WELFARE shows the nature and complexity of the welfare system in sequences illustrating the staggering diversity of problems that constitute welfare: housing, unemployment, divorce, medical and psychiatric problems, abandoned and abused children, and the elderly. These issues are presented in a context where welfare workers as well as clients struggle to cope with and interpret the laws and regulations that govern their work and life. This in-depth look at the nature and complexity of the welfare system prompted New York Social Welfare Commissioner James R. Dumpson to comment, "I wish all the public, as well as legislators and politicians, could see this film. It could have been made in any urban area in the United States."