Help and hindrance of welfare policies from the perspectives of low-income mothers

Background: This study analyzed the perceptions of 42 low-income mothers regarding how welfare policies affect the health and well-being of their children. A human rights framework was also utilized to view how welfare policies were responsive to the women's needs, and in turn, promote their ability to protect the health of young children.

Methods: For each of the 42 women, there were on average three semi-structured, one-on-one interviews and four focus groups (no more than ten mothers in each group). Utilizing atlas.ti we carried out a phenomenological theme analysis on more than 5,000 photos and on transcriptions of over 100 hours of audio taped interviews.

Results: The Witnesses reported feeling disenfranchised, disrespected, forced to live ‘hand to mouth', and feeling as if they were unable to extricate themselves from the public welfare system. The women emphasized a tension between appreciation for receiving benefits and assistance, and frustration at the sporadic, inconsistent and often punitive nature of the assistance programs. Many programs were deemed to look promising on paper, but once assistance was sought, there were long waiting lists, unreachable criteria of extreme hardship, and little regard for the health and wellbeing of the children.

Conclusions: Our analyses suggest that the public assistance programs must streamline application processes and reconsider eligibility criteria. To do so also demands that the Department of Welfare, housing assistance offices and other helping institutions consider ways in which they could take a public health approach to welfare assistance that is rooted in prevention rather than in acute emergency care. The human rights framework sheds light on the potential violations of the right to the highest attainable standard of health, the right to work, and the right to food and water.