Bhsh 302 Week 1 Assignment

What is Human Services

Name

University of Phoenix

A Profound Look at Human Services

    Although the human service profession did not exist until the 1800s, the necessity and desire to help others has always existed. This desire has transformed what human services use to be into what it has become today.   Human services give individuals and families the chance to overcome situations that may not be attempted alone.   Human services today offer guidance through different situations, from mental illnesses to marital issues. Throughout history, many individuals and events have had an impact on what human services have grown to be.
    The idea of human services has been greatly influenced by England. The United States took special interest in England’s social welfare system. The Elizabethan poor laws of 1601 were the foundation for America’s social welfare policy. “Three defining principles that founded these laws including the belief that :
          1) The primary responsibility for provision lay with one’s family,
          2) That poor relief is handled at the local level
          3) No individual should be allowed to move to a new community if they cannot provide for themselves financially.
      In the 1870’s, Charity Organization Societies (COS) was developed. Eventually this organization questioned its actions. Many believed that laziness was being encouraged to those who supposedly needed help. Soon the terms unworthy poor and worthy poor were developed. Some individuals were only taking advantage of the system, but there were those in desperate need for the COS’s help. The COS determined who was worthy of help and who was not. The COS hired friendly visitors, known as caseworkers today, to determine the reason individuals or families were poor and the designed a plan to help each situation (UOP College, 2007).
    As human services were starting to develop more rapidly, Jane Addams came into the picture. Jane Addams wanted to change how... [continues]

Read full essay