What Is Human Services

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The history of the Human Service profession dates back to before the establishment of the Department of Health and Human Services in the United States. The profession has been found to begin as early as the 1800 in England however; the need for assistance and the practice of helping others goes as far back as Biblical times. The eleventh century marked the development of the feudalism system in England as a way of life and a way of taking care of those less fortunate. The feudalism system was the driving force in the establishment of human services and the services provided were seen as the right thing to do by individuals of privileged and wealth. The system allowed wealthy landowners to employ peasants or serfs known practically as slaves, with benefits to work on their land. In return for their work, the land owners would provide the peasants with care and support (Martin, 2007).

Over the years, Human Services has gone through different transformations to determine who was worthy and unworthy of assistance. Those thought to be capable of finding means of basic needs were concluded unworthy of assistance to which individuals not capable, such as the homeless or even pregnant woman at the time, were thought worthy of assistance and were often forgiven and allowed to "beg" to survive. Natural disasters, plagues, and urbanization increases later led England to develop certain "poor laws." These laws changed the way the poor were perceived, managed, and treated. Assisting the poor and providing sustenance also became viewed as going against the work of God.

Laws established in the 1600s have since aided as a foundation for the policies and practices set forth for the social welfare in America. Elizabethan Poor Laws gave relief to the poor; offering individual's opportunities in America. In the 1870s, charity organizations and settlement houses made way into society to help with problems associated with poverty and how individuals were cared for (Martin, 2007). Charity Organizations were founded on the belief that the welfare system was in need of new practices and reorganization. The organizations eventually developed the process of investigations into every person who sought assistance through the systems of Human Services. The investigations allowed the welfare system to focus on the individual's needs rather than the needs of society, to become self-sufficient. The reorganization also led to detailed record keeping, where information on those needing assistance were kept to avoid abuse on the system.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, a significant increase of immigrants from Europe into the United States prompted the need to provide a place to live with improved conditions. The idea to improve the conditions worked to provide community services and promote neighborly cooperation (Martin, 2007). Settlement houses were introduced to integrate immigrant families where people would be provided with a safe and clean place to live. They were also given health care, food, English lessons, and childcare. Although settlement houses are no longer used in the United States, the practice of Human Services still recognizes the needs of individuals and concepts associated with overall care within the social welfare system.

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