concept of social services?

[DWOMOH]

the need for social services

[joann]

We have helpless and vulnerable populations in our society, abused/neglected children, abused/neglected elders, orphans, people in dire need of medical services without insurance, disabled persons who can't self-support, etc. We also have a quickly changing job market that leaves workers suddenly stranded without a job when their jobs leave for overseas or when technology makes their skills outmoded. We have a fragmented heterogeneous society that for the most part emphasizes individual freedom and responsibility over familial ties. People move away from extended family for jobs, school, etc. Family and local community friends and neighbors may not be available to people who live where people don't know their neighbors and are far away from family. Persons from vulnerable populations must have a safety net or be cast aside to wither, suffer and die.

We have extremely complex eligibility policies for social services, so we need professionals who know how to navigate the system in order to provide access to people who are unable to do it for themselves. When you are sick or blind or can't walk or deaf or mentally ill or abused or are a kid you need help. Family members can be perpetrators of abuse or just unable to cope.