Social safeguard is a base to the European system of welfare states. The first section of this work thus will shortly figure out the claims of the EU concerning national and international welfare and standards of social security demanded from its member states. The second chapter will introduce Esping-Andersens typology of welfare states and similar typologies like those of Abrahamson, Leibfried and Kleinmann will also be introduced. Chapter three will shortly figure out the financial and functional systems of the national social welfare programs of Spain and Austria to proceed with a description of the social welfare services. In chapter 4 aid money programs for unemployment, pensions, basic social care, mother-/fatherhood and health care will (i.e. as a single mother) be scrutinized in detail. The second part of chapter 4 will focus changes and reforms in these countries concerning the social systems within the last years with respect to the living conditions of its addressees. Seminar paper aus dem Jahr 2008 im Fachbereich Soziologie - Soziales System, Sozialstruktur, Klasse, Schichtung, Note: 1,0, Johannes Kepler Universität Linz.