WELFARE SERVICES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

Welfare Services for Children and Young People

Welfare Services for Children and Young People

Introduction

Scotland and Sweden has been described as social welfare states from various theoretical points of view (Titmuss, 1974; Furniss & Tilton, 1977; Eriksson & Aberg, 1986; Gould, 1988; Spicker, 1988; Esping-Andersen, 1990; Cochrane & Clarke, 1993; Korpi & Paime, 1993). In addition to being committed to full employment - at least up until the 1990ies - and having a generous social insurance system as in the "social security state model" (Fumiss & Tilton, 1977), the social welfare state emphasises high quality living conditions through tax financed public services and environmental planning. The Scandinavian welfare state model is also characterised by a "universal approach" approach (directed to all, not to stigmatise the few) in opposite to a "residual approach". Everyone share the vast majority of benefits created by tax transfers sometime during their life span, without means tests.

Residual tendencies in the universal welfare system

Most of the national social insurance system, eg unemployment benefits and pensions, are based on individuals' previous employment. The main exception is means tested economic assistance from local social services, a residual system with fresh roots in poverty relief. In the Social Services Law of 1980, this form of economic support was intended only to be temporary, a "social emergency relief'. Prevalence was stable for several decades, with around 6% of the adult population receiving this form of "welfare" annually (Tham, 1994). But in the last 15 years, the number of recipients has grown considerably. Means tested economic assistance is now the main source of income for large groups, eg young people with no education and recent immigrants, many of whom are more or less defacto excluded from ordinary jobs (Salonen, 1993; Ekberg & Andersson, 1995; Kamali, 1997). In other words, due to the post-industrial economic process, dependency on the residual components of the welfare state has become more widespread than anyone could imagine 20 years ago. These developments - paradox to the universal approach - have resulted in political confusion.

By historical tradition and organisational affiliation, Swedish Children and young people Welfare is closely related to this residual section of the social welfare state, serving, supervising and disciplining the poor and the excluded in the community. Like in most other countries, Swedish children and young people welfare has never been able to "shed its poverty relief shell" (Sunesson, 1990).'

The Children and young people Welfare System in Scotland and Sweden

No evidence of down-sizing

The recession in Scotland and Sweden in the late 1980ies and early 1990ies led to a fiscal crisis in the public sector, both nationally and locally. Down-sizing public service was also motivated by forced priorities, since the number of elderly requiring extensive tax subsidised in-home and hospital care had increased tremendously between 1970 and 1990 for demographic reasons (SOU 1996:169). But several studies has found that local children and young people welfare became a "protected zone" in this turbulent process, with financial resources mostly intact or ...