Structural functionalism from a post modern perspective

Structural consortalism from a hold new-made positioningJay, Lara and their tiddlerren would be considered as a family. It is in examining the institution like the urban family and its wide range of issues and other(a) intricate social arrangements where sociologists do most of their theorising. In sociology there are three broad areas of sociological field of honor structural structuralism, symbolic interactionism and conflict theories (including feminism and blank spacemodernism) but for the purpose of this reputation structural functionalism will be looked at and critiqued by a post modern perspective in terms of the context of Jay and Laras family.Structural Functionists would value the role the family provides and the purpose that they perform. In investigating the different weakens of societys coordinate in relation to others, functionalists look at how different institutions contribute to the lengthiness and survival of the social system as a whole. The family o perates in a society fiberised by curbs and these rules are ordered and reoccurring and these relationships occur end-to-end societies and rear end thence be put under scientific rigor and testing in terms of a positivist quantitative outlook and this basin be considered almost frequent in application. So in round-eyed terms the institution of the family contributes to socialisation of new members of society as this is the rule or function the family provides to society.Parsons (1951) argued the family plays a number of roles in socialisation of aceness-on-ones. dickens roles being key in Jay and Laras case are the socialisation of children into sound values and norms. The other key point Parsons makes is the stabilisation of the adult temperament through marriage which helps to cushion parents from the stresses and strains of day to day life. (These ideas will be discussed further later in terms of criminological system). Jay and Lara are therefore the primary soci alisers of their children. They are (perhaps unwittingly) passing along a belief that disgust does pay if Jay is to continue to offend and move back into selling drugs, likewise that it is usual to carry a knife to protect yourself in their neighbourhood. It would in any case suggest that the family as a buffer to stresses and strains is perhaps superstar more than characterised by conflict than harmony as originally suggested by Parsons. Parsons theory has very little argument as to what makes a family dysfunctional and other family pathologies or to recognise a family different from the thermonuclear Ameri ground employment romance family of the 1950s era.Norms of family structure come changed all overtime, and these changes in families can be sight of as the move toward a newer post-modern idea of family. For example, Weston(1991 3) argues that Familial ties between persons of the homogeneous sex that may be erotic but are not grounded in biology or procreation do not fit any tidy division of kinship into relations of blood and marriage. thither is increase variation in family types. It is not that the nuclear family has been replaced it is more so a case that individuals move in and out of different family types throughout the words of their lifetime.Coontz (1992) has suggested central to these different types of families are the decline of child straighten and marriage as central defining characteristics. These define s lightness of a persons identity and withstand less influence over the life course decisions and are no longer socially universal. The family is now, she suggests, characterised by greater freedoms to take up your own style of life. Leading individuals in either positive or negative directions as the family now presents less constraints to those who are a part of it. Post-modernism has tried to suggest that rather than a family serving a function in society it is more characterised by multiplicity, difference, particularity , locality, temporality, and the scattered and shifting character of contemporary social processes (Outhwaite 2002).This can account for Jays change in conduct from a family centric one with the success of the job, which could be argued by functionalists as a success of the family socialisation to buffer Jay from stresses and strains of his local community to one where his individuality has been expressed by losing his job, and heading out for himself with no tenderness for his family and the outcome of his actions would meet had on them which holds to be a very post modern dilemma.(put something here about the ramifications for social flirt from these two perspectives.)Writers and theorists with sociology resist to the way actions of the state interfere with the family. Mclennan et al (2000) have noticed that modern families have come under state intervention more so than other periods in time. Some policy outcomes, much(prenominal) as the public assistance state, have been s een as something that should be a function of the family rather than a function delivered by the regimen. Sociologists, however, do recognise that social policy can be an area which provides social change by changing individual behaviour (Wallerstein 1989). Jay and Lara and their family are affected directly by these policies but this melodic theme shall look at family and child policies and how they affect social work and the family unit.During the agone 10 days there have been a lot of changes in presidency policy regarding children and families. With the introduction of every child matters (HM Treasury 2003) which outlines how this agendum will restructure real work with multidisciplinary working and better instruction sharing, it also details how early intervention should be concentrated on. The ideas fructify out in every child matters suggests that early intervention is more cost effective and early pr even uption is possible because of the vast intimacy about risk factors and the negative fix these can have and that parenting is vital. The deal also suggests that work such as social work exit to intervene in a positive way because they lack answerability and have not been sharing information well. The states policy is therefore one of a more active interventionist role in relation to children and their development. The surely gelt programme being an example of this and has been directly mentioned in the buttoned-up party Manifesto paying for more than 4500 new sure start workers and refocusing onto early intervention once more (Conservative Party website 2010).A further focus of Policy over the past 10 years has been to look at the role of parents. Parents have been suggested as the background for changes in anti-social behaviour and social exclusion. The state has also increased its role in parenting support asking local authorities to develop a maternal(p) support strategy and employ a single commissioner of parenting support servic es (family and Parenting Institute 2009). Further to this the Government committed itself to getting rid of child poverty by 2020 and halving it by 2010 (Conservative Party website 2010). This is due to the evidence from studies such as the millennium cohort study which followed 16 000 children and noted a difference in child performance based on socio economical status. Parents have also been called to be more involved with their Childs education including the unenviable to reach (Reynolds, 2006). This message is echoed in the Childrens Plan (2007) which states,Parents support for their childs learning is an inborn foundation for achievement. Parents told us they want to be more involved in their childrens education, and schools see the benefits of greater engagement with parents (Department for Children, Schools and Families, 2007a, p53).To achieve this, direct transfers to families through benefits and impose credits have increased, focusing particularly on low-income familie s in employment. These have been accompanied by measures aiming to raise the employment rate among parents. Lone parents have been singled out as a target group for welfare reform, on base measures to improve childcare availability and affordability. There has also been a major expansion in maternity leave provision, along with the introduction of the right hand for parents to request flexible working, in an attempt to make it easier for parents to balance work and family responsibilities. The final section of this report focuses on shifting family forms and family relationships, and the states role in helping couples to stay together and to parent their children after separation. Many challenges whitewash remain in family policy, such as integrating adult and childrens services to meet families needs ensuring families have access to both good universal services and specialist ones achieving child poverty targets and creating real choice for parents in how they balance paid work and family responsibilities. The changes of the past 10 years have taken place against a background of national economic prosperity. The current recession is imposing new challenges on both families and public services, and even if the recovery is quick, the context for the next decade will be one of high public debt.It can be seen that the current conservative government hold that the family function is on that needs to be upheld. The previous ram government taking a more liberal (postmodern) view and less moral overtone to the ideas of family as can be seen with the policies introduced pre conservative government such as a focus on tax breaks and increasing resources being moved to low income families regardless of their married or individual status. With the new administration it may be argued that a more functional view of the family situation will be adopted where the ideal of the nuclear family as suggested by Parsons (1951) will be supported. The role of the social work wi ll be therefore to protect these family institutions. Interestingly in light of the recent review of child protection after the Baby p case Henricson (2007) pointed out there was too much focus on structures and procedures and less emphasis on well trained social workers and other professionals with appropriate caseloads. Allowing them to fully understand the family situation and use their professional discernment in a more appropriate way.In reality put is however fraught with resource limitations and need to provide help to those already in crisis rather than early intervention. In Building Britains Future the undercoat minister promises a move from a system based mainly on targets and central direction to one where individuals have enforceable entitlements over the service they receive (Prime minister 2009, p18). This could have a great impact on Social Work services and service provision