The most prominent factor in establishing and developing Human Services is legislation. In the beginning of its history, Human Services were primarily initiative-sourced and focused on improvements in many different aspects of living simultaneously, such as health, education, and work conditions. During the 20th century, the government began active participation in protecting the population through the security of child welfare and unemployment and disability insurance. Legislation allowed the government to adjust Human Services to address the timely needs of the population.
The first act in the Human Services field, The Social Security Act, was developed during the Great Depression and offered relief to families. In particular, the act provided help for women with children and elders by creating pensions and unemployment insurance programs. The Social Security Act Amendments of 1950 presented new legislation that highlighted the security of American families after the war. The act introduced protection through an insurance system, a new progressive kind of forward-looking legislation designed to provide both freedom and stability for American society. Thus, through the course of history, legislation allowed the government an opportunity to address the aftermath of significant events that posed a threat to the nation’s welfare and protect the population.
Nowadays, the Human Services are all layers of the population in need: low-income families, the elderly, immigrants, and refugees, with the main focus on the children. According to Przeperski and Owusu (2021), family ties across the world were weakened in recent times, and the situation requires additional help from the government. The latest addition to legislation in Human Services, the Family First Prevention Services Act, emphasizes the need for child welfare support and covers the cost for foster care and adoption assistance services.
Reference
Przeperski, J., & Owusu, S.A. (2021). Children and the child welfare system: Problems, interventions, and lessons from around the world. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 38, 127–130. Web.