The Ethical Responsibilities of Street-Level Bureaucrats Under Welfare Reform

Abstract

The enactment of welfare reform in 1996 brought drastic changes to welfare policy in this nation, leading to the complete dismantling of the safety net for poor and needy persons and families. Among a host of other challenges, it has raised questions as to whether social workers can meet their ethical obligations to "enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people," as called for by the National Association of Social Workers. This paper examines the ethical considerations surrounding the new requirements of welfare reform in the United States. In particular, it asks whether the new intake process serves as an implicit barrier or deterrent to welfare. The intake process, which has heaped on even more paperwork and record-keeping requirements, leads front-line workers to become so preoccupied with filling out the forms that they fail to hear and respond to the needs of the welfare applicant. Ultimately, the worker is not able to "enhance human wellbeing" or "help meet the basic human needs" of the poor and needy.

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