When exploring the concept of social welfare, it is important first to give it a definition. Social welfare refers to the well-being of the entire society that is supported by the environmental quality, availability of vital social services, crime levels, and religious institutions. Thus, culture and the level of development undoubtedly have an impact on how an individual asks for assistance and where he or she finds comfort. The institutional perspective on social welfare goes hand-in-hand with the culturally dictated norms of how to handle various situations. Under this perspective, an individual is believed to be connected to large systems such as family, economic, and individual (Fauri, Wernet, & Netting, 2008).
Faith-based providers fall under the institutional perspective and have recently become more prominent in the delivery of publicly supported services (Graddy & Ye, 2006). It has been found that faith-based providers are much more concentrated in their services and put a greater emphasis on transitional assistance and the dependence on an intervention that incorporates their “unique strengths” (Graddy & Ye, 2006, p. 309). To some degree, faith-based organizations provide complementary services to the efforts of secular providers, without which social welfare is impossible.
Therefore, when discussing faith-based providers, it is crucial to take into consideration the cultural aspect. In some cultures and religions, seeking the help of a religious organization is more common than seeking the help of secular providers. There were instances when some members of religious movements and churches refused to seek medical care for themselves or their children, which goes against the principle of looking for assistance when needed.
Faith healing is an issue in this instance, and there have been many cases when people died because of following the laws of their church. For example, Faith Assembly Church (Pentecostal offshoot) is responsible for 100 children deaths, and the maternal childbirth mortality rate 870 times the usual (Hall, 2014). This presents a massive challenge to secular service providers that want to offer help and assistance but are disregarded because of religious beliefs.
Therefore, there should be a balance between secular and religious service providers to help the society develop a social welfare structure that will not limit the processes within the society but enhance them. On the other hand, cultures have developed in centuries, and it may be hard for some groups to make a step forward secular service providers or faith-based organizations to achieve balance. It is also important to account for the residual perspective on social welfare that suggests that society meets its needs, individual trough efforts, family support, and marketplace success.
To conclude, culture and beliefs have a tremendous influence on how and when people ask for the assistance of whether secular or faith-based service providers. Either extremity can be harmful as shown in the case of the Faith Assembly Church, so the society needs to focus on achieving balance and leading communities towards building trusting relationships and working towards achieving the well-being of the community that is not being limited to specific norms and regulations when it comes to establishing welfare. Overall, there is room for improvement when it comes to the culture’s influence on the society’s attitudes to different situations so that there are no religious or non-religious boundaries that prevent the maintenance of social welfare.
References
Fauri, D., Wernet, S., & Netting, E. (2008). Cases in macro social work practice. Boston, MA: Pearsons Education.
Graddy, E., & Ye, K. (2006). Faith-bases versus secular providers of social services – Differences in what, how, and where. Journal of Health and Human Services Administration, 29(3), 309-335.
Hall, H. (2014). Faith-healing: Religious freedom vs. child protection. Skeptical Inquirer, 38(4), 1-8.