IMPROVING THE DELIVERY AND MANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE TO THE TARGET GROUPS OF THE SARAWAK STATE SOCIAL WELFARE

DEPARTMENT, THROUGH ACTION RESEARCH

KENDY EDWARD

A thesis submitted in partial hlfillrnent of the requirements for the Degree of

Master of Science

Faculty of Cognitive Science and Human Development UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SARAWAK

1998

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I wish to express my deep appreciation and gratitude to the following people who have made this study possible:

My supervisors, Associate Professor Dr. Peter Songan and Dr. Rujhan Mustafa for their close supervision, guidance and professional advice

Dr. Selva Abraham and his team at the GIBAELAN Action Research Management Institute, Adelaide, Australia for their professional guidance and advice on Action Research Methodology

The State government for their financial support and the Director of Social Welfare Department, Mr. Annuar Hj. Mohd. Nor for his continued support and advice throughout the research

o Special thanks to my rcsearch group members - Mohd. Yakop, Dusim Oh Siong, Joni Nuruddin, Valentine Ho,Saptuyah Sazali, Habsah Hashim and Leonora Sampai for their invaluable contributions and commitment in the research

o My fellow course mates particularly my discussion group - Ik, Dany, Anthonius, Elizabeth and Masir for their cooperation and moral support

My fellow colleagues who have helped in one way or another and most of ail my family and loving daughter, Mildred for their patience and understanding.

TABLE O F CONTENTS

TitletSu btitle

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

TABLE O F CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES

LIST O F FIGURES

LIST O F ABBREVIATIONS

ABSTRACT

ABSTRAK

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Introduction Background of study Statement of the Problem Purpose of the Study The Conceptual Framework in this Study Scope and Limitations of the Study Assumptions Significance of the Study Definition ofTerms

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction Public Assistance Programs Types of Public Assistance Programs Welfare Myths Verses Facts Who are the clients of Public Assistance? Attitudes of claimants towards Social Assistance or Public Assistance Principles of Human Service Delivery The Human Service Delivery Model The Service Delivery System Issues of effectiveness strategies in relation to service de!ivery Service Delivery Strategies Case Management in Human Services

Definition of Case Management Goals and Functions of Case Management

Related Studies on Public Assistance Chapter Summary

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Introduction Purpose of the Study Research Questions SiteiBackground of the study /Thematic Concern

Site Background of the Study Thematic Concern

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TABLE O F CONTENTS

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Justification of the Action Research Method introduction Definitions of Action Research

Characteristics and features of Action Research The Action Research Process Relationship between Action Research and Action Learning

introduction Definitions of Action Learning

Formation and characterist~cs of a learning set Role of a Set Facilitator Role and Obligations of Set Members Important Aspects of Action Learning Action Research Methodology used and i ts Rationalisation in the Study

Why Action Research Method? What makes this an Action Research Study

Action Research Method as Adopted in this Study Participant Observation Triangulation

Beginning the Action Research Process Action Research Cycle Action Research Plan Techniques for Data Collection Chapter Summary

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS lntroduction Purpose of the study Research Questions Findings

Mini Cycle 1 Mini Cycle 2 Mini Cycle 3 Mini Cycle 4

Conclusion of Findings

CHAPTER 5: SL'hflMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS lntroduction Purpose of the study Background to the Problem and Themat~c Concern Research Questions Scope and l~mitat~ons of the study Assunlpt~ons Concius~ons

The Use of the Action Research Methodology Chardcter~stics of the Actton Research Methodology Contribut~ons to Knowledge

Recomnlendat~ons

BIBLIOGRAPHY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C

Appendix D Appendix E

Appendix F

Appendix G

Appendix H

Appendix I Appendix J Appendix K

Appendix L

Appendix M Appendix h' Appendix 0 Appendix P Appendix Q Appendix R Appendix S Appendix T Appendix U Appendix V

Means Test for Public Assistance Statistic on Monthly Welfare Assistance for the year 1997 List of Public Assistance cases according to Districts which had not been investigated until May, 1998at May, 1998. Complaint letter from a Public Assistance recipient Extract of Audit Queries regarding public assistance scheme camed out at Social Welfare Department, Serian District Letter from the State Secretary on MSC (HRD) UNIMAS Program Letter from the researcher to the Director regarding appointment lettcr of Act~on Rc..c.:rch Group \l;r:*bc!\ Formal letter of appointn~cnt from Director to thc Action Research Group Xfe:nbcrs Certification form of applicant Implementation of Public Assistance form and Revie\<< F o ~ m Distribution of questionnaires to the Asst. Social Welfare officers and Social Welfare Assistants. Questionnaires for interview with the Public Assistance Recipients Findings on the interview with p.a reipients Findings on the questionnaires from the field oficers Submission of research findings for validation to Director Evaluation Report from Mohd. Yakop bin Abd. Mutalib Evaluation Report from Joni Nuruddin Evaluation Report from Valentine Ho Evaluation Report from Dusim Oh Sions Evaluation Report from Saptuyah Hj. Sazali Evaluation Report from Leonora Sampai Summary of Research Findings and Recommendations

LIST OF TABLES

Table I : Action Research Group Members Table 2: Overall Action Plan Table 3: Details of Action Research Group Members Table 4: Work Process of the Application for Public Assistance Table 5: List of Public Assistance cases according to

Districts which had not been investigated unil May, 1998 Table 6: Summary of Research Findings and Recommendations by

Action Research Group based on the following Research Questions

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LIST OF FIGURES

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Figure 1: Theconceptual Framework of the Study Figure 2: The traditional spiral of action research cycles Figure 3: Lewin's Cyclic Model Figure 4: Equation on Learning Cycle by Mumford Figure 5: The Action Research Cycle Figure 6: The 5 existing procedures and practices on the delivery

and management of public assistance to the target groups of the Sarawak Social Welfare Department.

Figure 7: Flow Chart on Public Assistance Application Procedure

LIST OF ABBREV[ATIONS

P.A - Public Assistance ARG - Action Research Group

ABSTRACT

The delivery and management of public assistance to the target groups of the Sarawak State Social Welfare Department has been identified as a real problem that existed in the department. The problem is evident from the complaint letters from the public, audit queries and the high number of outstanding public assistance cases which had not been investigated as at the end of the year. This study therefore attempted to investigate ways of improving the delivery and management of public assistance to the target groups of the Sarawak State Social Welfare Department, through action research.

For the purpose of this study, an action research group comprising 8 officers from the department including the researcher had been formed to take pan in the research process in addressing the problem. Besides, 37 field officers involving Asst. Social Welfare officers and Social Welfare Assistants were given a set of questionnaires in the survey regarding the detivery and management of public assistance cases. An interview was also camed out with 26 public assistance recipients from Kuching and Samarahan Divisions to find out about their problems faced with regards to their apptication, investigation and payment of their public assistance.

The main research question that formed the basis of this study was "Coutd a more effective system be developed in the delivery and management of public assistance to the target groups of the Sarawak State Social Welfare Department, through action research?" In this respect, the study examined further the existing procedures and practices in the delivery and management of public assistance to the target groups concerned and problems faced by the department as well as the problems that welfare recipients experience within the existing delivery and management system.

Through the action research methodology which involved a spiral cycles of planning, action, observation and reflection, the study concluded that an effective system can be developed in improving the delivery and management of public assistance to the target groups of the Sarawak Social Welfare Department. In the process of addressing the real problem, the Action Research Group identified 5 existing procedures and practices of the delivery and management system that is the application, registration, investigation, payment and review.

The significant findings in this study showed that monitoring and supervision by the officers concerned in the existing procedures and practices are important for an effective delivery and management of public assistance to the target groups, As such, the recommendations to improve the system are I ) to have a proper work process procedure for public assistance application whereby a timeframe is to be given for the investigation to be made, 2) to form a Quality Control Circle to look further into the major problems faced, 3) payment of public assistance to be made through recipients bank accounts and also through individual checks to avoid overpayment/underpayment and 4) that public assistance payment is to be made for 3 months once to reduce time and transport costs of the recipients.

ABSTRAK

Penyampaian dun penguman bantuan am bulanan kepada kumpulan sasar Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat Negeri Sarawak telah dikenalpastikan sebagai masalah benar yang wjud di Jabatan tersebur. Ini ternyata dari surat rayuan orang ramai, pertanyaan daipada Jabatan Audit dan bilangan kes yang besar yang belum dapar disiasat pada hujung tahun. Ofel2 yang demikian, kajian ini cuba utuk menyiasat cara-cara untuk memperbaiki penyampaian dun pengurusan banruan am bulanan kepada kumpulan sasar Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat Negeri Sarawak, melalui penydidikan tindakon.

Untuk tquan kajian ini, kuimpulan penyelidikan tinciakan yang tediri daipada 8 orang pegawai dari Jabatan tersebut tennasuk penyelidik sendiri telah ditubuhkan untuk menggambil bahagian dalurn proses penyelidikan untuk menyelesaikan masalah tersebut. Selain daripada itu, 37 orang pegawai kerja luaryang melibatkan Penolong Pegawai Kebajikan Masyarakat dun Pernbantu Kebajikan Masyarakat telah diberi beberapa soalselidik dalam satu tinjauan mengenai masalah penyampaian dan pengurusan kes bantuan am bulanan. Tenubual dengan 26 orang penerima bantuan am bulanan dun' Bahagian Kuching dan Samarahan juga telah diadakan untuk mengetahui masalah-masalah yang dihadapi berhubung dengan permohonan, penyiasatan dan bayaran bantuan am bulanan rnetleka.

Soalan penfifidikan urama yang menjadi asas dalam kajian ini ialah "Bolehkah sistem yang lebih berkesan dikembangkan dalarn penyampaian dan pengwusan bantuan am bulanan kepada kumpulan sasar Jabatan berkenaan, melalui penyelidikan tindakan? " Dalam perkara ini, kajian ini mengkaji tentang prosidur dan amalan yang ada sekarang dalam penyampaian dan pengurusan bantuan am bulanan kepada kutnpulan sasar berkenaan serta masalah-masalah yang dialaini oleh penerima-penen'rna bantuan dalam sistem penyampaian dun pengurusan yang ada sekarang.

Melalui kaedah penyelidikan tindakan ini yang melibatkan satu pusingan berbentuk lingkaran mulai dengan perancangan, tindakan, pemerhatian dun tenungan, kajian ini menggambil kesimpulan bahawa sistem yang berkesan boleh diwujud dalam memperbaiki penyampaian dan pengurusan bantuan am bulanan kepada kurnpulan sasar Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakt negen Sarawak Dalam usaha mengkaji masalah benar tersebut, kumpulan penyelidikan tindakan telah mengenaipastikan 5 prosidur dan amalan yang sedia ada berhubung dengan sistem penyampaian dun pengurusan bantuan am bulanan iaitu dari segi per.mohonan, p e w a r a n , penyiasatan, pembayaran dan ulangkaji kes.

Hasil yang bermakna dalam kajian ini menunjukkan bahawa pemantauan dan penyeliaan oleh pegawai-pegawai yang berkenaan adalah penting untuk penyampaian dun pengurusan bantuan am bulanan yang berkesan kepada kumpulan sasar Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat Negeri Sarawak. Oleh yang demikian, syor-spr untuk memperbaiki sistem tersebut adalah I ) unruk mengadakan prosidur proses keja permohonan bantuan am bulanan yang betul dimana dinyatakan had tnasa untuk penyiasatan kes diselesaikan, 2) menubuh kumpulan rnutu kerja unruk mengkaji masalah-masalah utama yang dihadapi, 3) pembayaran bantuan am bulanan dibuat melalui akaun bank sipenerima dun cek persendinan sahaja untuk mengelakkan pembayaran berlebihan atau berkurangan dan 4) pembayaran bantuan am bulanan dibuat untuk 3 bulan sekali untuk mengurangkan masa dan kos penganghian penerima bantuan am bulanan.

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Most government and social services agencies are expected to provide equitable, effective ervices that are responsive to the wants and preferences of their clientele group and

1 public. According to Gilbert, Specht and Terrell(1993) the ideal service delivery is the hich services are integrated, continuous, accessible and accountable. However, the central

on today as raised by Beny (1995) is not whether to improve the services but how to improve

This study attempted to investigate ways of improving the delivery and management of public assistance to the target groups of the Sarawak State Social Welfare Department, as a pilot study through action research. The problem on the delivery and management of public assistance had been identified as a real problem that existed in the State Social Welfare Department, Sarawak. This is evident fiom the complaint letters received from the public assistance applicants, queries fiom the Audit Department and the high number of outstanding public assistance cases that had not been investigated as at the end of the year.

The complaint letters received include among others dissatisfaction over delay and approval of their public assistance applications. The audit queries on the other hand concerned the administration and management of public assistance cases. Some of these queries among others include over payment /underpayment of public assistance cases, cases which had been cancelled but paid out, cases which took more than a month to process, cases not reviewed on the due date and fifes that could not be traced.

For purpose of the action research methodology, an action research group comprising eight officers including the researcher from the Sarawak State Social Welfare Department was formed to cany out the research. The action research meetings were held at the State Social Welfare Department Headquarters, located at 1 l& Floor, Wisma Saberkas, Green Road, Kuching. Data collection was done through questionnaires with 37 field officers as respondents throughout the State and 26 public assistance recipients from Kuching and Samarahan Divisions were also interviewed as respondents.

Background of the Study Public ~ssktance is one of the various schemes of monthly financial assistance provided

by the Sarawak State Social Welfare Department as part of its preventive. programs to assist the needy in our society. The target groups are the single parents with dependent children, the aged, the disabled, the needy children, dependents of prisoners and families whose breadwinners are incapacitated from work due to poor heatth or other social economic problems and who do not qualify for the other schemes of monthly financial assistance. The other schemes of monthly financial assistance are Aids to the Aged, Aids to the needy children, Incentive AIlowance for the disabled workers and Allowance for youths undergoing apprenticeship course.

Prior to the year i973, public assistance was given out to the needy in the form of food parcels at a cost of RM6.00 per month for individuals without dependents and RM 12.00 per month per family respectively. However, the food parcels was later found out to be unsuitable in term of quality supplied and inconvenience caused especially to the aged and the disabled. As such, the food parcels were changed to the form of cash effective from January 1973. The rates of public assistance were categorized in category 1 to 4 ranging from Rkl11.00 per month for an individual without dependents and RM15.00 to RM25.00 per month for those with dependents.

In view of the high cost of living, the public assistance rates were revised in 1980, 1988

and lastly in 1995. Presently the rates of assistance range from RM40.00 per month for an individual without dependents and RM45.00 to RM175.00 per month for those with dependents calculated on a given means test. A means test is a method of assessment to determine the eligibility of assistance to be given to an applicant as shown in Appendix A.

The objective of the public assistance is to alleviate the financial difficulties of the destitute individuals and families. It is given on a temporary basis subject to periodic review once a year and improvement of the social economic conditions of the family. Based on the department's statistic on monthly welfare assistance report for the year 1997 as in Appendix B, there were 1 f ,389 public assistance cases throughout the state for theyear 1997 involving a total expenditure of about RM9.8 million. As can be seen, the expenditure for public assistance is the highest compared with the other schemes of assistance and it is also the most popular schemes of monthly financial assistance among the target groups. Public Assistance cases also form the bulk of the casework for the caseworkers and demand a lot of time in the investigation and reviews that involve office interviews and home visits as well.

While the department had made attempts to investigate the public assistance cases the number of outstanding cases pending investigation still remained high at the end of the year. According to the department's report as in Appendix C there were a total of 3,009 public assistance cases that had not been investigated and accumulated for the past years until May 1998. As a result, the department had received complaint letters direct from the applicants or through the higher authorities regarding dissatisfaction over delay and approval of their public assistance applications. An example of this complaint letter is in Appendix D. Besides, the department also received queries from the Audit Department, Sarawak which include public assistance cases which had not been reviewed after the due date, public assistance cases which had been overpaid / underpaid and cases which had been cancelled but already paid out. Public assistance cases which took more than one month to process and records of reviewed and cancelled public assistance cases which were not well maintained were also some of the audit queries made. An extract on the audit queries from the Audit Department in this matter as in Appendix E is relevant.

The Sarawak State Social Welfare Department had also identified some of the factors that had contributed to the above problems. Among them were shortage of manpower, lack of transport and traveling h d s for the fieldwork, lack of monitoring, inaccessibility of applicants' place of stay as we11 as lack of information of the address given.

In view of the above factors, this study attempted to investigate ways of improving the delivery and management of public assistance cases to the target groups of the Sarawak State Social Welfare Depaitment, through action research.

Statement of the Problem The statement of the problem in this study is on the delivery and management of public

assistance cases to the target groups of the Sarawak State Social Welfare Department. Therefore, the main research question that formed the basis of this study was:

Could a more effective system be developed in the delivery and management of public assistance to the target groups of the Sarawak State Social Department, through action research?

Since an action research method was used which involved a spiral of cycles of planning, action, observation and reflection, it was considered important to identify what processes and characteristics emerged during these cycles of action research method used in this study. The corol fary research quest ions that followed therefore were:

1 . What are the existing procedures and practices being used in the delivery and management of public assistance to the target groups of the Sarawak Social Welfare Department?

Introduction

2. What are the problems faced in the delivery and management of public assistance to the target groups of the Sarawak Social Welfare Department?

3. What are the problems that welfare recipients experience within the existing delivery and management systems?

Purpose of the Study The Sarawak State Social Welfare Department was very concerned of the above problems

and had made attempts to address it but in spite of that the problem still persisted. As this was a real probtem that existed in the department and needed to be addressed, the purpose of the study therefore was to:

1. Investigate ways of improving the delivery and management of public assistance to the target groups of the State Social Welfare Department, through action research.

2. Make a contribution to the policy and practices on the delivery and management of public assistance which may be practical to the other states within Malaysia.

3. Generate suggestions for hrther studies relating to action research in the delivery and management of public assistance on other aspects.

The Conceptual Framework in this Study The conceptual framework in this study as in figure 1 shows that the learning experience

and self-development of the action research group are the two main concepts of Human Resource Development. The action research group had been formed to identi@ a real problem that is the delivery and management of public assistance to the target groups of the Sarawak State Social Welfare Department. ~ h r o b ~ h a brainstorming session, the action research group identified the problems faced in the existing procedures and practices in the delivery and management of public assistance and made recommendations and suggestions for implementation. In this process, action learning has taken place and the outcome is the learning experience and self- development of the group.

Scope and Limitations of the Study This study investigated the ways of improving the delivery and management of public

assistance to the target groups of the Sarawak State Social Welfare Department through action research. The target groups referred here are the needy which include single p.arents with dependent children, the aged, the disabled, the needy children, dependents of prisoners and families whose breadwinners are incapacitated from work due to poor health or other social economic reasons. The respondents in this study include 26 public assistance recipients from Kuching and Samarahan Divisions and 37 field officers comprising Assistant Social Welfare Officers and Social Welfare Assistants throughout the state. -

This study was limited because it did not attempt to make any comparison on the delivery and management ofpublic assistance with other states in West Malaysia which has the same type of public assistance.

Time was the main limiting factor in this study because the researcher was given only 6 weeks to be at the work place for collection of data. The study was also affected because there was a change in the topic of study which was only finalised after the study trip to GIBARAN Action Research Management Institute Adelaide, Australia in Dec 1997. Thus, the researcher was given only five months to complete the study which was rather short for an action research. When the research took off in Dec 1997 it was not a good time also as most of the action research group

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members were still on leave while some of them were busy with the department's annual activities. The absence of the action research group members during some of the meetings had also caused meetings to be postponed and this directly delayed the action research process.

Another limitation of the study was the lack of previous literature reviews on the subject matter and the answers to some of the research questions were based mostly on the perception of the action research group members. The nature of perception per se was a limiting factor and was acknowledged.

Assumptions There are a number of assumptions made in the way in which this research was conducted.

Since the researcher had failed to find any literature on the delivery and management of public assistance through action research, it is assumed that this study is the first of its kind particularly in the Sarawak State Social Welfare Department.

It is also assumed that a11 the data collected were accurate and reliable. This includes an assumption that the researcher was capable of accurately and objectively recording observations made during the action research meetings and intentiews with the welfare recipients

Since this study relied very much on what people said or wrote there is also an assumption that the action research group members gave an honest feedback on what has been discussed and what was written in their evaluation reports. It is also assumed that the comments written by the Director on the findings is fair and practical. Finally, it is assumed that the interviews with the public assistance recipients would create a greater expectation of better services for them. .

Significance of the Study This study was conducted to investigate ways of improving the delivery and management

of public assistance to the target groups of the Sarawak State Social Welfare Department. Although there has been a great deal of research done on social problems such as child abuse and domestic violence, this kind of action research method is very limited particularly in Malaysia. Thus, this study is significant for several reasons.

Firstly, this study contributes to knowledge by adding to the literature on the action research method. The researcher had failed to identify from the extensive literature survey, any examples of the use of action research method in developing an effective system for the delivery and management of public assistance. This study makes a contribution to action research in the delivery and case management in human services and particularly in developing an effective system for the delivery and management of public assistance to the target groups of the Sarawak State Social Welfare Department, through action research.

Secondly, this study should prove useful for practitioners who deal directly in the delivery and management of public assistance. T h s could serve as a model for the same purpose in other states which implement the same type of public assistance.

Thirdly, the findings of the study can serve as a guide for hrther research and help researchers who are interested in carrying out silnilar studies through action research method.

Finally, the findings of the study can provide additional knowledge for scholars and deepen their understanding on the problems faced by the department and the welfare recipients with regards to the delivery and management of public assistance.

Definitions of Terms The following terms will be used frequently throughout the study:

An Action Research Methodology A research methodoIogy developed by American social psychologist Kurt Lewin (1946),

through which change can be introduced into organisations. It is a "spiral of cycles of action and research" (Zuber-Skerritt 199 1, p. 1 1) with each cycle containing the elements of planning, action, observation, reflection and more importantly so for this particular study, the element of evaluation.

An Action Research Group A group of eight oRcers fiom the Sarawak State Social Welfare Department including the

researcher who had been appointed and approved by the Director of the Sarawak Social Welfare Department to participate in the action research. This action research group is required under the action research methodology.

Assistant Director The Assistant Director in this study refers to the Assistant Director of the Sarawak Social

Welfare Department holding a salary scale of S3. At the Headquarters level, they are the section heads of the various services while at the Divisional levels they are the Assistant Directors in charge of the respective Divisions. Prior to April, 1998 they were hown as Social Welfare Officers.

Assistant Social Welfare Officers The Assistant social welfare oficers are the S5 scale officers who assists the Asst.

Directors in the investigation of welfare cases including public assistance cases and other duties as directed from time to time.

Division The Division in this study refers to the administrative division of the state of Sarawak.

There are nine divisions namely Kuching, Sri Aman, Sibu, Miri, Limbang, Sarikei, Kapit, Bintulu and Samarahan. Each Division is headed by a Resident.

Field Officers The field officers- are the Assistant Social Welfare of'ficers and the Social Welfare

Assistants who have to go out to the field to carry out the on the spot investigation of the welfare cases. Most of the cases involve public assistance cases.

Public Assistance It refers to one of the various schemes of monthly welfare assistance provided by the

Sarawak Social Welfare Department to assist the needy of their financial difficulties. It is given in the form of cash ranging from RM40.00 per month for an individual without dependents to RM 175.00 per month for an applicant with dependents. The rate of assistance given depends on the number of dependents and family's income and calculated through a means test. It is given on a temporary basis subject to periodic review in a year's time.

Social Welfare Assistants The social welfare assistants are in the category of S7 scale oficers who are the frontline

workers of the Sarawak Social Welfare Department. Their main duty is to assist the Asst. Social welfare officers in the investigation ofwelfare cases as directed. They are normally under the direct supervision of the Asst. social welfare officers.

Target Groups The target groups are the needy and destitute in our society which include single parents

with dependents, the aged, the disabled, needy children, dependents of prisoners and families whose breadwinners are unable to work due to poor health or other social economic reasons,

Triangulation Triangulation in this study refers to the search for consistency of findings of different observers, different observing instruments, materials of observation, time, place and the use simple events, either from different participants or observers, or from the same person at different time.

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REMEW

Introduction This chapter reviews the literature on public assistance programs and its features, welfare

myths versus facts, the principles of human service delivery, the human service delivery model, service delivery system, issues of effective strategies, service delivery strategies and case management in the human service delivery. The last part presents some studies that relates to public assistance problems.

Public assistance programs Public assistance programs were established with the enactment of the 1935 Social

Security Act which came about as a result of the Great Depression which was marked by vast unemployment, failing business ventures, and the collapse of banks (Woodside and McCiam, 1994).

According to Zastro (1993), public assistance is sometimes viewed as welfare by the general public and it has primarily residual aspects. Zastro (1993) fbrther described several distinguishing features of public assistance programs as follows:

1. Programs have a means test Individuals applying for assistance have their income and assets examined in

order to determine whether their financial needs meet the eligibility requirements. The means test is designed to ensure that individuals receiving assistance do not already have sufficient resources for a minimum level of subsistence. Resources that are examined include both earned and unearned income. Earned income is money in the form of salary or wages. Unearned income includes benefits from other public and private financial programs, gifts, life insurance annuities, stock dividends, rental income, inheritances, support payments from relatives, and so on.

McInnis-Dittrich (1994) also mentioned that in means tested programs, people must prove financial need to receive the service and means tested programs are characteristics of our residual social welfare system. According to McInnis-Dittrich (1994), there are advantages and disadvantages of means-tested services. One advantage of means- tested services is that only people who need the service are eligible for it. A second advantage is that, by not universalizing services, individuals retain freedom of choice in deciding where they receive services. A third advantage is that, at least superficially, programs can be tailored to meet the needs of special populations. The disadvantages on the other hand are that administration is complex, stigma becomes attached to receiving services, and some people never receive the services they need because of the stigma and the complex application process.

2. Case-by-case determination of eligibility and benefit levels All applicants have their applications for assistance closely reviewed on a

case-by-case basis. The staffs who administer public assistance have substantial discretion in deciding whether a client will receive special allowances in addition to basic benefits, The staffs also have discretion in deciding which social services and other resources might be mobilised on behalf of the client. Eligibility determination, along with benefit Ievel determination, involves extensive review of documents.

3. Benefits are viewed as charity Public assistance benefits are viewed as charity but in countries such as Great

Literature Review

Britain it recognise the right of those in poverty to be maintained and protected by government.

4. Program benefits are paid from general government revenues Public assistance benefits at the federal, state, and local levels are f m c e d through

taxes on personal income and on property,

Types of public assistance programs The main public assistance programs in the United States include Supplemental Security

Income, General Assistance, Medicaid, food stamps, housing assistance, and Aid to M l i e s with Dependent Children (Zastro, 1993). The details are as follows:

1. Supplemental security Income (SSI) Under the SSI program, the federal government pays monthly checks to people

in financial need who are 65 years of age and older or who are 65 years of age and older or who are blind or disabled at any age. To qualify for payments, applicants must have no (or very little) regular cash income, own little property, and have little cash or few assets that could be turned into cash (such as stocks, bonds, jewelry, and other valuables).

The aged is defined as those aged 65 or over. The blind are those with vision no better than 20/200 (even with glasses) or tunnel vision (limited visual field of 20 degrees or less). Being disabled is defined as a physical or mental impaiment that prevents a person from doing any substantial, gainful work and is expected to last at least twelve months or result in death.

2. General assistance The general Assistance (GA) program is supposed to serve those needing

temporary, rather than long-tern, financial support. It is designed to provide financial help to those in need who are ineligible for any other income-maintenance program. It is usually fbnded by property taxes. Most expenditures for GA are for medical care. Payments for GA tend to be minimal and grudgingly made to discourage people from applying and becoming dependent on welfare.

3. Medicaid This program provides hospital and medical care to certain poverty stricken people.

Those eligible are people who are recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children . or are SSI recipients. Medicaid applicants must also undergo a means test.

4. Food stamps The program is designed to combat hunger. Food stamps are available to public

assistance recipients and to other low-income families.

5. Housing Assistance Similar to food stamps and Medicaid, housing assistance is an "in-kind"

program, rather than a cash program. Generally, such assistance is provided in the form of public housing with subsidised rents.

6. Aid to families with dependent children (AFDC) Originally called Aid to Dependent Children (ADC), AFDC is the most stigmatised

public assistance program. The general public's conception of "welfare" is the AFDC program.

The precise definition of eligibility for AFDC varies from state to state. Payments are made for both the parent (or parents) and the children in eligible families. To

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be eligible, the children must be deprived of parental support or care because of a parent's death, because of a parent's continued absence from the home (desertion, divorce, separation), or because the parent was never married. Most AFDC families are headed by a single parent, usually the mother and usually because of the father's absence from the home.

Financing and administering AFDC programs represent a sharing of federal and state control - and in many states, counties participate in the financing and administration. Decision about AFDC eligibility are made by the executive, legislative, and judicial branch of government and at federal, state, and local levels. As a result, the program is cumbersome, slow to change to meet emerging needs, and heavily involved in paperwork, "red tape," and bureaucratic processes.

AFDC program also has some other serious shortcomings. Most recipients are kept in poverty by inadequate assistance grants that average well below the poverty level. In addition, the stigma attached to receiving AFDC also keeps many eligible needy people fiom applying.

From the above it is noted that public assistance programs comprise of various types of assistance. However, in the context of this study, public assistance refers to a scheme of assistance by itself which is given out in the form of cash on a monthly basis and assessed by a means test also. The target groups who are eligible for public assistance are the single parents with dependent children, the aged below 60 years, the disabled, the needy children and dependents of prisoners, who have an income below RM 375.00 per month and are not eligible for the other schemes of assistance. Some of the assistance such as SSI is similar to Aids for the Aged, while AFDC is very similar to public assistance as provided by the Sarawak Social Welfare Department.

Welfare Myths Verses Facts There have been criticisms about welfare programs especially at the AFDC level. One of

the myths which is relevant to this study as highlighted by Zastro (1993) stated that most welfare recipients are cheaters and frauds. The fact here is if fraud is defmed as a deliberate and knowing attempt by a client to deceive the agency, then fraud is remarkably low. A national survey in U.S found that one out of every twenty AFDC recipients are getting checks for which he or she was eligible. Less than one half of 1 percent of welfare cases are referred for prosecution for fraud. The greatest difficulty about money paid out for AFDC is not fraud, but error- mistakes unintentionally made either by the agency or the recipient. Thus, there is a substantial need to streamline the management of AFDC and reduce mistakes.

According to Ginsberg (1983), welfare fraud is usually carried out by few people, for relatively short periods of time, and from snlall amount of money or other assistance.

The most common form of abusing or committing fiaud against public welfare programs is the failure to report income. There is a small but significant number of fraudulent applications by people who are not in need and who use welfare fraud as a means of livelihood.

Ginsberg (1993) also felt that most cases of direct fraud should be prevented rather than stopped after the fact. They should be detected by careful screening during the application process or at subsequent reviews of the family's situation. Carehl interviewing, verification of information and more frequent checking of cases likely to be proven to error can often prevent client fraud.

Although there are clients who improperly obtain public welfare assistance, the amount are usually small and the length of time the benefits are received is relatively brief.

Who are the clients of public assistance? The overwhelming majority of the families receiving public assistance, or AFDC, are women

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with young children who are not supported, for one reason or another, by the fathers of those children (Ginsberg, 1975).

Based on a study of AFDC recipients by U.S Department of Health and Human Services (1997), eighty percent of the households were headed by women who were the biological, adoptive, or stepmothers of the AFDC children. Most recipients of public assistance are residents of big cities. For the most part, public assistance to low families is quit mundane. By and large, public assistance is the program which serves women who have become pregnant and delivered children they cannot support on their own.

Although all states will include men in the grant if they are incapable of working, only half the states have assistance for families in which the wage earner is in need because of his or her inability to find work (Ginsberg, 1975)

In respect of this study, the majority of the public assistance cases are also women with young children and aged widows who do not qualify for the other schemes of assistance. The men who are recipients of public assistance are a minority group and are mostly breadwinners who had been incapacitated and cannot work due to poor health or those who have other social economic problems.

Attitudes of ciaimants towards social assistance or public assistance According to Walker (1993), the circumstances which lead people to claim social

assistance generally involve a loss of social status and can be personally traumatic. In addition to that social exclusion brought about by poverty, they are confronted by a system which is both intentionally and unintentionally stigmatising.

The active promotion of such negative stereotypes of claimants by those in authority, as well as the press, creates a climate in which claimants are fully justified in feeling ashamed about being claimants (Walker, 1993)

Principles of Human Service Delivery In order to understand about delivery of public assistance, it is vital to know the principles

of management relating to the delivery of service. According to Woodside and McClam (1994), the three principles of management related

to the delivery of services which characterises the human services profession are described as below:

1. N.etworking to develop a human services umbrella Human services is not a single service delivery system but a complex web of

helping agencies and organistions whose primary goal is to assist people in need. According to Eriksen (198 1) human services is often called the 'umbrella' for our society's professions which are involved either directly or indirectly in promoting and reinforcing satisfying, healthy living and community cohesiveness. Eriksen fbrther describes human services & a "bridge" between people and systems to narrow the gap between the services being offered and the needs of the individuals receiving those services.

Another bridging responsibility is to link human service agencies. Although agencies and organizations share the common goal of assisting people in need, their services have not been coordinated, their workers have overlapping responsibilities, and sometimes they are in competition for financial and human resources. To deliver quality services in such a complex and complicated delivery system, those who work in the humtan service system need to increase communication among agencies by network. Interdependence among organisations is encouraged since effective community action requires continuity regardless of jurisdictional boundaries.

i

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2. Forming Teams to Provide Services The concept of working as a team works well in the delivery of human services and it can exist within an agency or among agencies serving multi problem ciients.

According to Scott and Jaffe (1991) as quoted by Woodside & McClam (1994), teaming, or empowerment, is a management concept based primarily on the changing role of the employee which encouraged employees to make more decisions and take responsibility with others for serving clients effectively.

The following principles according to Woodside and McClam (1 994) underlie the teamwork concept that makes this new management strategy so successful:

i) The customer is central to the planning and delivery of services.

ii) Members of the team must work together cooperatively.

iii) There is continua! communication between the members of the team which is a critical component of teamwork.

iv) A11 team members share responsibility, authority, control, and accountability.

One of the major purposes of teaming is to improve the delivery of services to consumers of the services. Teaming is also intended to create an at~nosphere that encourages creativity and problem solving and lessens tension in the workplace as it increases team spirit and motivation.

The primary beneficiary of teaming in a human service setting is the client. The team approach yields more efficient and more effective service.

Even with a tcam approach, there is still a need for one person to have primary responsibility for the client's movement through the human services system. The development and increased use of the case managernent principles ensure that this need is met.

3. Case Management The decade of the 1990s calls for a new approach to problem solving that

emphasises the functions and structure of case management. Such an emphasis means developing a con~prehensive program to meet a clicnt's needs by finding the appropriate mix of services, within and across agencies. Monitoring implementation of the program wiIl ensure that the client's needs are met.

The case management structure affccts both coordination of services and client access to service. True coordination and integration would allow clients to go immediately through central intake, have their needs assessed, and be assigned to providers. Support for renewed emphasis on case management in service delivery reflects the human service philosophy of accountability to consumers.

Part of preparing for case management is learning to be proactive. The problems of the 1990s call for' professionals who understand the need for case management and have the skills to perform effectively in that role. Equally important to understanding human services is knowing the broad range of agencies and organizations that provide these services (Woodside and McClam 1994).

The Human Service Delivery Model For the purpose of this study, the l~unlan service model is chosen since the target groups

involved here are the ncedy in our society who need help. According to Woodside and McClam (1994), a primary focus of the human senlice model 1s to provide services that 11elp individuals solve their problems.

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Based on the human service model, problems are expected and they occur because human existence is a complex process, involving interaction with other individuals, groups, institutions, and the environment. The human service model considers the problem of the client within the context of the environment. Individuals are one of the clients of the human service system.

Clients can incIude smaller groups, such as families; larger geographic populations, such as neighborhoods or communities; and populations having problems in common, such as the homeless and abusers of alcohol or drugs.

The primary method of treatment is problem solving, encompassing five stages; general orientation, problem identification, generation of alternatives, decision making, and evaluation (DYZuurilla and Goldfried (1971). The general orientation phase focuses on the mindset of the client in relation to the problem. Past experiences significantly influence this mindset. Ideally, clients should recognise that problems are a part of life and that good problem solvers act systematically rather than impulsively. In problem identification, the second stage, the problem and any sub problem are stated as specifically as possible. During this stage, additional information about the client's relationships with their people and with the environment may be helpful. Once the problem is identified, the next task is generating alternatives, possible courses of action to solve the problem. The client then makes a decision and implements the alternative that will lead to resolution. The final stage involves an evaluation of both the alternative that was selected and the process that was followed.

The problem-solving approach is used on this model for five reasons:

1 i The process provides a systematic way of thinking about very complex situations.

2. The effectiveness of the process can be assessed at each stage. If the worker or the client discovers new information or if the problem or the environment changes, the process can be revised.

3. Clients can learn this problem-solving process and use it themselves when they no longer require the services.

4. The outcomes of the process support the philosophy of human services, by fostering clients'self-esteem and sense of personal responsibility as they work successfulIy through the five stages. In addition, the results of the process improve the quality of life for the client.

5 . The approach is a tool for identifying other problems that may occur and ' determining strategies to prevent future problems.

Erisksen (198 l), Mandell and Schram (1985), Mehr (1992) and McClam (1994) agreed that the characteristics of the human service delivery model should include the following characteristics:

1. The gertericfocus is critical in both human service training and human seniice delivery which allows for the application of basic helping skills to serving different populations as well as other models to provide services to clients most effectively.

2. Services should be accessible, comprehensive, and coordinated. Prevention, restitution, and rehabilitation are equally important parts of an integrated service s y stern

3. The pr-oblenz-solving approach emphasises the here and now, which include helping the client solve the groblem and teaching the client problem-solving skills.

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Taking into consideration the impact of social institutions, social systems, and social problems, the model works with the person and the environment. Treating the whole person is best accomplished when the worker recognises the client's needs in relation to others and to the environment.

5 . Human services are accountable to the consumer. Clients are active participants in the human service model, making decisions, taking action, and accepting responsibility for themselves.

From the above characteristics, the human service model is considered most appropriate for this study which involves a problem-solving approach of the problems faced by the public assistance clients since they are having problems in common that is financial problems.

The service delivery system Since this study is on improving the delivery of public assistance, we need to identify the

delivery system and the resources in the community. The delivery system according to Gilbert, Specht and Terrell (1993, p. 126) refers to the

organization arrangements that exist among service providers and between service providers and consumers in the context of the local community.

Johnson (1992) stated that when identifying components of the service delivery system, workers usually begin by identifying social service agencies and services provided by other professionals. Johnson (1994) viewed the social services from two broad systems as follows:

1. The natural helping system. The natural helping system is made up of a client's family, friends, and coworkers

and these are the people to whom a person in need goes for help first. The extended family has always been an important part of the helping system for many ethnic groups and in small t o w s and ruial areas.

Also part of the natural helping network are natural helpers in the community such as community benefits and self-help groups. Natural helpers are tliose persons who possess helping skills and exercise them in the context of mutual relationships.

Community benefits are those often organised for someone who has had a catastrophe such as a fire, illness, or death of a family member and is another example of the natural helping system at work. SeIf-help groups involve persons who have lived through problems helping those who currently have the problem to Gnd their own solutions. Examples of these groups like Alcoholics Anonymous; cancer-support groups;

, and life-transition groups, like widow-to-widow groups. However, Jofu~son (1992) said that self-help groups are not the answer for all clients. Some self-help groups foster an inappropriate dependence or encourage simplistic solutions to complex situations. On the other hand, some self-help groups develop a strong anti-professional bias. Some of these negative characteristics can be avoided if, in the process of development, an ongoing consultative role for the social worker can be planned. Some of the ways social workers can support self-help groups are: helping groups find a meeting place, helping them with information and training, referring appropriate persons to them, helping the group develop credibility with the cornnl~lnity and with professionals, and providing sociai and emotional support.

In working with all natural helping systcms,'social worker must be aware that these systems are primary groups that use an informal, personal nleans of interaction. To attempt to work tilit11 natural helping systems often blocks any meaningful interaction or coordination. Tile consultative, enabling stance seems to be the most appropriate way of functioning with natural helping systems (Johnson, 19922). Social workers must be

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creative and seek means of linking formal and informal networks if the use of the resources of the natural helping system is to be maximised. The most important consideration in this linkage is maintenance of communication without undue interference with the functioning of either the formal or informal systems.

2. The formal service delivery system The formal service delivery system includes not only the social service agencies

but also organizations such as the Lions Club that either have an interest in specific projects or have resources for their members. The knowledge a social worker needs of any community in which she work includes knowledge of these organisation resources.

In order to help clients use the resources of the various community institutions and professionals, the social worker needs a good understanding of the institutions, the services, and the resources they have available and how clients can best avail themselves of those resources. Acquaintance with other professionals - such as teachers, ministers, and doctors - also helps the worker know of resources available. Skill in coordination, consultation, and team functioning, is often important in helping clients to use resources.

Service delivery by social service agencies takes many different forms. Agencies use many lunds of workers to deliver different kinds of services. Volunteers may also provide some services.

Service may be provided in an agency office only, or workers may reach out to people in need. Agencies may provide only counseling or clinical social work, or they may provide concrete services or resources like food or money. Some agencies have workers stationed in small communities or in neighborhoods not easily accessible to the main office. Other agencies use a "circuit-riding" approach to servicing clients in remote areas. In this approach the worker goes into an area one day a week or biweekly or monthly to meet with clients. In some small population areas or for some kinds o highly specialised services, the client must leave the community to obtain service. The social worker must have knowledge of how agencies deliver services and what resources they have if they are to enable clients to find the resources they need. Some agencies may not deliver services in a manner that is usable by some clients. Workers need to be aware of these agency limitations so that they do not further add to clients' frustration by referring them to services they cannot use or that will not be responsive to their needs.

The f is t step in enabling clients to use resources is a thorough knowledge ofthe resources available. The second step is choosing the appropriate resource for the client. This choice 1s based on matching client need and client lifestyle wlth a resource that can meet the need and provide help in a manner congruent with the client's lifestyle. Client involvement in the choice is important for obtaining the desired match - for linking the client to the resource (Johnson, 1992)

Issues of effectiveness strategies in relation to service delivery According to Gilbert, Specfit and Terrel (i993), criticism of service delivery focus on the

character~stics failings for local service delivery systems, particularly fragmentation, discontinuity, unaccountabil~ty, and inaccessibility. These problems have many facets, are interconnected at some points, and span a broader range of issues. Problems of fragmentation concern organisational characteristics and relationships, especially coordination, location, specialization, and duplication of services. (For example, are services available in one place? Do agencies try to mesh their activities?) Problems of inaccessibility concern obstacies to a person's entering the network of local social services. (For example, does bureaucratic selectivity based on income, age, success potent~al, or other characteristics exclude certain persons from service?) Problenis of discontinuity