To what extend can social work contribute to meeting the needs of groups in poverty. Discuss which particular reference to two of the following groups lone parents: ethnic minorities: the elderly: people with disabilities: long term unemployment.

There is no single description of poverty. It is a series of contested definitions and complex arguments that overlap and at times contradict each other (Alcock, Understanding Poverty, 1997, 4) Alcock describes poverty as politically contested issue (ibid.6) Attempts to define it on the other hand usually done without consulting the people in poverty.

There are two common descriptions of poverty, which have been widely accepted; absolute poverty and relative poverty. Seebohm Rowntree who worked on this issue a century ago described absolute poverty as:…(short extract)