Welfare to work programs (Essay Sample)

Welfare to work programs
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The term welfare to work (WTW) refers to the efforts and programs set aside to encourage the unemployed in the society to find, obtain and retain jobs so that they can be self-sustaining without having to rely on other people. The welfare to work program was initiated by the UK government in 2011 with the aim of assisting unemployed people who were claiming benefits, to secure employment over the next five years (United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights). It is an employment program of the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids Program (CalWORKs). It is a requirement for any recipient of CalWORKs who is able-bodied to participate in the activities of the welfare in order to continue receiving support.
Question One
There are many providers of these programs, for instance, voluntary organisations as well as private companies. They achieve this by securing contracts in order to find employment for the claimants. The payment largely depends on the results and the providers take the risk until they get the required results. The welfare for work law was put in place in order to limit the time one receives welfare, thus the need to participate in the welfare activities for 32 to 35 hours per week, for every week. The introduction of this new welfare system has sparked different and varying viewpoints and understanding of the informants of the program. The understanding of the informants about the policy differs greatly from that of the policy makers and the state administrators. The informants pointed out the numbers of positive outcomes and benefits of these programs. They pointed out that employment improves their self-image and their self-confidence. The fact that they are able to be productive and get a source of livelihood from it gave them as continues to give them a sense of achievement and purpose in life. Being employed makes them proud of themselves rather than just receiving welfare and support that they have not worked for. The informants also alluded to the fact that the employment programs they receive help them provide materially for their families. They are able to pay for their bills, as well as buy material possessions for themselves and their children. Informants have also highlighted the fact that the day care programs helped their children gain proper socialization. Moreover, they were contented with the fact that working made them value the little time that they spend with their children. In nut-shell informants view the employment programs in terms of the concrete benefits that they gain from it. When people are working they feel better because they are contributing members of the society.
However, despite the advantages that employment has on the informants, there are also drawbacks that they pointed out. The most common concern for the informants was about child care. Women in particular pointed out their fears of having to put their children in day care because of the safety conditions in the day care facilities. They also expressed their concerns of feeling guilty for not being in a position to take care of their children by themselves. Informants also complained about the fact that they are taxed on every penny they work for which ends up not being adequate to fully and independently support their families. The situation forces them to work for more hour so that they can cater for expenses such as day care costs, therefore, to them self-sufficiency is an unattainable goal. The informants also pinpointed that they did not receive proper treatment and that they did not receive the equivalent amount of pay according to the numerous and tedious amount of work they do.
Question Two
Arguments for
As in the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, basic needs are typically understood as "food, clothing, housing, and medical care." Welfare proponents argue that all people have a right to such goods, the argument continues, and should be provided with them if they do not already possess them (United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights). They continue to say that taking the responsibility to help others take care of themselves does not demotivate them, in any case, it offers them an opportunity to be more productive in the society. Therefore, it is of paramount importance that all people have all their basic needs met. The welfare proposers point out the need for the government to participate in providing for the all the basic needs and welfare of all the society members. In a nutshell, welfare proposers place greater moral value on the satisfaction of basic needs as compared to one’s right and freedom to spend their money as they wish. Philosopher Peter Singer writes, "If it is in our power to prevent something bad from happening, without thereby sacrificing anything of comparable moral importance, we ought, morally, to do it." For Singer, social welfare is not only "good thing to do," it is a moral imperative.
Arguments against
One of the arguments against the welfare system is that it encourages poverty in the sense that, for people who may otherwise be motivated to work and provide for themselves, they would rather rely on welfare. In another perspective, it can be concluded that the welfare system does not encourage an individual to take the initiative to work hard and support themselves. As Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich writes in his essay "Renewing America," "The welfare system has sapped the spirit ...