The concept of need is so important within social policy as it is vital in effecting specific policies that are implemented. Having an understanding of needs also helps researchers of social policies and problems to interpret why a social problem has come about. A key example of this in the UK could be demonstrated with the social problem of homelessness. By understanding the importance of need in this scenario, researchers were able to deduce that the cause of this social problem was not due to the individual, but ‘the single most common cause of homeless people is poverty’ (Christian, 2003, p.107), meaning that people are unable to afford the high prices that the commercial market offers. As a result of this, the government has responded by implementing a benefits schemes as a social policy, where an allowance is provided to those who struggle having a steady income, to allow them to afford housing(Gov.co.uk, 2018). In conjunction to this, the government have also implemented a policy of social housing. This policy essentially allows properties to be sold to those who are getting a steady income but at a cheaper price than what the commercial sector is offering. This social policy has then meant that individuals can have a house to live in, instead of the alternative scenario where they could be living in unfit environments or potentially be homeless. The issue of homelessness is ever increasing with figures showing that number had increased to ‘4,751 people bedded down outside overnight in 2017, up 15% on the previous year’ (Butler, 2018). In reaction to this unmet need has encouraged a discussion of a revised social housing policy (2018) with a main goal of ‘providing safe, secure homes that help people get on with their lives’ (Gov.co.uk, 2018). Although it has not solved the issue as there are still ‘1.8 million households on the waiting list of social housing’ (Gov.co.uk, 2015), it has made steps towards aiding the issue to be resolved. This therefore demonstrates, with the use of a case study, how important need is in social policy as it allows the social problem to be broken down in to specific needs that are not being met to encourage social policies to be brought in accordingly.
The formation of a social policy is a very complex process, with a number of different aspects to take into consideration. Furthermore, the formation of social policies also involves an analysis of other different policies and how they came about, and most importantly, the impact that they have on society. As well as understanding the needs that are