The paper concentrates on some tendencies in contemporary social policy and social care that seem to be most important (ones) for welfare state transformation. Devolution is defined as a consequence of three different factors: economic ones, socio-political ones and cultural ones. Welfare pluralism started in Great Britain in the seventies as an alternative solution during welfare state crisis. As Kvist and Torfing stated that there is a hidden assumption connected with welfare pluralism, namely that welfare state itself can not only solve social problems but can create them as well. According to Neil Gilbert there are some other false assumptions about welfare pluralism that should be verified. Nonetheless mixed economy of welfare has become dominant model in Europe what show Italian authors Ranci and Ascoli in their typology. Last but not least tendency described in presented article is that of social capital. Social capital is a new intellectually stimulating not only theoretical concept (P.Bourdieu, J.Coleman, R.Putnam, etc.) but practical alternative for traditional social welfare as well (e.g. Australia).