welfare state

Part of the Glasgow School of Social Work Research series, Professor David Donnison from the University of Glasgow, speaks about advocacy services in Scotland.

Providing tailored one-to-one support to help people back into work has been central to the UK Government's reform of the welfare system. This report argues that a new examination is needed on the role of personal advisers. The report is based on focus groups with service users, in-depth interviews with advisers, surveys of personal advisers and employment providers and a review of the literature. Qualitative analysis is presented to show changes in the ratio of Job Centre Plus advisers to the number of interviews they conducted since the recession began.

This podcast is taken from the Scottish Policy Innovation Forum and presents Martin Powell talking about citizens, clients and consumers in the welfare state.

This report explores the changing lives of older people and shows how resources are used to manage change and maintain stability. An ageing population continues to be of policy concern, in relation to meeting the needs of older people now, and for future welfare provision. This research explores how older people plan, use and value the different resources available to them. Resources are broadly defined, to explore the relative value of different structural, social and individual resources and how they interlink.

Pamphlet investigating the impact of UK Government policy on four groups of economically inactive people, young people, those aged between 50 and 65, lone parents and disabled people. It concludes schemes such as the New Deal have not worked for these groups and suggests ways in which policy might be made more effective.

Study exploring social problems and changing perceptions of them in Britain since 1904. The periods covered include Edwardian Britain (1901-1910), the First World War and after (1914-1930s), planning and post-war reconstruction (late 1930s-early 1960s), the later twentieth century (1960s-90s) and the twenty-first century.

Paper offering a critique of the New Deal scheme for the unemployed in the UK. It argues that the policy can be made more effective if the structure of the welfare-to-work system is changed to more closely reflect economic realities. It recommends aligning the institutions of the welfare-to-work system with the needs of employers and the disadvantaged which should have the effect of providing better jobs for the low-skilled and better workers for the private sector.

Report providing an overview of the conditionality-based welfare systems in the United States, Australia, Germany, Sweden and Norway and comparing these with the UK system to see if they hold any lessons for the welfare system in the UK.

Launched in August 2006, the National Telecare Development Programme (TDP) aims to help more people in Scotland live at home for longer, with safety and security, by promoting the use of telecare in Scotland through the provision of a development fund and associated support. This report evaluates the impact of the first two years of operation.