he should take help of these services. Quality of life of a person is definitely changed by these services.
Social care services play an important role in the social policy of the UK. The number of people receiving social care is still increasing. Social care services in the UK continuously improving because demand is increasing day by day. During the year 2005-06, 1.75 million people received social services in England. The number of the people, receiving home care, also increased rapidly during some last years.
The structure of social services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is not similar, it differs in certain manner. The laws of Scotland and Northern Ireland are different from the laws of in England and Wales. Poor law is the main social policy of the UK and social services play an important role in it.
Health departments, welfare departments, and children’s departments were responsible for social care services after 1948 in the UK. These were unified in 1960. In Scotland it was given the name Social Work Departments and in England and Wales Social Services Departments. An important role has been played by these departments in the social policies.
References
“An introduction to Social Policy”, The personal social services: social work and social care, 2009, Web.
“Social policy in the UK”, 2009, Web.
Irish Social Care Gateway, 2005, “What is social care?”, Web.
Commission for Social Care Inspection, 2008, “What is social care?”, Web.
DODS, 2007, “Social care”, Web.