A reflective review of different perspectives on modern welfare systems, as well as their modes of production, background, and historical development, is essential for understanding the social role and functions of Social Workers (SW). In their current institutional reality, SW predominantly carry out their professional activity within public and private organizations responsible for the administration of social policies.

Learning outcomes:
- Distinguish the main approaches to defining social policy as a discipline and describe the challenges inherent in its conceptualization;
- Characterize the structure and modes of social production of welfare in modern societies;
- Understand its fundamental principles and forms of intervention, as well as the main welfare state regimes in the European context;
- Identify the main manifestations of the welfare state crisis and the trends in restructuring social and institutional mechanisms of social welfare.