Formulating a Welfare System for a Case Study on Challenges Faced by an Aboriginal Woman

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Case study 2
Introduction
Humans generally accept equality among all and steer clear of hierarchy with more
readiness when they have clear minds and are not distressed. Social equality refers to the
state of affairs where all individuals residing within a society or in isolated groups share a
similar status in different respects of freedom of speech, civil rights, equal access to social
services and goods, and property rights (Wolff, 2015). The essay will formulate a welfare
system for a case study that elaborates on the challenges faced by an Aboriginal woman
Samantha.
Welfare service domains
According to the Australia’s welfare framework, three central domains have been
identified imperative for all people namely, wellbeing, welfare services, and determinants.
Furthermore, there are a plethora of contextual factors that also govern the access to
certain primary social resources such as, primary healthcare practitioners, economic
conditions, and population growth (Australia Institute of Health and Welfare, 2017). A range
of human and social elements have been found to play an essential role in shaping equality.
Material living conditions are an indicator of income, housing and the power of purchasing.
Inequality in income distribution is often correlated to disparities that exist in the wellbeing
and health outcomes (Raphael, 2016). Furthermore, adequate housing is a prerequisite for
meeting the basic human needs of shelter and provides a protective environment (Rolnik,
2013). Non-school qualification acts as a measure of poor material living conditions and
poorer health outcomes. Similar associations can also be established for other social
elements such as, personal safety, community engagement, environment and health and
vitality (Mitrou et al., 2014).
Analysis of the case scenario
The current case scenario focuses on Samantha, an Aboriginal single mother, residing
in a social housing and is currently unemployed. Social housings are most commonly
provided by non-profit organisations or government agencies for people having particular
needs or with low incomes. This explains the fact that Samantha and her son have poor
living conditions and low employment to population ratio that emphasizes on the fact that
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lack of job is not able to protect their household from poverty (Australia Institute of Health
and Welfare, 2017). Centrelink benefits that are currently being utilized by Samantha for her
child acts as a firm of payment that helps with the cost of her child care (Centrelink
Payments and Services, 2018). Furthermore, the fact that she is abused by her boyfriend is
also confirmed by her neighbours. This falls under the social element of personal safety,
crime victimization in particular and suggests the absence of a safe environment that is
imperative for the overall physical and wellbeing of the individual and her child (Kuroki,
2013). Government records suggest that 2.4% were subjected to physical assault, 2.6% to
face-to-face threatened assault. Moreover, an estimated 0.4% people of 18.3 million, aged
more than 18 years also reported sexual assault (Abs.gov.au, 2018). This indicates the
presence of high crime victimisation rates in Australia, of which Samantha is also a part. Data
reports also suggest that close to 83.2% indigenous students attended schools in 2017, when
compared to 93% of their nonindigenous counterparts. Samantha’s interest in going back to
school suggests that she had dropped-out of schools in her early years. Thus, it can be
deduced that Samantha’s welfare was largely governed by her non-school qualification that
was a subjective indicator of poor living conditions (Ricard & Pelletier, 2016). Furthermore,
the fact that most of her family members are out of the country indicate lack of community
engagement and a low level of generalised trust that is an essential contributor of poorer
wellbeing.
Formulation of welfare framework
Housing security is an essential service that should be implemented in a way that
promotes the welfare of Samantha, by taking into consideration her homelessness, housing
affordability, and its mobility. Renters have been found to a 6 times increased likelihood of
moving houses at least 4 times (Fitzpatrick & Pawson, 2014). Rapid urbanisation and
increased costs of building and land materials make it difficult for low-income groups to
access appropriate resources for building safe homes. Thus, her welfare can be improved by
entering into an HMA (Housing Management Agreement), in accordance to the policy
manual of Aboriginal housing services (Government of Western Australia, 2018). Provisions
should be created for providing a Samantha with the opportunity of pursuing education. This
can be facilitated by appropriate implementation of the Aboriginal Education Policy that
shows a commitment to improve wellbeing and educational outcomes for all Aboriginals
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