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Exploring the Contribution of Frontline Welfare Service Delivery to Capability Development in Australia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 April 2014

CLAIRE MASON ,
ANNELIESE SPINKS ,
STEFAN HAJKOWICZ  and
LIZ HOBMAN
CLAIRE MASON
Affiliation:
Science into Society Group, CSIRO Earth Science and Resource Engineering, Australia email: Claire.Mason@csiro.au
ANNELIESE SPINKS
Affiliation:
Social and Economic Sciences Program, CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Australia email: Anneliese.Spinks@csiro.au
STEFAN HAJKOWICZ
Affiliation:
CSIRO Futures, Australia email: Stefan.Hajkowicz@csiro.au
LIZ HOBMAN
Affiliation:
Social and Economic Sciences Program, CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Australia email: Elizabeth.V.Hobman@csiro.au
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Abstract

This study explores how interactions between frontline welfare service delivery employees and recipients are seen to affect welfare recipients’ capabilities. Seventeen employees and fifty-two welfare recipients from the Australian Department of Human Services were interviewed regarding their service delivery experiences. Interviews were transcribed and participants’ descriptions of the outcomes achieved from welfare service delivery interactions were analysed to determine the major themes. Burchardt and Vizard's (2007) capability list captured many of the effects described by participants, particularly the capability domains labelled ‘Individual, family and social life’, ‘Education and learning’, ‘Standard of living’, ‘Health’ and ‘Productive and valued activities’. Other outcomes were described by participants that might represent early indicators of positive or negative impact. Our findings suggest that welfare service delivery can both promote and impair capability development for welfare recipients.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Social Policy , Volume 43 , Issue 3 , July 2014 , pp. 635 - 653
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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