Intro to Human Services Essays

Intro to Human Services Essays Intro to Human Services Paper Intro to Human Services Paper Describe human services from the early 1900s to the present day. 2 Throughout History Human Services made a big impact and a difference in our society as we know it today. Through the sociological era in the 1900s many were faced with challenges such as financial support for the poor and no support or guidance for the children, developmentally disabled and the mentally ill. Human Services make positive and lasting differences in peoples lives, and they help improve the world. The early 1900s, sometimes called the sociological era, continued the period of social reform. During this time there were two significant events that affected the history of helping and human services. The first was the development of a new profession known as social workers. During this time social diagnosis and casework evolved. The development of social work profession was significant and represented the beginning of human services. Clifford Beers, a victim of mental illness was confined for three years in public and private mental institutions. Beers wrote about his treatment in A Mind That Found Itself (1945). In 1908, Beers founded the Connecticut Society for Mental Hygiene. This was considered to be the beginning to the mental health movement in America. In 1909 Beers proposed a national society, the National Committee for Mental Hygiene. By the end of World War II the profession of clinical psychology was created. This was due to the number of Veterans in the hospital for psychiatric evaluations reached more than 40,000. The great depression was marked by vast unemployment, failing business ventures and the collapse of banks. During this time President D. Roosevelt introduced New Deal legislation that changed the federal governments role in providing human services. President D. Roosevelt focused on two goals, one to provide short term aid to those who were unemployed and focus on the enactment of Social Security Act of 1935. 3 During the 1900s it was the first time the federal that government became involved in the provision of public welfare. This resulted in the Social Security Act of 1935. The philosophy of welfare during the 1900s was welfare provides a way for mothers to stay home and raise their children. It is okay if that process takes many years. During this time there were many unemployed and receiving services. However there were many changes to the welfare reform. The National Mental Health Act of 1946 was created to address preventative measures. In early 1960 s President Kennedy renewed governments commitment to serving the needy. President Lyndon Johnson declared War on Poverty after Michael Harrington and others discovered The Other America,specific groups of people who had not benefited from the general post war prosperity. War on Poverty resulted in a number of programs that are still important today;Community Action, Head Start, Employment and training programs, Medicare/Medicaid, and Food Stamps. President Kennedy and Johnson chose to focus on the problems of mental health and mental retardation. The Community Mental Health Centers act of 1963 was established to provide services to the population, including inpatient and outpatient care, emergency services, assistance to courts and services for the mental health of children and the elderly. (History of Helping: Content Guide. H. ) The Republican Shift). With the Mental Health Centers arising there became more of need for these individuals to get the treatment they needed. In 1966, the first human services program was established at Purdue University. Woodside, T. R, amp; McClam, T. pg. 47). In the 1950s the Deinstitutionalization movement began. During this time many were transferred from institutions to the community. Prior to Deinstitutionalization children, and developmental disabled were left in institutions with no goal or anything established for these individuals. There was no interaction with these individuals which f ostered there abilitities in what we take for granted such activities of daily living. By the 1970s, a major segment of mental health treatment had shifted from isolation of the institution to the complex 4 nvironment of the community for outpatient care. (Woodside, T. R, amp; McClam,T. pg. 47). During the 1970s the number of clients served by the mental health system increased dramatically. Human service providers could then provide some guidance to these individuals that needed it. During this same period there were two organizations that were also established that was the National Organization for Human Services (NOHS) and the Council for Standards in the Human Service Education (CSHSE), these organizations are still around today. In 1978 Jimmy Carter established the Department of Health and Human Services. The economy collapsed in the 1980s with a rapid decline in industrial employment, a whole new class of working poor was created. In 1990, Vice President George Bush, Sr passed one of the most significant Acts, this was the Americans with Disabilities Act. (ADA) This enabled people with disabilities to enter the workforce without discrimination. President Clinton expressed a desire to develop a welfare system that would encourage people to work and that would be a temporary solution instead of a way of life. The following principles guided the changes made under his administration. Strengths of welfare reform is that it does decrease dependency and can build self-respect by encouraging the individual to take responsibility. However, welfare reform seems to have created a whole new category of working poor who are barely able to survive. Many people seem to be falling through the cracks and depending on private resources such as food banks and soup kitchens. (History of Helping: Content Guide. H. ) The Republican Shift). In 1996 The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act(PRWORA) replaced aid to families with dependent children, this was to provide aid to eligible mothers with children. The support then became based on the income of the family to receive services. The AFDC then became what is now the TANF. Human Services workers then pushed the welfare to work law. However there were challenges faced with this program there was the focus of moving clients off 5 welfare and into meaningful work that would allow them to provide stability for their families. There is still debate on whether or not this reform has actually worked as there are still more women and children below the poverty line. The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003(MMA) was passed to provide outpatient prescription drug benefits for individuals on medicare, part D. ( Woodside, T. R, amp; McClam, T. pg. 54). This plan replaced Medicaid as a source of drug coverage. To help Americans in need, President George Bush initiated an effort to bring faith-based agencies and organizations into partnership with the federal overnment by creating the White House Office of Faith and Community Initiatives (Woodside, T. R, amp; McClam, T. pg. 55). With the lasting impact throughout history, Human Services has overcome many challenges for financial support for the poor and no support or guidance for children, the developmentally disabled and the mentally ill. However Society had to overcome the horrific events in the past it has lead to a better establ ishment for the poor, children, developmentally disabled and the mentally ill, this all due to the history of human services and its workers. Human Services are making a positive, lasting difference in peoples lives and are changing the world for the better. 6 References A Comparison of Prior Welfare Law with Welfare Reform:Content Guide. Philosophy.. History of Helping: Content Guide. E. )The Great Depression. History of Helping: Content Guide. G. ) 1960s Civil Rights and The War on Poverty. History of Helping: Content Guide. H. ) The Republican Shift Nixon, Reagan, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush with the Carter/Clinton Interludes. Woodside, T. R, amp; McClam, T. (2009). An Introduction To Human Services. Belmont: CA. Brooks/Cole