| Abstract: | The introduction of the social fund in April 1988 was surrounded by uncertainties. The change in some awards from grants to loans and the emphasis on discretionary decision-making within the constraints of a limited budget represented a radical departure from the system of single payments and urgent needs payments which it replaced. These changes had effects on all of the actors on the social security stage. Not only did potential applicants and advisory agencies have to learn how best to use the new scheme, but DSS local offices were also faced with the need to adapt to new practices of administration. The first eighteen months of the fund's operation cannot give an accurate picture of how it will operate in later years, but by examining the processes through which various groups adapt their behaviour in using the scheme, it is possible to gain some insight into how it might evolve in the future. |
