Historical Development;

the Evolution of Social

Welfare in the United
Kingdom
Middle Ages (1000-1350)

In England, this was the era of Feudalism,

when the rich owned the land, and the poor
lived on the land in exchange for working the
land
FEUDAL SYSTEM
– a type of social and political system in
which landholders provide land to tenants
in exchange for their loyalty and service.
ROLE OF CHURCH
• Religious obligation to care for those members
of the group who could not care for
themselves
• Religion provided the greatest motivation for
charity
• The church became the centers for distributing
food, medical aid and shelters
Seven corporal Works of Mercy
1. Feed the hungry
2. Give drink to the thirsty
3. Welcome the stranger
4. Clothe the naked
5. Visit the sick
6. Visit the prisoner
7. Bury the dead
By 1350, the Feudal system was falling apart because:
• Massive crop failures
• The Crusaders gave young men another career option
• Bubonic Plague
• A move to urban centers
• The Church was losing influence because of
corruption and their failure to stop the plague

All of these events led to a change in how poverty was

handled.
How did this impact the perception of the
poor?

Instead of productive members of a close

community, poor people in cities were seen
as parasites – engaging in begging, stealing
and vagrancy.
Welfare Becomes a State Responsibility

• The shift from church responsibility to

government responsibility
• Legislation forbidding begging and vagrancy
1. Statutes of Labourers, 1351
2. Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601
Statutes of Labourers, 1351
- was a law created by the English parliament
under King Edward III in 1351 in response to
a labour shortage, which aimed at regulating
the labour force by prohibiting requesting or
offering a wage higher than pre-Plague
standards and limiting movement in search
of better conditions.
The Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601
• In 1601, the Elizabethan Poor Laws were enacted. These laws became
the foundation of the American Social Welfare Policy.
• It was at this point, during the rule of Elizabeth I, that
legislation was finally passed to address the needs of the
poor in England.
• In 1552, the legislature ordered each parish3 to begin an
official record of the poor in its area. At that time, there
were about 15,000 parishes in England and Wales.
• In 1572, Queen Elizabeth introduced general tax for the
protection of the poor and appointed overseers of the
poor.
• In 1601, England was experiencing a severe economic
depression , with large scale unemployment and
widespread food shortage.
• Queen Elizabeth announced a set of laws designed
to maintain order and contribute to the general
good of the kingdom: the English Poor Laws. This
became known as the Elizabethan Poor Law and
remained in effect for over 200 years with only
minor changes.
• Elizabethan Poor Law introduced in 1601 was a
landmark in the history of organized social welfare.
Although the major aim of these poor laws was not
to reduce the poverty rather address the issue of
begging which was seem to annoy the ruling class.
The law distinguished 3 classes of the poor:
1. The able-bodied poor – who were to be provided with work or with
punishment in jail or the stocks if they refused to work. They were also called
sturdy beggars.
2. The impotent poor – who were to be kept in almshouses. They were people
unable to work – the sick, the old, the blind, the deaf-mute, the lame, the
demented and mothers with young children.
3. The dependent children – who were to be apprenticed unless parent or
grandparents could support them. They were orphans and children who had
been deserted by their parents or whose parents were so poor that they
could not support them. The boys were to be apprenticed until they were
twenty-four years old and girls until they were either twenty-one or married.
Types of Relief
1. Outdoor relief:
• The system of providing help/ benefits to the poor out of the
government institutions (workhouse/ almshouse/ orphanages)
• That were designed to support people in their homes or
community.
• The poor who still resided in their own homes, would be left in
their own homes.
• They would be given either financial support (a 'dole' of money
on which to live) or be given non-monetary ( in kind) relief in
the form of clothing, fuel and food.
Types of Relief
2. Indoor relief:
• The assistance to those living in almshouses and poorhouses,
if they didn’t have their own homes.
• This system required the deserving persons to reside in
government institutions in order to get the benefits.
• The poor would be taken into the local almshouse, the ill
would be admitted to the hospital, orphans were taken into
the orphanage, the idle poor would be taken into the poor-
house or workhouse where they would be set to work.
The Administration of the Poor Laws:
The Poor Law of 1601 in England assigned responsibility
‘Overseers of the poor’ for the implementation of the poor
laws.

Who were the Overseers of the Poor?

Also known as The Collector of the Poor and sometimes the
Distributor.
A person who is appointed or elected to take care of the poor of his
area. Each parish appointed two 'Overseers’.

The responsibilities of the Overseers of the Poor were;

✓ Receive application of the poor person for relief
✓ To investigate his/her condition
✓ To decide whether (s)he was eligible for relief
✓ To decide whether the applicant and his family should be placed in
‘work house’ or ‘alms house’, or should they receive ‘outdoor relief’
✓ Collect poor tax from the community
✓ The almshouses and workhouses were managed by Overseers of the
Poor.
Influence of The Elizabethan Poor Law
• 1) The principle of the state’s responsibility for relief is
universally adopted and has never been seriously
questioned. It is in tune with democratic philosophy as well
as with the principle of the separation of church and state.
• 2) The principle of local responsibility for welfare enunciated
in the Poor Law goes back to 1388 and is designed to
discourage vagrancy. It stipulates that “sturdy beggars” to
return to their birthplaces and there seek relief.
Influence of The Elizabethan Poor Law
• 3) A third principle stipulated differential treatment of individuals
according to categories: the deserving as against the undeserving
poor, children, the aged, and the sick. This principle based on the
theory that certain types of unfortunate people have a greater
claim on the community than other types.
• 4) The Poor Law also delineated family responsibility for aiding
dependents. Children, grandchildren, parents, and grandparents
were designated as “legally liable” relatives. The Elizabethan Poor
Law was noteworthy and progressive when it was enacted. It has
served as the basis for both English and American public welfare.
PARTIAL RELIEF SYSTEM 1795
• It was set up in the village of Speenhamland (in
Berkshire County, England ) , so it can also be termed
as Speenhamland System .
• The method of giving relief to the poor introduced in
1795 by local magistrates.
• They felt that 'the present state of the poor laws
require further assistance than has generally been
given them'.
PARTIAL RELIEF SYSTEM 1795
• There was possibility of food shortage in the UK
because of ; (1)short supply of wheat due to a series
of bad harvests and the price of bread had risen
sharply (2) growing population (3) The wheat could
not be imported from Europe due to the French Wars.
• So, they introduced a method of helping the poor,
based on the price of bread and the number of
children a man had/ the size of the family.
PARTIAL RELIEF SYSTEM 1795
• Such scales typically were used only during years
of high food prices, such as 1795-96 and 1800-
01, and removed when prices declined.
• However, the system faced the criticism because
it seemed to fail to benefit the deserving poor
and at the same time making some poor as
permanent beggars / dependents.
CHILD LABOUR AND FACTORY
LEGISLATION:
• The workers in the factories were mainly below the age of
ten. Many of them were orphans, sent into factory
employment by the Poor Law authorities, very far from their
home parishes.

• In 1800 some 20,000 children (orphans/ deserted) were

employed in cotton mills as cheap labourers. In the next
decade as many as a fifth of workers in the cotton industry
were children under the age of 13.
CHILD LABOUR AND FACTORY
LEGISLATION:
• In 1833 the Government passed a Factory Act to
improve conditions for children working in factories.

• Young children were working very long hours in

workplaces where conditions were often terrible.
CHILD LABOUR AND FACTORY
LEGISLATION:
• The basic act was as follows:
a. no child workers under nine years of age
b. children of 9-13 years to work no more than nine hours a
day
c. children of 13-18 years to work no more than 12 hours a
day
d. children are not to work at night
e. two hours schooling each day for children
f. four Factory inspectors to be placed to make sure the laws
are in action
The Poor Law Revisions: 1834-1909
• In 1832, the government appointed a royal commission8 to
investigate the workings of the Poor Laws and make
recommendations for improvement.
• The commission's report and recommendations were
published in 1834 and soon after that the Poor Law
Amendment Act was passed by the Parliament.
• Outdoor relief - the financial support formerly given to the
able-bodied - was no longer to be available to them so as to
compel them to work. Outdoor relief was widely available to
the sick and elderly.
The Poor Law Revisions: 1834-1909
• Now if people wanted help, they had to go into a
workhouse to get it. People had to wear a type of
uniform, follow strict rules and were on a bad diet of
bread and watery soup. Conditions were made so
terrible that only those people who desperately
needed help would go there.
• The poor were given clothes and food in the
workhouse in exchange for several hours of manual
labour each day. Families were split up inside the
workhouse.
The Poor Law Revisions: 1834-1909
In 1834, a Parliamentary Commission presented a report
which aimed to revise the Elizabethan and post-Elizabethan
Poor Laws. Upon the basis of the committee’s report
legislation was enacted enunciating the following principles:
a. Doctrine of least eligibility
b. Re-establishment of the workhouse test
c. Centralization of control
Doctrine of least eligibility

The doctrine of least eligibility meant that

the condition of paupers shall in no case be
so eligible as the condition of persons of the
lowest class subsisting on the fruits of their
own industry. In other words, no person
receiving aid was to be as well off.
Re-establishment of the workhouse test

The able-bodied poor could apply for

assistance in the public workhouse, but
refusal to accept the lodging and fare of the
workhouse debarred them from qualifying
for any aid. Outdoor relief was reduced to an
absolute minimum.
Centralization of control

A central authority consisting of three Poor

Law Commissioners had power to
consolidate and coordinate poor law services
throughout the land. Parishes were no longer
to be the administrative units.
Beginning of the COS Movement
• In England in 1860s, there was a considerable increase in the number or
applicants for aid that focused attention on welfare and helping the poor.
• There was a revived concern in social reform and some individuals like
Octavia Hill became interested in bringing about innovation and change.
• As a result of their efforts and those of others, a new type of organization
emerged in 1869 called the London Organizing Charitable Relied and
Repressing Mendicancy which was popularly called London Charity
Organization Society.
• COS marked its presence with friendly visiting of poor localities.
These, Friendly Visitors, were mainly represented by elite
white women who helped the poor overcome poverty and
pauperism.
1. Coordination of the work of the various charitable
societies in London so as to prevent duplication.
2. An acquaintance by each work of the other agencies.
3. A bureau of registry for all cases.
4. Personal service to promote independence of spirit
rather than the giving of material aid.
5. A devotion to measures for the prevention of pauperism.
OCTAVIA HILL
• Octavia Hill (1838-1912) is widely acclaimed as founding mother of
social work.
• Octavia was one of the founding members of the Charity Organization
Society (COS) set up in 1869 in London.
• It was in 1864 that as a teacher and artist, she first started to work in
the poorer neighborhoods of London.
• Her major focus was working with people at the lowermost in the
social hierarchy.
• The unemployed poor and, living in cold and damp dwellings.
• But it was the way she worked with the people that made her
relevant to the professional practice of social work.
For example, in her Letters to Fellow Worker, she
declared, at the outset, that her major goal was to help
people help themselves and to render them independent
of her help.

It is enough to say that we see the beginning of new kind

of helping relationship based on certain principles, many
of which today would be regarded good social work
(Kendall, 2000:143 Emphasis added).

Through a series of Letters to Fellow Workers, she

enunciated the principles governing their activities.
Here is some of what, which she explained.
• Each case and each situation must be individualized
• Every person must be treated with respect for their privacy
and independence
• She advised her workers “not to judge the tenants by their
personal standards”.
• It is essential to remember that each man has his own view
of life, and must be free to fulfill it that in many ways he
better judge than we, as he has lived through and felt what
we have only seen.
• They were not to judge, but to expected to help each person
to judge rightly what needed to be done.
Liberal Reforms 1906 to 1914
• The Liberal government in the UK (1906-1914) is often cited
as an example of a government that brought about reform
and introduced positive changes that really improved
people's lives.
• In 1906 to 1914 the Liberal Government passed reforms to
help reduce poverty.
• Basic social welfare service had been created which greatly
improved the conditions for poorer people in British society.
• To pay for this social reform the Liberals increased the taxes
on the rich.
The reforms aimed to help the following people:

1. Reforms for the Young :

• In 1906 the Liberal Government introduced Free School Meals for

children.
• In 1907 a series of free medical tests were introduced for children and
the school children received free medical inspections during their
school years (free treatments were given to school children after 1912)
• Children were banned from begging
• Children were no longer sent to adult prisons. Juvenile courts and
borstals were established to separate adult and child offenders
2. Reforms for The old :

• The Government accepted the responsibility to protect the

elderly and
• introduced the old age pension in 1908. The pension of five
shillings per week
• was introduced for those over 70. 11
• Problem: Many pensioners had no birth certificate to prove
their age and died
• from hardship before they reached 70
3. Reforms for The sick :

• All manual workers and people in low-paid jobs had to join

(National Insurance Act 1911)
• The employee, the employer and the state contributed money to
the scheme
• Provided compulsory health insurance for workers earning under
£160 per year
• If ill, an employee was paid 10 shillings (for up to 13 weeks) then 5
shillings for an additional 13 weeks
• Workers in the scheme could have free medical care, especially for
injuries during their work
4. Reforms for the Unemployed :

• Offices were set up to help the unemployed find work

• Unemployment benefit was introduced into certain
industries where there wasseasonal employment (e.g.
Shipbuilding).
THE BEVERIDGE REPORT 1942:
• Officially known as the Report on Social Insurance and
Allied Services
• The Report was presented by its author, Sir William
Beveridge, to the British parliament in November 1942
who was given the task of discovering what kind of
Britain people wanted to see after the war.
• The Beveridge Report is widely regarded as the
foundation stone of the postwar British welfare state,
published in the middle of the Second World War
THE BEVERIDGE REPORT 1942:
• It was seen by many throughout the world as the
origin of a new system (the welfare state) to plan a
successful strategy for dealing with the problems of
largescale unemployment, inability to afford health
care, and poverty in sickness, widowhood and old age.
• The Beveridge Report claimed to offer all citizens
protection as of right "from the cradle to the grave” at
subsistence level to guarantee the elimination of
poverty.
THE BEVERIDGE REPORT 1942:
• It identified the five 'Giant Evils' in the UK ;'Want,
Disease, Ignorance, Squalor and Idleness'.
• Major recommendation was that the government
should find ways of fighting these five 'Giant Evils'
• The report suggested a comprehensive plan of a
unified system of social insurance and social security
on a national basis and for this Ministry of Social

• Security would be authorized to implement the plan.

• The government was required to help anyone in need,

regardless of age, class or geography (protection of
citizens from cradle to grave)
• Every adult in the country would have to pay the
same proportion of insurance tax to cover the
proposed benefits scheme

• The British Government accepted the Beveridge

report as the basis on which the social security
structure should be built.

• Between 1946-1951 a wide range of welfare

measures were introduced
1. WANT:
 Introduced Family allowances (1945) that
were paid for each child in a family.
 5 shillings a week per child, paid to the
mother
2. IGNORANCE:
Education Act 1944;There was to be free education
for all up to the age of 15.
 Based on students’ ability at 11+ exam , they were
either given an academic or vocational education.
In education, the biggest problem was shortage of
schools, partly because of the bombing.
By 1950, almost 1,176 schools, mostly primaries,
were built.
Few technical schools built
3. SQUALOR:
Responsibility for housing was given to the
Ministry of Health.
The Town and country planning act 1947 gave
councils more power to buy land and redevelop
areas.
12 new towns were planned.
Good quality housing and a good environment
with shops and leisure facilities
4. IDLENESS:
By 1946 unemployment was only 2.5% this could
be due to the post war boom.
Labour believed the state should take over industry
and run them for the benefit of the people.
Bank of England, civil aviation, coal,
communications, transport, electricity, gas, iron and
steel were all nationalized
The government owned 20% of Britain’s industries.
5. DISEASE:
Doctors, hospital, dentists, opticians,
ambulances, midwives and health visitors were
available, free to everybody and every British
citizen could receive medical, dental and optical
services free of charge (National Health Service
Act 1948)
‘From The Cradle To The Grave’;
Enacting The Beveridge Report
• The Beveridge Report was put into effect after the end
of the 2nd World War. It was adopted in 3 main pieces
of parliamentary legislation: the National Insurance
Act 1946, the National Insurance (Industrial Injuries)
Act 1946 and the National Assistance Act 1948. The
Whitehall establishment disapproved of Beveridge’s
inquiry and the way he published his report. Ironically
they excluded him from working on his plan.
National Insurance Act of 1946
The National Insurance Act of 1946 was a
comprehensive social security system covering
Guardian’s (Orphan’s) Allowances, Death Grants,
Unemployment Benefits (for six months), Widow’s
Benefits, Sickness Benefits and Retirement
Pensions. It quite literally covered every stage of a
person’s life; ‘from the cradle to the grave’ as the
slogan said.
National Insurance (Industrial Injuries)
Act of 1946
The National Insurance (Industrial Injuries) Act of
1946 made industrial injury insurance compulsory
for employees. The Ministry of National Insurance
paid compensation to anyone left injured or
disabled as a result of work-related accidents and
was paid at a higher rate than sick pay.
National Assistance Act of 1948
The National Assistance Act of 1948 saw the
provision of benefits for citizens whose resources
were insufficient to meet their needs and who
were not covered by the Act of 1946. The ‘Times’
newspaper called this the “last defense against
extreme poverty” and benefits were kept low
below the subsistence level.
Other Social Services: The NHS & Council
Housing
The National Health Service Act of 1946 allowed citizens
to receive free medical, dental and optical services. In his
original report, Beveridge had recommended local health
centers and regional hospital administration. But instead,
the NHS was state-run by central government. With the
nationalization of existing municipal and charitable
foundations, healthcare was standardized rather than
increased by the construction of new hospitals.