The term 'social policy' can refer to:
- regulatory measures (guidelines, principles, legislation and activities ) intended to ensure or effect the well-being of a society and its constituent members;
- an interdisciplinary[1] field of study and (applied) practice that is concerned with societies' responses to social need[2], such as are manifest in the structure and provisioning of health care, human services, criminal justice, inequality, education, and labor".[3]
Collectively, social policy is focused on those aspects of the economy, society and/or polity that are necessary to human existence and the means by which distribution of, and access to, goods and resources in that society are be provided.[4] Basic human needs include: food and shelter, a sustainable and safe environment, the promotion of health and treatment of the sick, the care and support of those unable to live a fully independent life; and the education and training of individuals to a level that enables them fully to participate in their society.[5] Individual manifestations of 'social policy' (e.g. a particular law, decree, or regulatory requirement) tend to apply to specific issues, such as policies requiring prior consultation with local community members before commencing a new development initiative.
Despite drawing on an increasing amount of the theoretical work and field experiences across countries and sectors—and despite collaborations among social development practitioners being increasingly methods-oriented and systematised—social policy is often viewed critically as culpable in the often disastrous social consequences of the development process (Carroll 2009; Gray 2010).