Funding of social services

The general principle in most countries which provide social services is that all employed people hand over part of their income to central fund which finances the services anyone might need. An example is the National Insurance Scheme in Britain, under which people pay a certain fixed sum every week out of their wages. Then, if a person is unemployed or too ill to work, he may draw back from the central fund certain benefits. These are weekly cash payments which will cover the most basic needs for the unemployed persons and their dependent family. When the persons reach retiring age, they are entitled to draw a pension from the central fund.

Another way in which people contribute to a central fund is through taxation. A proportion of tax money is reserved for cash benefits to needy people. Other money isprovided by charity organizations.

There are many other social services in which help is given not in money but in the form of amenities, or facilities, or personal advice or care. For example, some children, for a variety of reasons, cannot enjoy a normal life in their own homes. They may need to be placed in foster homes or in residential establishments for children, often only for short periods. Special care is also needed by the mentally ill, the severely handicapped, and the old, who can no longer fend for themselves.

These services are called «personal» because they offer help in terms of the special needs of certain individuals. The needs of physically handicapped people, for example, vary greatly from one person to the next, and so they have to be assessed individually. Another reason for the title «personal» is that the help is often given by another person. Someone in distress needs advice, guidance, sympathy, understanding, and reassurance. If you can imagine yourself suddenly blinded in an accident, you can understand that you will need a lot more than a weekly payment from the government. You will need advice about education, possible employment, about Braille, and about how to manage your affairs. A person with the skill and understanding to help who works in the appropriate social services department is usually called a social worker. Help in various emergencies is also provided by volunteer charity workers.
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