Perspectives on Social Services and Social Issues

Derek Wilkinson is an associate professor of Sociology at Laurentian
University.

This book summarizes the proceedings of the Second Conference on Provincial Social Welfare Policy held at the University of Calgary in 1985. The four main topics are initiatives in service delivery, sex-related social issues, client groups, and Indian child welfare.

The article by Richard Splane argues that Alberta has at least recently been reluctant to be as involved in social welfare policies advocated by the federal government and other provinces. Percy Kinkaide discusses the privatization of many social services which he refers to as “the revitalization of community enterpnise." He develops a rough assessment tool, a numerical scale appropriate for determining whether privatization will be beneficial. A.N. Azim sees privatization as an attempt to reverse the evolution of social services delivery because of increasing costs and neo-conservatism. He wants government to maintain its responsibility even if it contracts out performance so that the overall level of services is not diminished. Evelyn Ferguson interviewed 10 respondents on the effects of legislative changes regulating private adoption services. She feels Ontario is developing a dual system putting cost-effectiveness concerns over equity, where clients prefer the private system for children of the right age, health, and race.

Christopher Bagley decries the Conservative government’s failure to implement the Badgley Report recommendations. He argues that better service programs provided earlier would be very cost-effective in preventing longer-term problems associated with abuse. Kathleen Mahoney argues that obscenity laws are out of step with current values of equality. The conservative religious view and the liberal individual liberty view are out of date, so governments should act now to implement the Charter ideas about equality rather than waiting for legislative challenges through the courts. John McLaren provides a summary of knowledge currently available about prostitutes in Canada. He claims that countries who have combined decriminalization with regulation have achieved the best results. Only violence or the threat of physical harm should remain in the criminal law, and not offense to the moral sense of the community.

Angela Djao describes the lack of social services for immigrant women in Canada after studying Immigrant Aid Societies in Saskatchewan. The problem she sees with current voluntarism is that paid staff don’t come from or represent the interests of the client group. Dieter Hoehne looks at legal aid in Nova Scotia. In the development of this system, clients’ suggestions were not seriously considered. Hoehne advocates public education through authentic and equal participation in the administration process to overcome this problem. Don Fuchs focuses on Independent Living Resource Centres as a means to integrate services for physically disabled people with their needs. These Resource Centres will provide regular consumer input from the disabled themselves. McMahon et al. describe a case management for young offenders in Ontario. He describes a goal-oriented recording system and case review and audit processes which were set up with consultation to follow clients and provide uniform treatment with single-case responsibility.

Stalwick et al. report on a community-based Native Child and Family Service Committee renamed the Peyakowak Committee. They argue that learning should take place through community living and involvement. John MacDonald describes the Spallumcheen Band Child Welfare By-Law authorizing the Chief and Band Council to apprehend Indian children when asked by a parent on guardian or in other situations, and allowing them to decide on the child’s placement. MacDonald supports this program for reserves but argues that other alternatives are necessary for urban situations. Peter Hudson portrays the benefits of the Manitoba model which takes child welfare for Indian children away from the CAS and puts it in the hands of a community-based committee involving often workers and elders. He argues for more appreciation on the part of non-Indian agencies of the difficulties faced by these community committees.

The articles thus cover some important issues relating to the delivery of social services to particular groups in Canada.