Social welfare is a system that provides assistance to individuals and families in need. It encompasses a wide range of programs designed to ensure that all members of society can meet their basic needs for food, shelter, education, and healthcare. services provided by the government or private organizations to help poor, ill, or old people. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Social security & state benefits. A social welfare function tackles the challenge of resource and benefit distribution within a community. It assists in determining how to value one person's happiness against another's and how to weigh the needs of a majority against those of a minority.