Social Welfare Programs Narratives from Hard Times

by Albert, Raymond; Skolnik, Louise

• ISBN13: 9780534359188
• ISBN10: 0534359183
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-08-10
• Publisher: Cengage Learning

Summary

Albert and Skolnik enliven the theoretical material that students are required to know. Their integration of legal documents into the text enables students to gain first-hand experience in reading the types of documents they will encounter in practice. This text helps students understand the social programs affecting professional practice with those who have been economically dislocated, the near-poor and poor situated on the fringe of the economy that find themselves dependent upon governmental programs to meet their basic needs for food, clothing, shelter, and/or medical care. It presents not only the key features of the major national programs supporting this group, but also the subjective experience of program recipients and the impact of program participation on their lives. Clients' voices are given prominence in order to gain insight into the meaning they assign to their participation and its consequences. Clients' stories provide the connection between the often segregated professional knowledge realms of practice and policy and underscore the legal context of professional practice through examination of illustrative legislation, regulation and judicial decisions.

Author Biography

Louise Skolnik was a professor in the master's and doctoral programs, Director of the Social Services Center, and Associate Dean at the Adelphi University School of Social Work.

Table of Contents

PREFACE	viii
ABOUT THE AUTHORS	xiii
CHAPTER 1 Introduction	1	(13)
A Profile of Families at Risk	3	(2)
The Economic and Political Environment of the Narratives	5	(6)
Methodology	11	(1)
The Implications for Professional Practice	12	(2)
CHAPTER 2 Understanding Legal Processes	14	(26)
The Legislative Process: Legislative Authority, Structure, and Function	15	(5)
How to Read a Statute or Bill	20	(1)
The Administrative Process: Key Features of Administrative Authority	21	(3)
Stages in the Administrative Process	24	(1)
How to Read and Analyze Regulations	25	(2)
The Judicial Process: Case Law, Precedent, and Court Hierarchy	27	(3)
How to Read and Analyze a Case	30	(1)
Resources for Finding the Law	31	(8)
A Uniform System of Citation	39	(1)
CHAPTER 3 Temporary Assistance to Needy Families	40	(51)
The Legal Context	40	(14)
The Program Context	54	(11)
The Clients' Stories	65	(22)
What Our Clients Teach Us	87	(4)
CHAPTER 4 Public Housing and Homelessness	91	(48)
The Legal Context	91	(4)
The Program Context	95	(17)
The Clients' Stories	112	(23)
What Our Clients Teach Us	135	(4)
CHAPTER 5 Unemployment Insurance	139	(35)
The Legal Context	139	(1)
The Program Context	140	(12)
The Clients' Stories	152	(17)
What Our Clients Teach Us	169	(5)
CHAPTER 6 Supplemental Security Income	174	(36)
The Legal Context	174	(10)
The Program Context	184	(10)
The Clients' Stories	194	(12)
What Our Clients Teach Us	206	(4)
CHAPTER 7 Food Stamps	210	(37)
The Legal Context	210	(2)
The Program Context	212	(23)
The Clients' Stories	235	(9)
What Our Clients Teach Us	244	(3)
CHAPTER 8 Medicaid	247	(29)
The Legal Context	247	(5)
The Program Context	252	(10)
The Clients' Stories	262	(11)
What Our Clients Teach Us	273	(3)
CHAPTER 9 Conclusion: Helping Clients Cope with Hard Times	276	(9)
America's Ambivalence Toward Those in Need	276	(3)
What Our Clients Have Taught Us	279	(1)
Implications for Social Work Practice	280	(4)
Conclusion	284	(1)
REFERENCES	285	(7)
TABLE OF CASES	292	(1)
INDEX	293