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Social Policy SOCIAL POLICY SOCIAL EXCLUSION This essay is written in order to evaluate and assess the ideology surrounding the term Social Exclusion The aim is to summarise strategies that have been introduced by the government in order to effectively combat Social Exclusion. Firstly this essay will discuss the meaning of Social Exclusion. Social Exclusion is a term used for people or areas, which have in common a numerous amount of social problems such as unemployment, poverty, poor housing, bad health, low incomes etc Statistics from the New Policy Institute 1998 / 99 indicates the type of people whom would be deemed Socially excluded they are as follows; homeless, lone parents, disability / learning difficulties, mentally ill, elderly, refugees etc People are excluded from fully taking part in society by the pricing and policies of suppliers the people who cannot get a credit card or a bank account due to poor credit rating or people who cannot insure their house due to the area they live in. In the past Tory and Labour governments alike have tried and failed to deal with the above problems.
However the New Labour government in December 1997 set up what is known as a Social Exclusion Unit, the aim originally was to tackle the complicated links between the above social problems and try to prevent them from arising in the first place. However it is fair to say that people are excluded not just because they are currently without a job or income but also because they have very few prospects for the future. Economists may say that unemployment comes from social exclusion, but by having a job does that automatically mean that one is socially included, statistics prove that one must have a job that is acceptably paid and one that holds prospects for the future. According to further statistics having a low a paid job is not the answer. Economists believe that young people whom enter the welfare to work scheme should be able to provide a way station not dead end. It is important to note that Social Exclusion isnt just about the labour market but it also reflects many aspects of everyday life.
One example, which comes to mind, is that people are excluded through the means tested benefit system. Redistribution between workers means that there is a shift in the balance of power away from the workers towards employers. Employers are beginning to reduce labour costs, thus creating the insecurity and poor job prospects that underlie Social Exclusion. Strategies that have been introduced in order to tackle this problem.
The new minimum wage of? 3. 50 was introduced in 1999 and is currently in effect. Measures are also being taken in order to rescue the already unequal balance between workers and employers. When addressing the term Social Exclusion one must also look in the context of the family and its household. One mustnt be concerned with just those individual that are out of work, but also concern must be centred around the households in which they live in. for instance statistics prove that households which contain unemployed people are usually at the greatest risk of Social Exclusion. This figure has doubled in the UK since the Thatcher Years of 1979.
Many would argue that the means tested benefit system is an important factor in the disincentive to work, and that the jobseekers allowance in this respect was a wrong move. Some economists only believe that Social Inclusion would only be promoted by a return to Unemployment Insurance. However looking through the UK statistics and surveys, it is fair to say that UK government is focusing all their attention on Social Exclusion within the Labour Market. This in fact is only one dimension and in order for the government to be effective in combating Social Exclusion they must monitor policies in all areas. The New Labour government are outing forth strategies in order to overcome Social Exclusion in the UK. In a speech made by Mr Tony Blair, given on 8 th December 1997, he listed the following: ? 3. 5 bn Welfare to Work Programme. ? 1. 2 bn School Building Programme. ? 2. 5 bn Extra Spending on schools and hospitals. ? 50 cash help for heating for pensioners on income support and? 20 for the rest. ? 300 m Childcare strategy, with a? 200 m help to lone parents to get into jobs. ? 900 m release of capital receipts for housing.
VAT on fuel cut. The Social Exclusion unit report on rough sleeping published in July 1998. The report set the target promising to reduce the numbers sleeping rough by two thirds by the year 2002. The following measures that are being implemented are as follows: a) Better support for people on route out of care, prison and the armed forces. b) Making sure that housing authorities do all they can to prevent homelessness. c) Better co-ordination of service delivery at local level, with someone clearly in charge in every major city.
d) A new body in London with more resources to co-ordinate the different programmes targeted at rough sleepers. e) Develop mentoring programmes to support them back into work. Alongside the publication of the report was? 800 m for the New Deal for Communities, this is intended to provide help to some of the poorest neighbourhoods. The London Borough of Newham is named as one of them. In conclusion to this essay the British Government seems to be linking exclusion and work. Their general fixation that getting the unemployed into the labour market is the be all and end all when dealing with the problem.
The first issue to be raised here is that of the contrast between Social Exclusion and the narrow thinking which reduces exclusion to unemployment thus displacing the primary burden of responsibility onto the already socially excluded themselves. Finally Martin Willis concludes: Doesnt Social Exclusion emphasise multi dimensional factors which are often combined with money poverty, some of which can be addressed more through financial investment. Many problems faced by the excluded would not necessarily be solved even if their income were significantly increased.
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