Discussion question 1
Public Welfare Programs
In 1933, Harry Hopkins, one of FDR's top advisors, argued that public welfare should not be a haven for professional social work practice. In the 1960s, the Public Welfare Association asserted that having social workers in public welfare programs would not only improve the life of poor families, but also reduce the number of welfare recipients.
Why did the NASW support the separation of social services from cash assistance in the 1970s?
Has this separation helped or hindered the social welfare profession? The poor? Why or why not?
Discussion question 2
Public Welfare
In 1962, President John F. Kennedy stated that public welfare "must do more than a salvage operation, picking up the debris from the wreckage of human lives. Its emphasis must be directed increasingly toward prevention and rehabilitation. Poverty weakens individuals and nations."
What does this statement mean to you? How does his statement apply today's view of public welfare?
Discussion question 3
Economic Opportunity Act and the War on Poverty
Explain how the Economic Opportunity Act and the War on Poverty caused a shift in social work's views on social welfare and the pro.