DESTITUTE CHILDREN

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 201, 20 May 1921, Page 6

DESTITUTE CHILDREN

THE INSTITUTION OR THE HOME

EXPERIENCE IN NEW ZEALAND I

AN EXPERT’S REPLY TO CRITICS

Some suggestions made by Mr. J. Beck, officer in charge of destitute and delinquent children, have given rise to a considerable amount of hostile criticism. Mr. Beck declared the boarding-out system as against the institution system in the handling of children who lack their natural guardians. Tho Minister of Education, whois not committed to the opinions that Mr. Beck has expressed, has indicated that he intends to summon a conference of orphanage authorities for the discussion of the points that have been raised. In the meantime ho has given tho officer permission to place his opinions and his reasons before the public. Mr. Beck's remarks are contained in tho following report: — I have read tho numerous letters and articles that have appeared in the Dunedin newspapers in reference to my report (now a year old), which contains among other items recommendations in connection with the care of illegitimate, destitute, delinquent and orphan children. It does not necessarily follow, however, that all these recommendations will be acceptable to the Minister; they merely embody the. opinion that I have formed after a dose study of .the system followed by every leading country in the world and after over 26 years’ experience in this work in all its branches in New Zealand. With regard to the strong exception that has been taken to my remarks concerning private institutions for children, I may state that at no time have T underestimated the value to tho State of the work carried out by tho social service agencies (both private and denominational) in tho interests of children whose parents are unable to properly provide for them. Neither is there any question as to the treatment of children in those private institutions, but as the orphanage system is comparatively new in Now Zealand, it is the duty of tho Government, I contend, to ensure that all social service agencies adopt as their working basis the principles and. systems that have proved successful in older countries and which have been adopted! only after long years of experience. Foster Homes. In practically every counter the system of placing certain classes of children in selected foster homes has been adopted in preference to detaining them in institutions, and in tho face of the overwhelming evidence i nfavour of such a system and of the fact that the Department has carried out this system successfully for a long period of years, I am afraid that the optfrtons of those whose experience has Been entirely confined Ito institutions can have little weight. We find, for instance, that Dr. Barnardc, who 'began by trying largo institutions, and afterwards village communities, adopted boardingout twenty years before his death as superior to both. It is recorded that lie told the Committee on Poor Law Children that he would not create another large institution under any circumstances, and that although he had had many opportunities of adding to his institutions he had declinedsto do so "because boarding-out was 50 much better." Again we find that Sir John Gorst, probably the best known authority on this subject in the British Empire, makes the following statement: “The most natural and ideal method of dealing with a deserted and homeless child is to place it in a real home, where it can enjoy the love and affection of foster-parents. The home life draws ont the child’s individual Character, instead of suppressing it, as institutional life does. It grows up with other children in the community, learns with them, plays with them, gets into childish scrapes, and loses that sense, of separation and strangeness of position which in tho rearing of children is above all things to be avoided.” In America the plan of placing out dependent and neglected children in family homes, temporarily or permanently,. has become well established, and it is generally recognised that as a rule a carefully selected family home is to be preferred to an institution as an abiding place for such child, especially in the case of young children. Tho White House Conference on_ the care of dependent children, held at "Wash, ington in January, 1909, included about 200 representatives of orphanages, children's homes, juvenile courts, children’s aid societies, societies for the prevention of cruelty io children, and other agencies from all parts of the United States and representing various religious faiths. The conference adopted unanimously a series of conclusions, including the following:—"Homo Fifiding.—As to the children, who for sufficient reasons must be removed from their own homes or who have no homes, it is desirable that if normal in mind and 'body, and not requiring special training, they should be cared for in families wherever practicable. The carefully-selected foster home is for the normal child the best substitute for the natural home.” The personal views of at least a score of wellknown leaders in organised child-placing work in tho United States and elsewhere can be quoted in support of the system followed by the Department in the placing out of children. Orphan Now with regard to orphan children, it is apparently not generally known that such children are in the minority in "orphanages.” From figures compiled from returns received from orphanages at December 31, 1919, it appears that of the 513 children under the age of six years maintained 241 have both parents living; 174 have a father only; 94 a mother; and only 34 were children who had lost both parents. Compare these figures with the numbers dealt with by the Department. For the two years ended December 31 last 342 orphans have been committed to the care of the State, and practically without exception every one has heen placed either with relatives or in a foster home. During the same period 302 illegitimate children were also dealt with in a similar manner, and no fewer than 50 children under the care of the Department have been adopted 'by their foster parents, and are thus provided with jiarents and a home at no further cost t-o the State.

It should he explained that all these children come into tho hands of the Department through the medium of the police and tho magistrates’ courts, and in view of the large number dealt with each year I suggested for consideration in connection with future legislation, a procedure whereby the orphan child particularly could be taken charge of by the Slate without the necessity for the prose dt system of handling by th® police. The scheme ns outlined by me contains provision for the recognition of social service agencies dealing with children, and also provides .for the admission of such children to private institutions under certain conditions. There is no suggestion that the Department should take over the control nnd guardianship of all orphans. As a matter of fact, it is tho rule of tho Department to endeavour to place orphan children with relatives, and there is no intention of altering this rule. Tbs Illegitimate Child,

Now with regard to the care of the illegitimate child, it is hardly necessary to /juote statistics (and there are ample) • e show that there is very great need for improved methods for ensuring that the child is properly provided for. No ’ess important is the question of providing suitably for tho mother and of assisting her where necessary in obtaining payment from the father of the child. It is a notorious fact that the death rate among illegitimate children is 100 per

cent, higher than the death-rate among normal children, and this fact alone should be sufficient justification for suggesting some definite methods for providing for these children. The proposals sent forward for the Minister’s consideration included provision for the utilising of the services of the social service agencies (cither private or denominational) for the placing of such children in private institutions where necessary and for investing either the manager or matron with tho guardianship under certain conditions. It is also provided that in cases where it is ascertained that the child is not being properly treated and there are .no relatives who would taka the child, the Department may apply to the Children’s Court for the guardianship—this latter course would fake the place of the present procedure of committal to an industrial school.

It is unfortunate that certain statements in my report have been misinterpreted in Jcrtain quarters. Nothing was further from my thoughts than the belittling of the efforts of the various private and denominational organisations throughout New Zealand, but what I do think is that they should be more up to date in these methods. The proposals for legislation contain clauses which, if approved, will give these private organisations a definite status in the handling of destitute nnd dependent children, and will also provide a basis for co-operation with tho Department and for co-ordina-tion of methods.