The lack of a National Social Welfare Scheme is an impediment to social work practice in Nigeria

Abstract

The research focused on the lack of a national social welfare scheme is an impediment to Social Work practice. The  methodology was qualitative comprising documentary sources of research. The theoretical perspective was the  Devereux and Sabates-Wheeler (2004) transformative social protection theory. This theory identified four attributes  notably promotive, preventive, protective, and transformational indices as the driving force of intervention to alleviate  poverty in Third World countries. The literature review identified the following phrases: The roles of social workers, the  types of social welfare schemes, the role of social welfare state, the relationship between Social Work and social welfare, and the lack of social welfare is an impediment to social work practice.

The findings: lack of a national social welfare  scheme led to social suffering in the following ways, lack of health  insurance for all, the corrupt actions of chief medical  directors in hospitals, the lack of the tenets of a national social  welfare accelerates poverty and social suffering, high unemployment and lack of basic services for the populace.

Conclusion: The lack of a national social welfare scheme has led to tremendous social suffering for most Nigerians.

Recommendations: A national census should be conducted to know the accurate population of Nigeria. Religious  institutions should be encouraged to build retirement homes for their members so as to ease the housing needs of the  aged population. The government should tax multinational companies and very rich Nigerians to fund some aspects of  social welfare schemes. Grant tax incentives to companies that contribute to NGOs that are directly helping vulnerable  groups such as widows orphans and aging people.