Paper Example on Community and Social Services: Social Wellbeing

Introduction

Social wellbeing is somewhat abstract and ambiguous, lacking a universal definition, thereby making it subject to various interpretations. The subjective analysis of community wellbeing is useful, and the governments require solid measures before directing resources, taxpayers' money, energy, and time towards improving the life situations of people. However, human beings are social creatures that depend on each other especially through love. Consequently, people might suffer from psychological damage due to denial of social welfares. For instances, people may have difficulty in thinking, poor concentration and memory and other hallucinations effects. In addition, social intelligence is an important factor in this context, and it involves morals, empathy, altruism and other rights (Andrews, & Withey, 2012).

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In an aboriginal context, healing entails being able to talk and share with one another, as opposed to a therapeutic approach whereby one party knows more than the other one. It involves empathy and being a good listener to the healer or manager. The aboriginal healing goes beyond just the individual but also ensures the community-oriented healing. The approach realizes both trust and equality as significant aspects of the journey of healing and wellbeing. It also presents healing as a lifelong journey that entails both hurdles and success.

Healing and wellbeing should come from the society/community, and a collaborative approach with the government to enhance the healing process. Healing is necessary for various reasons. Healing enables the community to take responsibility for the strategic development and implementation of activities, which help it to set priorities and attain its goals. Healing improves the quality of life in the community. Lastly, the healing can help in countering the certain concerns regarding the criminal justice and offer an ideal response to crime within the community.

The strategies in the aboriginal community include; creation of a supportive environment, reorientation of health services, inequities reduction, personal skills development, community action improvement, and establishing healthy public policy. These approaches are appropriate to deal with issues of basic physical needs, security and safety, social equity and justice, cultural integrity, and families and child developments among others. The aboriginal well-being and healing strategies entail the inclusion of community well-being programs, pre- and post-natal care, crisis intervention services, education and healthcare promotion, substance abuse treatment centers, and healthy children programs. The healing strategies unique to the First Nations, as opposed to Metis and Inuit people, include; aboriginal movement, community, and social service, children and youth service, services to address family violence, access to healthcare, aboriginal affairs, and women directorate.

The role of welfare-to-work programs in Canada is to reconnect social assistance to the recipients and offer them an opportunity to escape dependence, build their self-respect, and improve their lives. The programs are meant to enable community benefit, voluntary participation, and participation utility. Typically, the role of welfare-to-work programs is to provide education and apprenticeship and creation of jobs. The welfare-to-work programs have various merits and demerits (Greenberg, & Robins, 2011). The merits are, the programs strengthen the physiological conditions of the people through engagement in different activities; they provide access to essential services such as education and health and helps in reduction of crime rates by advocating for creation of employment reduce the government expenditure; On the other hand, the program has disadvantages which include, the programs are prone to fraud through exploitation of people and it may encourage corruption and emblements of funds by the people involved in provision of services and most of the programs are expensive to run because of the high costs involved in them.

On comparing the United States and Canada welfare-to-work programs, in both cases, the programs are geared towards youth employment, on the job training, community service, and education. However, in Canadian approach, the programs are mainly focusing on the special groups such as vulnerable families and people with a disability while in the United States, the program covers for all and there are no restrictions. Basing on the Canadian research, the programs are very effective because of strong integration through various services. The programs have created voluntary services to accommodate the youths who are employed hence increasing their welfare. In addition, the programs have provided a good environment for access to education and apprenticeship, most of the programs are championing towards the creation of job through job sharing approach and the tri-level partnerships which provides a platform for implementing various projects. The voluntary and participation approach has been integrated into the programs making them more effective (Hutchison, et al 2011).

Basing on food banks on the local assessment, the food banks are important in reducing hunger in many people. The continuous provision of food reduces cases of malnutrition. The standards of living of the people have been raised. On the other hand, there are instances of hindrances of food banks. The food banks have hindered the provision of a long-term method of food security. Moreover, the government has become reluctant in the provision of services and therefore hindering the wellbeing of the people. The people cannot engage in gainful employment. Other approaches to food security are the adoption of new technologies in farming such as the genetically modified approach to ensure there are sustainable food and proper management of ecosystem (Tarasuk, 2014).

Issues related to institutional care and various forms of home and community care are that the approaches are geared towards helping the people to manage certain conditions and high costs of medication. The issues are mainly health support, mobility support socialization among others. The institution care is more expensive than community care. The home and community care are convenient because the services are offered to the people without the need to travel. The community care is more effective on taking care for the people with disability (Stanhope, & Lancaster, 2015). It is not easy to administer the home and community care because it is widespread as compared to institutional. One of the service sectors in Canada is health and welfare. The services provided are of good quality because there is universal coverage on the basis of need but not pay. The sector is guided by various laws such as the Canada Health Act that outlines better health care. The sector is mainly funded by the federal government. The strength of the sector is the low medical insurance costs and the weakness is the challenge of funding (Gibson, et al 2012).

Conclusion

During the interview that was conducted, the elders were concerned with a number of issues which includes drug abuse among the youths, youth's employment, security and conservation of the environment. Some of the actions taken by the elders are organizing forums and meetings whereby issues concerning the unemployment and drug abuse are discussed. The elders channel the issues to various authorities concerned and hence action is taken.

Policing fits into the social service system in a different way. The policing is integrated by engaging the members of the community to fight against certain vices in the society such as crime. The problems affecting the community are well accounted for. The policing is further strengthened by engaging different stakeholders such as the leaders and the government (Cordner, 2014).

Social well-being is an important aspect of life. The government and other stakeholders should ensure that good measures are available in strengthening the welfare of the people. Therefore the critical sectors are employment, education, and health.

References

Andrews, F. M., & Withey, S. B. (2012). Social indicators of well-being: Americans' perceptions of life quality. Springer Science & Business Media.

Cordner, G. (2014). Community policing. The Oxford handbook of police and policing, 148-171.

Hutchison, B., LEVESQUE, J. F., Strumpf, E., & Coyle, N. (2011). Primary health care in Canada: systems in motion. The Milbank Quarterly, 89(2), 256-288.

Greenberg, D., & Robins, P. K. (2011). Have Welfare-to-Work Programs Improved Over Time In Putting Welfare Recipients To Work?. ILR Review, 64(5), 910-920.

Gibson, M., Thomson, H., Banas, K., Bambra, C., Fenton, C., & Bond, L. (2012). Welfare to work interventions and their effects on health and wellbeing of lone parents and their children. The Cochrane Library.

Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2015). Public Health Nursing-E-Book: Population-Centered Health Care in the Community. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Tarasuk, V., Dachner, N., & Loopstra, R. (2014). Food banks, welfare, and food insecurity in Canada. British Food Journal, 116(9), 1405-1417.