Irish Social Services 5th Edition

Social Services affect everyone in Irish society. Over two-fifths of the population is in receipt of weekly social welfare payments, one-third of the population is entitled to free health services, one-fiften of the population is engaged in full-time education and most of the housing stock has been either provided or subsidised by the state. Despite recent cutbacks, about four-fifths of government current expenditure is allocated to social services.

Irish Social Services 5th Edition provides an up-to-date guide to the evolution, nature and scope of, and to the issues associated with, the key social services in Ireland – social welfare, housing education, health. It also covers the welfare of certain groups in society such as older people and people with disabilities, the role of voluntary organisations, poverty and equality issues.

Of particular relevance to students and practitioners in the field of social administration, this book will also be of benefit to those interested in the often complex means by which key social needs are met in Ireland.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
   What is social policy?
   Aims of social policy
   Importance and relevance of social services
   Factors and influencing social service provision
   Social policy analysis
    
2. Income Maintenance
   Introduction
   Types of income maintenance schemes
   Evolution of income maintenance system
   Changes in terminology
   Main features of social insurance schemes
   Other social welfare schemes
   Beneficiaries of social welfare
   Financing and expenditure
   Administration
   Commission on Social Welfare
   Developments post commission’s report
   Income adequacy
   Basic income
   Child income support
   Reducing expenditure on income maintenance schemes
    
3. Housing
   Introduction
   Administration
   Evolution of policy and output
   Housing stock
   Planning housing need
   Tenure sectors
   Homelessness
   Developments and issues in the 1990s
   Housing in a changing context
    
4. Education
   Introduction
   First-level education
   Second-level education
   Third-level education
   Adult education
   Participation in education
   Educational disadvantage
   Evolution of policy
   Decentralisation issues
    
5. Health Services
   Introduction
   Evolution of services
   Evolution of administrative structures
   Eligibility for health services
   The public/private mix
   Health service delivery
   Rationalisation of hospital facilities
   Financing the health services
   Irish health care in a European context
    
6. Welfare of Certain Groups
   Introduction
   Older people
   Child welfare
   People with disabilities
   The Travelling community
    
7. Voluntary Social Service Organisations
   Introduction
   Categories of voluntary organisations
   Evolution of voluntary activity
   Funding of voluntary organisations
   Statutory/voluntary relationships
   The Charities Act, 2009
   Consultation and partnership
   Active citizenship
    
8. Poverty and Exclusion
   Introduction
   Measurement of poverty
   Poverty as an issue
   National Anti-Poverty Strategy
    
9. Equality Issues
   Introduction
   First commission’s report
   Second commission’s report
   Revised quality legislation
   Equality agencies
   Other landmark equality measure
   Equality in a changing environment